Thursday 31 January 2008

Thriller fails to thrill Tube passengers

Nothing can make tube passengers react – not even a Tube carriageful of dancers re-enacting Michael Jackson's Thriller video. This is pretty darn cool and has actually changed my life; every tube ride from now on will have me harbouring the secret desire for random strangers to get up and do an MJ dance routine.


Thriller dance on the tube - Michael Jackson thriller


Wednesday 30 January 2008

Try This Experiment While Sitting at Your Desk

A funny little brain trick which actually works. Try it!

Try This Experiment While Sitting at Your Desk


Google Maps.. Gone Wrong

Made me laugh:



Google Maps

Breaking: John Edwards quitting presidential race


Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards is dropping out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, CNN has learned. The former senator has told top advisors about his decision. It is expected he will announce it at a speech in New Orleans, Louisiana, at 1p.m. Wednesday.

This is interesting. Who will Edwards endorse? My feeling is he is desperate to be vice-president and is waiting to see who pulls ahead between Barack and Hilary. Once he's chosen who he thinks is his best shot to VP he will swiftly endorse them, most likely tipping the Democratic Nomination squarely in their favour. He will then ride the presidential ticket to near certain victory. His only problem, there's a bit of speculation that Al Gore will swoop in with a celebrity endorsement of Obama before Super Tuesday. If that happens, Edwards will be forced to side with Hilary to keep his VP aspirations alive. I get the feeling that if this were to happen, Obama/Gore would be quite and attractive ticket to the undecided voters. But not as attractive as Obama/Edwards.

I'm not American so I can't vote, but from what I've seen from here in the UK is the best presidential partnership would be Obama/Paul. Yeah, I said it! Just my two cents.

John Edwards quitting presidential race

Umbrella that tells the weather. Why didn't I think of that?


The brainchild of an American company can receive local weather forecasts automatically through a built-in radio receiver in the handle, which receives weather data for 150 US locations via a website called Accuweather.com....

Giving umbrellas a hi-tech spin

Digg!

Monday 28 January 2008

Cloverfield Movie Review


"Some Thing has found us..."

One of the most hyped films in recent history finally made it's debut 10 days ago and broke box office records. If certain reviews are to believe, it has redefined the monster thriller genre, not least due to the uniqueness of filming. The entire <> mins are shot on a standard run-of-the-mill handheld digital camera à la Blair Witch. What began as a low budget, potential indie cult classic evolved into an internet phenonomenon. Largely through the encylopedia sized backstory divulged through alternative reality games, where clues are scattered online and in actual real life locations.


Much of the fuel for hype came from the fact that Cloverfield was produced by a certain JJ Abrams, one of the hottest properties in Hollywood right now. Currently well known for his TV production on hit shows like Felicity, Alias, and the epic mystery-fest that is Lost, he also has pedigree in movies as a writer on Armegeddon and Mission Impossible III. Like Lost, the entire Cloverfield project was cloaked in secrecy. The film technically didn't have a name during production, cryptically assuming a variety of fake working titles that changed fairly regularly. Casting involved making actors read from scripts not of the movie, but from random tv shows and films. Scripts were watermarked, and pages were added and changed each day on set.


Here's the premise. On the eve of his departure for a new job in Japan, Rob (Michael Stahl-David) is thrown a surprise going-away party. Things take an unexpected turn when an apperant earthquake hits. The crowd watch news reports of an earthquake, then rush to the roof to assess the damage. A fireball explodes on the distant horizon and flaming debree begins to rain down on the roof. Confusion gives way to panic as the partygoers stumble through the blackout and into the streets. Amid the human screams and one inhuman roar, Rob and his friends and plonked right in the middle of a nightmare situation. Through the eyes of Hud (TJ Miller) we follow Rob and his crew as they embark on their nightmare rescue mission.


The decision to use actors who were all complete unknowns was a great one. It adds to the hyper-realism of the film and helps you forget that this is a movie and not a home video. Cloverfield is extremely clever in what you see and what you don't see and everything important is shown clearly without wrecking the sense that this is amatuer footage. And it's not just non-stop action. The makers do well to intertwine monsterous events with the home video the Hud accidently records over. Not only a novel way of revealing character backstory, it also allows for breathers from the action, which is frenetic at times to say the least. The set pieces are superb, in particular, a scene in the subway tunnel is absolutely incredible and stands out as pure action movie gold.


Cloverfield is certainly unique. Something that needs to be classed as an experience rather than simply a monster movie. The use of a handycam is an absolute stroke of genius, putting you right in the heart of the action. Although the constant shaking can be a little disconcerting, if you make it through the first 30 or so minutes without puking up you'll be alright. Another thing I loved was that interaction with the monster is not fleeting. We're given full on views more than once in the film. Add to the fact that Cloverfield clocks in at less than an hour and a half shows that the film is self-aware; it knows it's an action film not an Oscar hopefull. A super fun roller coaster ride, not a self-indulgent bum-number. This is an instant classic which leaves the door open for a potential sequel. I can't wait.

8/10

Cloverfield is released Friday 1 February 2008 in the UK


Saturday 26 January 2008

Tuesday 22 January 2008

What's Going On Right Now


Hello readers. "Aaaaah". That's the sound I made when I spotted the front page of The Sun this morning. Remember when I told you that Amy Winehouse was papped ordering only nugget sauce from McDonlad's? Well it turns out her actions make perfect sense. She was cracked up to her eyeballs. Mere hours before attending her husband's court appearance she was honking on a crack pipe. Firstly, if someone wants to smoke crack, let them. And then offer to buy their HD TV off them for a tenner at 3am the next morning. Secondly, I think all the papers trying to cover their asses by liberally sprinkling their pieces with the word "allegedly" need not worry. She must have been off her tits if she wasn't suspicious of one of her "friends" following her around all day with their (secret?) videocamera. If I'm taking hits off a crack pipe in front of my wedding pics and I spot a blinking red light, I'm gonna ask questions. See the vid here.

Flicking through Thelondonpaper at lunch I spotted a couple of gems in the "Funny Old World" section. First was the story of a £75,000 theft-proof BMW that was stolen - when the police left it unlocked with the keys in the ignition...Second was the story of Vietnamese Customs finding a crate of live snakes on a plane. Wait what?? The illegal cargo, on board a Thai Air flight from Bangkok, was hidden inside 60 ice boxes marked "fresh fish".

"Who knows what would have happened if they had broken out and crawled around the plane when it was flying?" said Dao Van Lien, head of customs at Hanoi airport. Erm, I do. Are there cinemas in Vietnam or what?


Remember when I told you that No Country For Old Men would make the Oscar shortlist for Best Motion Picture? Remember how I eulogised over the magnificent performance of Javier Bardem? Creamed my pants over the superb use of sound? Or praised the cinematography? Well the Oscar Noms have been released and guess what? No Country has won nods in the Best Motion Picture of the Year, Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Achievement in Sound Editing, and Achievement in Cinematography categories, among others. Both No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood topped the class with eight nominations. Click here for the whole list.


All this talk of movies reminds me how much I want to see Cloverfield. On release in the US it beat out Star Wars to break box office records for a January Weekend with an estimated $46 million gross over those 3 days*. Considering it cost an estimated $35 million to make that's pretty impressive. Interestingly enough, some research on Boxofficemojo shows that it's not the biggest monster-flick opening weekend; Hulk and King Kong opened to $62 million and $50 million.

For the past 3 months or so I have ardently refused to get involved in all Cloverfield's interactive online nonsense and I've been tiptoeing around spoilers since 1-18-08. Annoyingly I still have about another 10 days to go. Doesn't help that my friends over at online mag LOAD Magazine have seen it already and are taunting me. Apparently the newest marketing technique is torture people with little snippets of info then make them wait 2 weeks for the film to come out while everyone over the pond says how amazing it is. It worked, I will be first in line on general release!

Of course, all this will soon be immaterial once the entire world economy crashes. Yesterday saw the worst day since 9/11 for many stock indices in Europe. With the US observing Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, US Federal Reserve took today's market opening as the opportunity to try and prevent a similar massacre in US markets by slashing interest rates by an unprecedented 75 basis points. The move down to 3.5 per cent was the first unscheduled Fed rate cut since September 17 2001 and its largest single cut since August 1982.

For those who dismissed all the above as gibberish here's your take-home: SELL YOUR STOCKS NOW!! Oversaturated is predicting a major market correction in the next 28 days. Don't say I didn't warn you. Turns out it's all George Dubya's fault. Click here for an interesting video on how he managed to so spectacularly fuck up. Go Ron Paul!

At the time of writing this, The net is abuzz with the news that Heath Ledger has died! Not good news...

*However, Star Wars' $35 million would equal over $53 million adjusted for ticket price inflation

How To Make Stay-Awake Glasses

This made me laugh


How To Make Stay-Awake Glasses

Monday 21 January 2008

Sometimes the oldies are the best...

Old School 35mm slide viewer + iPod Nano = 1973 Mini TV:


Nanoscope: AppleTV 1973.0

Sunday 20 January 2008

No Country For Old Men Movie Review


"There are no clean getaways..."

No Country for Old Men is an atmospheric thriller from the Coen Brothers, who previously directed, wrote, and produced Fargo, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and The Big Lebowski. This film closed off 2007 to great critical acclaim in the US, picking up 2 Golden Globes (from 4 nominations). It will surely make the Oscar shortlist for Best Motion Picture I have no doubt about that.


No Country tells the story of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) who, out hunting, stumbles upon a scene of dead bodies, guns, and drugs on the Mexican border. He finds $2 million cash and plans to begin a new life. If only. Unfortunately for him psychopathic hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bordem) is after him. The chase turns out to one of the best I can remember.


There is so much about this film that is just fantastic cinema. The settings and landscapes in the movie are dazzling and Roger Deakins can take credit for some breathtaking cinematography. The performances from the leads are superb, giving depth to rich characters whose flaws are unveiled over the film's duration. Brolin and Lee Jones expertly display their talents, but the performance of Javier Bordem as the hitman Chigurh is extraordinary. Quite possibly the most chilling portrayal of relentless, unnegotiable evil I have ever witnessed. I got a spine-tingling nervousness whenever he was on screen. While this is a particularly brutal and violent film the Coen Brothers never go overboard with gore, and the excellent interchange between explicit and implicit violence leaves you continually gripped, never knowing what you will be shown next.


Additionally, the use of sound in this film is magnificent. There is hardly any music in this film whatsoever. There are a multitude of scenes where the deliberate sparcity of sound crafts incredible suspense. Any filmmaker looking to be educated on the art of creating tension need look no further. The supremely powerful scene in which Moss and Chigurh are in the same motel, separated by a wall is honestly one of the most intense I have ever experienced in film.

All that said, this had a few niggling problems. At times I found it hard to understand a fair amount of dialogue due to the strong Texan accents. This really bothered me. Secondly, I felt the storyline would have been enhanced immensely had Tommy Lee Jones's character Sheriff Ed Tom Bell played a bigger role. However, the most significant flaw was the ending. I felt it was a massive anti-climax, especially considering all that had preceded it. I couldn't help walking away feeling slightly disappointed. It felt to me like a missed opportunity. While not a tremendous blight on the movie, for me the ending really didn't work and spoilt a potential masterpiece.


Overall, I am delighted I saw this film first in the theatre and not on DVD because the unexpected thills are truly shocking and really need a cinema to do them true justice. This will be one of the greatest cinematic experiences of 2008 and with a stronger ending, would have been an instant classic as apposed to a very, very good film. This is so close to being a 9 it hurts.

8/10

Saturday 19 January 2008

Saucy Amy Winehouse Pics

Here are pictures of Amy Winehouse running round with packets of nugget sauce from McDonald's. Apparently after attending her husband’s preliminary court hearing yesterday she decided she needed some nugget sauce. No food - just the sauce. I'm not making this shit up.



Friday 18 January 2008

Because there aren't enough videos

Ok, so I've gone a bit crazy on the videos of late. But to be fair, nothing interesting seems to be in the news right now (other than the Ledge that is Corey Delaney). Rather annoyingly it's all Britney Spears at the moment. Apparently it's news because she's running round buying pregnancy tests and has just developed a pseudo-British accent. Her advisors aren't even trying to stop it anymore, that's the least of their fucking worries. They're just glad she's not shaving her head and attacking people with umbrellas. You can just imagine a whole team of people at her PR agency answering 2 phones at once going, "Hello...she's what?....She's shoved a chicken up her minge again??......no comment".

Anyway, on an unrelated note, here's another funny video by Jon Lajoie. His site is linked in the sidebar on the right. Check it out because his videos are hilarious. Here's his take on an Everyday Normal Guy:


Big Train: Pun Writers

One of my favourite sketches from the genius that was Big Train:


Big Train 'pun-writers'

Thursday 17 January 2008

I Need This Now!

One of the coolest things I have seen in a long time:


How To Make Fire Balls - video powered by Metacafe

Now where can I get some lighter fluid...

Wednesday 16 January 2008

Corey Delaney: Party Liason

This guy is a legend! Van Wilder meets Napoleon Dynamite in this unbelieveable Australian news interview. A 16 year old throws a house party, 500 kids turn up, cause huge damage and terrify the neighbours. He goes on TV to tell his side:

Btw, the name Worthington is just a fake name he gave to the reporters initially to avoid getting in trouble. His real name is Corey Delaney.

The exchange at the end is simply genius:
Newscaster: I suggest you go away and take a good hard look at yourself.
Corey: I have. Everyone has. They love it.
Gold...

UPDATE: Looks like the Australian justice system is booking Corey on child porn charges. WTF?? Read the story here.

UPDATE 2: Corey's made the front page of the Timesonline website!! Check it here!

Aussie Party

There's Something in the Air™ and nothing in your pocket...


Only 2 grand for a laptop without a dvd drive...

read more | digg story

Tuesday 15 January 2008

"Fuck Your Hat!!"

Went down to The End in Holborn last night with a couple of mates. It was indie/new rave night and I was a little apprehensive at first seeing as it's not really my scene even though I do enjoy listening to some of that music. My preconceptions turned out right; tons of angular haircuts, skinny jeans and neon clothing. I'm open minded so I didn't let it affect my night.

Lightspeed Champion

Turns out the secret live guest was Lightspeed Champion. He started out playing his own songs but then kicked it up a notch when he started doing covers. For some reason, someone behind decided that the gig could not go on any longer without yelling "Fuck Your Hat!!". There was an audible laugh from the crowd and Lightspeed referred to it as "Someone said something racist about my hat".

Devonte Hynes & Fred Les

I particularly enjoyed when Fred Les was invited onstage for a seemingly impromtu Slow Hands by Interpol. Not having the words, Fred whipped out his Blackberry and Googled the lyrics. Gotta say I've never seen that done at a gig and it was pretty well done. Buddy Holly by Weezer and Heart in a Cage by The Strokes were also offered to a grateful crowd. For some reason though we only got to hear the intro of C'mon C'mon by The Von Bondies before he made his exit.

Fred Les performs from a Blackberry

I'd also like to mention the Lightspeed Champion drummer was exceedingly fit. They have one more fan! If you're into chilled out indie definitely check out his upcoming album Falling Off the Lavender Bridge.

Saturday 12 January 2008

Crank Dat Curry Sauce

Check out this funny parody of Soulja Boy's Crank Dat:


Crank Dat Curry Sauce

Wednesday 9 January 2008

Walk Hard Movie Review


"Life made him tough. Love made him strong. Music made him hard..."

From the creative mind behind some of the most acclaimed comedies of recent times comes Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. With 40 Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Superbad on his CV, Judd Apatow is one of Hollywood's Hottest Producer/Writer/Directors. Having seen and enjoyed those previous works, I was expecting great things. Dewey Cox didn't dissapoint.


This movie takes a different direction to Apatow's previous films. While 40 Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up were "adult" comedies that surprised many with their sensitivity and pathos, Walk Hard immediately asserts itself as slapstick comedy and is more akin to Anchorman than any of The 'Tow's aforementioned flicks.

The film charts the extraordinary life of simple country boy Dewey Cox, who after a tragic machete accident goes on to become a music legend. In a nod to Forrest Gump, Cox apparently seems to have single-handedly created most of the popular music genres of the 50s, 60s & 70s. We watch our protagonist battle the temptation of drugs and women as he crosses paths with Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles.


You may have guessed from the title that this is not a subtle, layered comedy. Walk Hard is essentially a 90 minute sktech show and is laden with catchphrases, stereotypes, and running jokes. While that may sound terrible, the film does well not to fall into tedium. The first 10/15 minutes are priceless, and set the tone for the rest of the film. Although the gags are hit and miss, they're funny more times than they not. A geniunely hilarious scene with Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Justin Long, and Jason Schwartzman as The Beatles is a highlight.


While this wasn't the funniest film I've seen and never made me laugh out loud, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It especially liked the fact that Walk Hard did not drag on since EVERY film in 2007, good, bad, or indifferent, ran for 20 minutes too long. If you're a fan of comedies Walk Hard is well worth a trip to the cinema and is released in the UK January 18.

7/10

My Current Fave Podcasts

Scott Mills

Since this is a vanity blog where I recommend things that I like, I just wanted to point you in the direction of a few of my favourite podcasts. Top of the list is the Scott Mills Daily. It's released most weekdays. It's my favourite podcast and I listen to it whenever it comes out.

Second is the Russell Brand Podcast which is released once a week. An amalgamation of the best bits of his radio show which often involve ringing up celebrities and solving listners' problems. Works largely due to his comedy partner Matt Morgan who is hilarious. Randy Brand is a pretty polarising character but I think he's funny and therefore so should you.

Finally, the Diggnation Podacast which comes in both visual and aural form. It's a weekly podcast summerising some noteworthy stories from the previous week on Digg. Did I mention the hosts are drunk during every show? Awesome.

Scott Mills Daily


"Celebrity" Spotting with Oversaturated

Saw Dale Winton today coming back home from uni at around 4pm on Marylebone Road. He is surprisingly tall and very orange. A bit of a contrast to the last "celebrity" I saw on Marylebone Road - Mathew Horne (of The Catherine Tate Show fame). He looked pale, weedy, and surprisingly short.

This is what happens when I have nothing to write about...

Sunday 6 January 2008

Predictions for 2008

Here are my 2008 predictions:

A Cheaper iPhone in the UK: My mobile phone contract expires in March. I'm currently a student and therefore very grateful to be paying £17.50 a month for what I get. However, the iPhone looks sweet. I doubt my loan will strecth to the 300 quid or whatever it is, plus £35 a month. That said, I'm currently on Three so anything would be an improvement.

Blu Ray will go into a commanding lead: Not sure how many of you are aware of the Blu-Ray/HD-DVD war but basically it's VHS versus Betamax all over again and right now there is only one loser - the consumer. Conventional wisdom dictates that it's too early to start spending astronomical amounts investing in HD movie collections. I don't believe in conventional wisdom. Take all your life savings and get a PS3 to go with your fancy new LCD HD TV because most of the major movie studios are aligning behind the Sony-led format and apparently Apple is also waiting in the wings to join Team Blu-Ray. It's over.

Celebrity Big Brother will finally die: I don't really have strong feelings for reality tv shows. I just ignore them. However, there is one that I just cannot stand. Celebrity Big Brother is the annoying itch on the arsecrack of humanity. After the whole racism scandal I hoped, nay, prayed that Channel 4 would drop CBB for good. Ms Goody, the monster Channel 4 had created, seemed to have singlehandedly destroyed the show for good. It was deliciously ironic that the person who had attained "celebrity" status from the normal Big Brother would be the end of the Celebrity incarnation.

Saturday 5 January 2008

According to Rudy Guliani the End is Nigh

Saw this on Digg and thought it was hilarious:


I really hope Rudy "Team America" Guiliani doesn't win in 2008. That said, I just love everything about this ad. It's so overtly, unashamedly racist it's laughable. "A people peverted?" WTF?? How can he be a serious candidate?? The scariest thing about it is the fact that there are people in America who actually agree with this fuckwit. I wanna beat his kids.

Rudy Giuliani TV Ad "Ready"

Russell Peters: Outsourced

Definitely one of my favourite stand-ups, here is his entire 2006 show Outsourced which I just discovered...in 2008:


Russell Peters Outsourced on Google Video

You'll Thank Me Later


Looks tasty...

Found a really useful link to a page that details exactly what happens in those infamous video nasty websites like 2 Girls 1 Cup. If you are one of the lucky few people that have not seen these vids, good for you. Read this page and will never have to.

The fact that I already knew about and had seen 4 out of 6 of these vids is a chilling indictment of the owner of this blog. £50 to the first person to correctly guess the four. Answers on a postcard.

Descriptions of goatse, 2 girls 1 cup, and other gross-outs that hopefully you'll never watch

First foray into the blogosphere

The infamous first post.

Seeing as this is an historic moment in internet history, I feel it's vital this post has the appropriate weight and gravitas. That is why I am playing O Fortuna in the background as I write this. It was a toss up between that and Requiem for a Dream (y'know, the Sky Sports News theme tune). I've always thought it hilariously laughable how they used such a dramatic piece of music when 95% of the time the main headline is something along the lines of "Harry Redknapp confirms it is cold outside". More on that later...

What I find most appealing about blogs is the fact that they represent an unfiltered stream of consciousness direct from the author to the reader. That is what I intend for this blog to be; a miscellaneous selection of stuff I find cool, and my opinions on current events.

Thanks for reading