Hello, folks!
I've done a few light-hearted, laid-back posts lately, but I'm afraid today I'm going to put you through the grinder of another deep, emotional one. Sorry. But yeah, I'm having a few problems, and I wondered if you could help. It's a long shot, and chances are none of this will make sense to you, but if you can get your brain around what's going on here, I'd appreciate your comments. Thanks!
Okay, so... Recently, I haven't been myself. I've been getting more and more frustrated more and more frequently, at pretty much everyone and everything. Even my friends. I dunno, maybe it's some kind of overdue "grumpy teenager" phase, but I'm not proud of it. I try not to let it show, but if you do happen to be on the recieving end of my anger, I'm sorry - It's not your fault, it's me. Basically, after much thought and consideration, I've deduced that however much I've always wanted to be a hero and save the day, the truth is that I'm becoming a villain.
I guess knowing it's happening counts for something. Essentially, I just increasingly feel like I'm being upstaged, being forced to take a back seat. I'm just a drop in the ocean. For some people that's fine, and everyone's entitled to their own views. This is where the villainous part comes in though - I'm not happy with being normal. I want to be significant, I want to be the centre of attention, I want people to listen to me. I want to be the one who comes first, I want to get my way. It's not big, and it's not clever. Nevertheless, it's how I feel.
Sometimes, I'll hear people having a conversation, and maybe I'll join in, maybe I'll decide to express my view. But more often than not, I'm just talked over or given the cold shoulder. And fair enough; what gives me the right to butt into someone else's conversation? For some reason, no matter how much the little good bit of me says that, the villainous part never listens, always wants people to pay attention and hang on my every word. To use a good old Star Wars analogy, I guess I have a fear of becoming irrelevant and unimportant. Fear, as I've experienced myself, has led to anger. Anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering... and that's the way of the Dark Side. I don't want to go that way, I don't want people to suffer because of my own selfishness, but whenever I agree with myself that it's OK to be unimportant, it's OK to be in the background, the Dark Side comes back with - "But who wants to be an extra, with no backstory? Who wants to be that random guy who walks down a street and is never seen again?" And so my reasoning achieves nothing.
Led me use an example. Say, for instance, there was a girl that I liked (theoretically speaking). And I'd dreamed up a whole future for her and I, travelling round the world, having kids, settling down in Canada, or wherever. But then, when I actually get round to talking to said girl, she turns round and says no, for whatever reason. The Dark Side would say "No, look, I've made a whole future for us. Let me show you my mind. You're more important to me than anything else, so it's only fair that you think the same of me." Of course, that would be completely the wrong thing to say, at least I can still identify that much. But I'm worried that one day the Dark Side will get completely out of control - what then? I don't want people to get hurt.
At least I know I'm going bad, that's a start. But knowing the problem and fixing the problem are two very different things. Short of becoming a monk or locking myself away for the rest of my life, I'm not sure how I can keep the Dark Side under control. I obviously could do it at some point in the past, because I was quiet, I didn't mind that I didn't talk to people. But whatever happened over the past five years or so (I'm still working it out myself), I've become more confident, and now I think I deserve to have everything my way. Which isn't good. So what do I do??
On a brighter note, It's half term soon and I'm going to France! Yay! First time travelling on my own - It'll be pretty nervewracking, but it'll be fun as well! I'm also glad I've got some extra time for my extended project; that was really bugging me. The teachers are certainly piling on the work for the break though; they wouldn't want me to actually have some free time now, would they? FlashForward continues to be brilliant. Last week's Sarah Jane was pretty awesome but this week's is a bit naf, to tell the truth. I think that's all I have to talk about this time, so until another flash of inspiration,
See ya 'round!
Jack
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Sunday, 18 October 2009
I'm Still Here!
Hey everyone!
Someone seems to have locked my imagination away ina dark cellar and forced it to do homework for a fortnight, because (as you've probably noticed) I haven't posted for a while. But fear not! Half Term's on its way, which means an alleviation (Gotta stop using these big words) of the homework, and more time for me to do stuff I enjoy, including writing for you! Anyway, in the meantime, I had to watch a movie for French and review it, and whilst it seems very unlikely that I'll be able to translate my review into French (you know what they're like!), it has provided me with some unexpected blog content. And for once, I wouldn't reccomend you see this movie. I'm assuming everyone here is of the group who have seen any or all of Star Trek, District 9 and the recently-released Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus which got really bad write-ups - Shame, 'cause the trailer looked brilliant. I can deduce that because anyone from the "cool" demographic would be out getting drunk with their homies... or something. Not reading this, that's for sure.
I know. I'm waffling again. The point is, those who follow this will not enjoy the movie, but those who like period dramas (They're dramas. Period.) probably will. I'll stop rambling and cue the review (Hey, that rhymes...)
Today I finished watching a French movie, Jean de Florette. It’s not quite as action-packed as I’m used to, and considering the last film I saw was District 9, seemed generally quite pathetic. However, after enduring an hour or so of preamble (Like the start of Iron Man, only longer… And they were building a farm, instead of a super-advanced battlesuit… And there were no terrorists… But other than that…), my weak mind succumbed to whatever Jedi mind trick they were pulling, and I actually started to find myself rooting for that poor guy and his family. And there was an explosion, I guess. That’s better than nothing.
So, let’s get to the heart of the matter. Plot-wise, The first half was fairly intriguing, and it had the potential to cultivate so many other ideas – The war, for example. That creepy chap from the start (the names weren’t very memorable) just came back from a military campaign – and it seems it hasn’t affected him at all! Surely a phobia of blood could be worked in there, or a greater explanation of his guilty conscience? Then there’s the flowers – this motif could have been used a lot more without a loss of plot, I’m sure. Clear proof that you should never send a Berri to do an Almodóvar’s job. About halfway through, the story became a lot more predictable – Inevitably it was all going to go wrong, and inevitably someone would die somehow, and inevitably the necklace would be fake, etc… On the whole, however, Claude Berri is not to blame for this as much as Marcel Pagnol, who wrote the book on which this movie is based. Besides, book-film adaptations are a debate for another day.
Cast-wise, I didn’t explicitly recognise any of the actors or actresses, although Depardieu does ring a faint bell somewhere in the back of my mind. Regardless of their renown, I felt all were well-suited to their roles, and all were comfortable playing their respective characters, unlike some other cringe-fests I’ve witnessed (Twilight, anyone?). Incidentally, Gerard Depardieu sometimes bears a disturbing likeness to Mark Gatiss, although that’s probably just a coincidence… Particularly, I liked Daniel Auteuil as the creepy chap (his name is Ugolin, the blurb on the back of the box informs me); he was very good at getting me not to like him, which is a good thing in a villain. I found myself constantly making comparisons between him and Mackenzie Crook from Pirates. Minus the glass eye, of course!
At about this point, I would usually talk about the special effects of a movie, although generally speaking there are none in Jean de Florette, minus the aforementioned explosion. But considering the film was a creation of 1986, we’ll let it off the hook and move right on to the soundtrack. As in most pre-90s movies (or at least, this is what I find) the music was relatively sparse, which I guess could be deliberate, but it did feel quite awkward in long periods of silence. What soundtrack there was, however, was not bad. Particularly, I liked the music where he was describing his plans for a well – It’s no Star Wars, but considering soundtrack has only recently managed to untangle itself from the genres it draws on to become one in its own right, this film does well. Not significantly so, but it does well.
Setting is evidently important to Jean de Florette, and it is generally well-presented. The houses are undoubtedly Provence, and the constant chirping of the cicadas, whilst quite off-putting (Was that the phone…?) help to reaffirm this setting. I did feel, however, that the film was a little too confined. It was limited to the two houses, their surrounding fields, and a few short trips to town. And maybe that’s deliberate, but I got the feeling it just wanted to spread itself out a little more. Maybe a flashback or two of Jean’s family in the city, or even just a couple of overhead shots, just to reassure viewers that there is still an outside world.
Ultimately, I can’t make up my mind whether this really is a good movie or not. For its time and budget, it has certainly done well, but in a modern context I do feel slightly underwhelmed. If nothing else, the fact that I kept watching is worth some credit, although that may just have been out of a Truman Show-esque desire to know what happens after all. I wouldn’t watch it again, but I have a hunch (hehehe…) that anyone into period dramas like Cranford and its various wannabes where everyone wears hats, Jean de Florette should be right up your street!
Well, that was a gap-fill and a half. I really don't know what else to say, other than that "You must gather your party before venturing forth." Hehehe, that's such a random quote. It's a KotOR reference, for those still wondering. Don't ask. Really don't.
See ya 'round!
Jack
Someone seems to have locked my imagination away ina dark cellar and forced it to do homework for a fortnight, because (as you've probably noticed) I haven't posted for a while. But fear not! Half Term's on its way, which means an alleviation (Gotta stop using these big words) of the homework, and more time for me to do stuff I enjoy, including writing for you! Anyway, in the meantime, I had to watch a movie for French and review it, and whilst it seems very unlikely that I'll be able to translate my review into French (you know what they're like!), it has provided me with some unexpected blog content. And for once, I wouldn't reccomend you see this movie. I'm assuming everyone here is of the group who have seen any or all of Star Trek, District 9 and the recently-released Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus which got really bad write-ups - Shame, 'cause the trailer looked brilliant. I can deduce that because anyone from the "cool" demographic would be out getting drunk with their homies... or something. Not reading this, that's for sure.
I know. I'm waffling again. The point is, those who follow this will not enjoy the movie, but those who like period dramas (They're dramas. Period.) probably will. I'll stop rambling and cue the review (Hey, that rhymes...)
Today I finished watching a French movie, Jean de Florette. It’s not quite as action-packed as I’m used to, and considering the last film I saw was District 9, seemed generally quite pathetic. However, after enduring an hour or so of preamble (Like the start of Iron Man, only longer… And they were building a farm, instead of a super-advanced battlesuit… And there were no terrorists… But other than that…), my weak mind succumbed to whatever Jedi mind trick they were pulling, and I actually started to find myself rooting for that poor guy and his family. And there was an explosion, I guess. That’s better than nothing.
So, let’s get to the heart of the matter. Plot-wise, The first half was fairly intriguing, and it had the potential to cultivate so many other ideas – The war, for example. That creepy chap from the start (the names weren’t very memorable) just came back from a military campaign – and it seems it hasn’t affected him at all! Surely a phobia of blood could be worked in there, or a greater explanation of his guilty conscience? Then there’s the flowers – this motif could have been used a lot more without a loss of plot, I’m sure. Clear proof that you should never send a Berri to do an Almodóvar’s job. About halfway through, the story became a lot more predictable – Inevitably it was all going to go wrong, and inevitably someone would die somehow, and inevitably the necklace would be fake, etc… On the whole, however, Claude Berri is not to blame for this as much as Marcel Pagnol, who wrote the book on which this movie is based. Besides, book-film adaptations are a debate for another day.
Cast-wise, I didn’t explicitly recognise any of the actors or actresses, although Depardieu does ring a faint bell somewhere in the back of my mind. Regardless of their renown, I felt all were well-suited to their roles, and all were comfortable playing their respective characters, unlike some other cringe-fests I’ve witnessed (Twilight, anyone?). Incidentally, Gerard Depardieu sometimes bears a disturbing likeness to Mark Gatiss, although that’s probably just a coincidence… Particularly, I liked Daniel Auteuil as the creepy chap (his name is Ugolin, the blurb on the back of the box informs me); he was very good at getting me not to like him, which is a good thing in a villain. I found myself constantly making comparisons between him and Mackenzie Crook from Pirates. Minus the glass eye, of course!
At about this point, I would usually talk about the special effects of a movie, although generally speaking there are none in Jean de Florette, minus the aforementioned explosion. But considering the film was a creation of 1986, we’ll let it off the hook and move right on to the soundtrack. As in most pre-90s movies (or at least, this is what I find) the music was relatively sparse, which I guess could be deliberate, but it did feel quite awkward in long periods of silence. What soundtrack there was, however, was not bad. Particularly, I liked the music where he was describing his plans for a well – It’s no Star Wars, but considering soundtrack has only recently managed to untangle itself from the genres it draws on to become one in its own right, this film does well. Not significantly so, but it does well.
Setting is evidently important to Jean de Florette, and it is generally well-presented. The houses are undoubtedly Provence, and the constant chirping of the cicadas, whilst quite off-putting (Was that the phone…?) help to reaffirm this setting. I did feel, however, that the film was a little too confined. It was limited to the two houses, their surrounding fields, and a few short trips to town. And maybe that’s deliberate, but I got the feeling it just wanted to spread itself out a little more. Maybe a flashback or two of Jean’s family in the city, or even just a couple of overhead shots, just to reassure viewers that there is still an outside world.
Ultimately, I can’t make up my mind whether this really is a good movie or not. For its time and budget, it has certainly done well, but in a modern context I do feel slightly underwhelmed. If nothing else, the fact that I kept watching is worth some credit, although that may just have been out of a Truman Show-esque desire to know what happens after all. I wouldn’t watch it again, but I have a hunch (hehehe…) that anyone into period dramas like Cranford and its various wannabes where everyone wears hats, Jean de Florette should be right up your street!
Well, that was a gap-fill and a half. I really don't know what else to say, other than that "You must gather your party before venturing forth." Hehehe, that's such a random quote. It's a KotOR reference, for those still wondering. Don't ask. Really don't.
See ya 'round!
Jack
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
Hey everyone!
Having said my posts may become less regular, here I am with the third entry in a week! Today's top story is this: District 9!!!! Yep, that's right, I've been to the cinema again, for the first time in about two months... I guess that's the price of working weekends! But let's save the personal stuff for later - It's review time!
Overall, I was truly amazed by this movie. I mean..... You remember my Star Trek review, right? Those who've just started following (I know you're out there!!) may want to flick back a few months. Well, District 9 was every bit as good as that. Not necessarily better, but certainly on a par with Trek.
The premise is that an alien mothership comes to rest over Johannesburg, and the creatures, known disrespectfully as "Prawns" by the locals, were sent into a slum area of the city, the eponymous District 9. The mothership, meanwhile, hovers ominously overhead. The film itself starts 20 years later, when the government have decided to relocate the aliens to the imaginatively-named District 10, which is essentially a Concentration Camp. The main character, whose name I forget, is in charge of moving them, but things soon.... well, go awry, to say the least! In my opinion, the ideas behind it are brilliant, refreshingly original and very different to bogstandard Sci-Fi. For a start, the whole movie is played out as a sort of documentary or news feature - There are CCTV videos, interviews, the whole lot! Secondly, and I'm sure someone else will highlight this if I don't, with it being Johannesburg, there are obvious parallels between the alien segregation and the real-world apartheid between white and black people. In this way, what could easily be, and does become to an extent, an all-out blow-'em-up, is also a comment on human society and the way we cope with new and unknown concepts.
Whilst we're on the subject of plot, it's worth highlighting a few shortcomings. The story itself isn't especially challenging. If you were expecting some time-travel, everything-fits-together-in-the-end mystery, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed for the most part. On top of that, I found that certain elements were quite underdeveloped, and this made them irrelevant to the plot. The whole storyline between him and his wife, for instance. From my own point of view, these details didn't really contribute anything to the plot, apart from making his sadness even more complete. I expected the propaganda and censorship elements to play a more important role as well, but there are obviously quite a few bits and pieces which ended up on the cutting room floor. With regards to the showdown at the end, I felt it dragged on a little to long. I mean, it was cool, quite Iron-Man-esque (more than you'd expect... but forget I said that!), but after so many explosions and deaths, you started thinking, "I get the idea, but what is this doing for the plot?" Nevertheless, it was still quite an epic duel, as epic duels go.
Effects wise, I have no qualms whatsoever. The aliens seem to blend perfectly into the real-world surroundings, and the mothership was suitably ominous as well. The fact that they managed to do all this and make it look like it was on the news, CCTV, etc. is quite incredible, in my opinion.
The Fear Factor is also quite high in District 9. Fear and distress. I can see why it's a fifteen - quite a bit of blood, weird experimenting, stuff like that. And I tell you, that guy's hand... When he took the bandage off... I must have jumed about ten feet off the ground! Some of the themes dealt with are quite discomforting, I found as well, and it's good that they are, because I think it helps people become more aware of what actually is happening to some people now. Just... the whole "plight of the aliens" thing, and how they were obviously refugees of some kind so we should show them more consideration, and whatever.
All in all, I know I've skimmed over a lot of stuff, but this really is a must-see movie. Not quite the movie of the year, in my opinion, but definitely worth paying money to see it on the big screen!
... Just make sure you go at the weekend! Bearing in mind it's been out for a month or so, and it was Wednesday today, so everyone else was at work, I was the only one in the cinema! Literally, there was 1 other guy who came in a third of the way through, expressed his displeasure and left about two thirds of the way through. Luckily, however, I was spared the sobering experience of eating alone (never doing that again!), as Mum had some tea plated up at home! She's great! I also managed to finally get my hands on Isabel Allende's version of Zorro, which i can get stuck into after Charlotte Grey... and Bond... and half a dozen other books, probably! Ah well, time for an early night, methinks!
See you all soon!
Jack
Having said my posts may become less regular, here I am with the third entry in a week! Today's top story is this: District 9!!!! Yep, that's right, I've been to the cinema again, for the first time in about two months... I guess that's the price of working weekends! But let's save the personal stuff for later - It's review time!
Overall, I was truly amazed by this movie. I mean..... You remember my Star Trek review, right? Those who've just started following (I know you're out there!!) may want to flick back a few months. Well, District 9 was every bit as good as that. Not necessarily better, but certainly on a par with Trek.
The premise is that an alien mothership comes to rest over Johannesburg, and the creatures, known disrespectfully as "Prawns" by the locals, were sent into a slum area of the city, the eponymous District 9. The mothership, meanwhile, hovers ominously overhead. The film itself starts 20 years later, when the government have decided to relocate the aliens to the imaginatively-named District 10, which is essentially a Concentration Camp. The main character, whose name I forget, is in charge of moving them, but things soon.... well, go awry, to say the least! In my opinion, the ideas behind it are brilliant, refreshingly original and very different to bogstandard Sci-Fi. For a start, the whole movie is played out as a sort of documentary or news feature - There are CCTV videos, interviews, the whole lot! Secondly, and I'm sure someone else will highlight this if I don't, with it being Johannesburg, there are obvious parallels between the alien segregation and the real-world apartheid between white and black people. In this way, what could easily be, and does become to an extent, an all-out blow-'em-up, is also a comment on human society and the way we cope with new and unknown concepts.
Whilst we're on the subject of plot, it's worth highlighting a few shortcomings. The story itself isn't especially challenging. If you were expecting some time-travel, everything-fits-together-in-the-end mystery, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed for the most part. On top of that, I found that certain elements were quite underdeveloped, and this made them irrelevant to the plot. The whole storyline between him and his wife, for instance. From my own point of view, these details didn't really contribute anything to the plot, apart from making his sadness even more complete. I expected the propaganda and censorship elements to play a more important role as well, but there are obviously quite a few bits and pieces which ended up on the cutting room floor. With regards to the showdown at the end, I felt it dragged on a little to long. I mean, it was cool, quite Iron-Man-esque (more than you'd expect... but forget I said that!), but after so many explosions and deaths, you started thinking, "I get the idea, but what is this doing for the plot?" Nevertheless, it was still quite an epic duel, as epic duels go.
Effects wise, I have no qualms whatsoever. The aliens seem to blend perfectly into the real-world surroundings, and the mothership was suitably ominous as well. The fact that they managed to do all this and make it look like it was on the news, CCTV, etc. is quite incredible, in my opinion.
The Fear Factor is also quite high in District 9. Fear and distress. I can see why it's a fifteen - quite a bit of blood, weird experimenting, stuff like that. And I tell you, that guy's hand... When he took the bandage off... I must have jumed about ten feet off the ground! Some of the themes dealt with are quite discomforting, I found as well, and it's good that they are, because I think it helps people become more aware of what actually is happening to some people now. Just... the whole "plight of the aliens" thing, and how they were obviously refugees of some kind so we should show them more consideration, and whatever.
All in all, I know I've skimmed over a lot of stuff, but this really is a must-see movie. Not quite the movie of the year, in my opinion, but definitely worth paying money to see it on the big screen!
... Just make sure you go at the weekend! Bearing in mind it's been out for a month or so, and it was Wednesday today, so everyone else was at work, I was the only one in the cinema! Literally, there was 1 other guy who came in a third of the way through, expressed his displeasure and left about two thirds of the way through. Luckily, however, I was spared the sobering experience of eating alone (never doing that again!), as Mum had some tea plated up at home! She's great! I also managed to finally get my hands on Isabel Allende's version of Zorro, which i can get stuck into after Charlotte Grey... and Bond... and half a dozen other books, probably! Ah well, time for an early night, methinks!
See you all soon!
Jack
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Flash! Aaaarrghhh!!!
Hello again!
Today I want to talk about TV. 'N' stuff. Let's start with the TV. Well, to cut a long story short, I failed epically at getting into Lost, but Heroes proved to me that American TV can actually be quite good, so I felt like jumping on the bandwagon for the latest creation - FlashForward! The premise, as you may already know, is that everyone (or supposedly everyone) in the world blacks out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, in which time they all have visions of their respective futures. When they wake up, it's up to some random guy to piece all the visions together and decide how it happened. It stars Dominic Monhagan from LotR, Jack Davenport who was in Pirates and some other stuff, Alex Kingston who was in Doctor Who and looks set to return (more on this later) and the brilliant John Cho who was Sulu in the latest Star Trek. He's my favourite character, even if he does die in the future! Or is asleep, that would be anti-climactic.
Overall, I'm very impressed, although in my opinion the Future seems to be unfolding a little too fast. I've no idea how long this series is, but at the rate they're going, they'll struggle for content if they want to string it out beyond the Line of Acceptability at 13 episodes. And what about the second series? Do they blackout again? Does the future not happen? The effects were pretty awesome as well, clearly taking a leaf out of Heroes' book with the explosions etc. The bit at the start where he stood on the car reminds me of when Hiro sees the world splitting (BRAINWAVE!!! Stay tuned) at the start of Series 3. So no, this is not a rival to Heroes yet, although it's still early days.
Plot is something I'd like to focus on. Notice that all the plotlines and little references all tie together and crop up again and again. Recurring mentions of circus-related stuff? Check! Strange David-Tennant-kind-of-lookalike who doesn't know what a hamburger is but seems oddly pivotal? Check! Mysterious accomplices whose faces have yet to be revealed? Check! All the elements seem to be vital, although I fail to understand some things. Surely the "pigeon" references in Episode 2 relate to the one that flew into the window in Episode 1? Right? And I thought D. Gibbons was a jazz composer. I'm sure there's a Dave Gibbons Band out there somewhere!
What all this means is that I've started to view the Doctor Who scripts as a bit... naf, I guess. A prime example of this is the Bad Wolf plot. They spend a whole season building up this recurring theme, even give you TWO cheesy flashbacks for those who weren't listening the first time (And yes, I did get most of them!), and in the end it's just a "Meh, it's this... sort of... thing... which does... stuff." If that's honestly as clever as they can be, then they've got no chance of rivalling the likes of Heroes and FlashForward. Personally, I think the writers are the problem. Steve Moffat's episodes, I had no problem with. It would take a true genius to come up with the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey plot of Blink, and the two, seemingly parallel, worlds of Silence In The Library seriously baffled me, and had me speculating all week! THAT is good writing. THAT is Heroes writing. Unfortunately, the rest of it wasn't quite up to scratch.
And by means of something which in no way resembles a segway (technical term, not an actual Segway), I'll now say "It's a good job Moffat is becoming head writer for the next series!" which will lead me smoothly into my next point - The ALL NEW Doctor Who logo. If you haven't seen it, it's on the website. The first thing that springs to my mind is this: Retro. Far from being the sleek, new and easily recognisable logo of series 1 through 4 (plus specials), this TARDISy (that will have to be a new word for when the next Series comes in) logo will have customer peering ever more intently at merchandise which was once a vivid bright orange. Clearly, the Doctor Who team know when they've been Tangoed! With a logo which draws on the era of Sylvester McCoy (possibly?), a new sonic screwdriver much alike to the 4th Doctor's, and a more 'classic' Tardis design, could this mean a return to the Old Skool ways of the 20th Century? Will we start to see plastic rocks and aliens made of plasticine battling with increasingly boffiny Doctors? More importantly, has the Doctor fixed his Chameleon Circuit?? How else could he redesign the TARDIS?
With everything changing in Series 5 (Or do you have to call it Series 1 now? I'm confused!), I have to admit I'm becoming increasingly dubious about the fate of Doctor Who. But, if nothing else, at least Karen Gillan is looking good... as... a policewoman.... *blushes*. She'd better be clever as well, mind you. I'll trust the Doctor to choose the right ones.
Aaanyway. Sorry this is a very TV-oriented post, but for once I'm feeling passionate about TV. It doesn't happen a lot, but it would seem there is some entertainment to be gained from that mess of wires and boxes after all! So, Heroes-wise, I wasn't going to go over it today, but I've just had an Epithany.... Epiphany.... However it's spelt. And that is this: Anyone in the loop will have seen the Volume 5 trailer on YouTube (or the website, if you live Stateside), and it's very interesting and a lot of stuff happens. What matters is the last clip which shows a presumable villain, called Samuel, filling his brother's grave telekinetically. His power is moving the ground. Now, call me slow, but I didn't appreciate the full significance of this until just now. Surely, anyone who can move soil can split it apart as well. Hence, the Earth cracking in two! That future is still a possibility! Those amazing graphics could still reappear! En plus, now that we know Hiro's current instability with Time Travel, it's easier to understand why Ando was shooting him with the lightning - To enhance Hiro's power back to normal! Simples!
I know you're all completely lost, but that's my epiphany for today. On a completely different note, Avril Lavigne and her former husband Deryck (From Sum 41, apparently) have split up. It's sad, but maybe it means he won't have as much influence on her next album as he did the last. In theory that's a good thing, but we'll have to wait and see, I guess. Shame that even the entertainment industry, the ones we can usually look to to be cheered up, is going through a pretty tragic time at the moment. Or maybe it's always been like that. Ah well, celebrities everywhere, for one night only, you all have my condolences. Good night!
Jack
Today I want to talk about TV. 'N' stuff. Let's start with the TV. Well, to cut a long story short, I failed epically at getting into Lost, but Heroes proved to me that American TV can actually be quite good, so I felt like jumping on the bandwagon for the latest creation - FlashForward! The premise, as you may already know, is that everyone (or supposedly everyone) in the world blacks out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, in which time they all have visions of their respective futures. When they wake up, it's up to some random guy to piece all the visions together and decide how it happened. It stars Dominic Monhagan from LotR, Jack Davenport who was in Pirates and some other stuff, Alex Kingston who was in Doctor Who and looks set to return (more on this later) and the brilliant John Cho who was Sulu in the latest Star Trek. He's my favourite character, even if he does die in the future! Or is asleep, that would be anti-climactic.
Overall, I'm very impressed, although in my opinion the Future seems to be unfolding a little too fast. I've no idea how long this series is, but at the rate they're going, they'll struggle for content if they want to string it out beyond the Line of Acceptability at 13 episodes. And what about the second series? Do they blackout again? Does the future not happen? The effects were pretty awesome as well, clearly taking a leaf out of Heroes' book with the explosions etc. The bit at the start where he stood on the car reminds me of when Hiro sees the world splitting (BRAINWAVE!!! Stay tuned) at the start of Series 3. So no, this is not a rival to Heroes yet, although it's still early days.
Plot is something I'd like to focus on. Notice that all the plotlines and little references all tie together and crop up again and again. Recurring mentions of circus-related stuff? Check! Strange David-Tennant-kind-of-lookalike who doesn't know what a hamburger is but seems oddly pivotal? Check! Mysterious accomplices whose faces have yet to be revealed? Check! All the elements seem to be vital, although I fail to understand some things. Surely the "pigeon" references in Episode 2 relate to the one that flew into the window in Episode 1? Right? And I thought D. Gibbons was a jazz composer. I'm sure there's a Dave Gibbons Band out there somewhere!
What all this means is that I've started to view the Doctor Who scripts as a bit... naf, I guess. A prime example of this is the Bad Wolf plot. They spend a whole season building up this recurring theme, even give you TWO cheesy flashbacks for those who weren't listening the first time (And yes, I did get most of them!), and in the end it's just a "Meh, it's this... sort of... thing... which does... stuff." If that's honestly as clever as they can be, then they've got no chance of rivalling the likes of Heroes and FlashForward. Personally, I think the writers are the problem. Steve Moffat's episodes, I had no problem with. It would take a true genius to come up with the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey plot of Blink, and the two, seemingly parallel, worlds of Silence In The Library seriously baffled me, and had me speculating all week! THAT is good writing. THAT is Heroes writing. Unfortunately, the rest of it wasn't quite up to scratch.
And by means of something which in no way resembles a segway (technical term, not an actual Segway), I'll now say "It's a good job Moffat is becoming head writer for the next series!" which will lead me smoothly into my next point - The ALL NEW Doctor Who logo. If you haven't seen it, it's on the website. The first thing that springs to my mind is this: Retro. Far from being the sleek, new and easily recognisable logo of series 1 through 4 (plus specials), this TARDISy (that will have to be a new word for when the next Series comes in) logo will have customer peering ever more intently at merchandise which was once a vivid bright orange. Clearly, the Doctor Who team know when they've been Tangoed! With a logo which draws on the era of Sylvester McCoy (possibly?), a new sonic screwdriver much alike to the 4th Doctor's, and a more 'classic' Tardis design, could this mean a return to the Old Skool ways of the 20th Century? Will we start to see plastic rocks and aliens made of plasticine battling with increasingly boffiny Doctors? More importantly, has the Doctor fixed his Chameleon Circuit?? How else could he redesign the TARDIS?
With everything changing in Series 5 (Or do you have to call it Series 1 now? I'm confused!), I have to admit I'm becoming increasingly dubious about the fate of Doctor Who. But, if nothing else, at least Karen Gillan is looking good... as... a policewoman.... *blushes*. She'd better be clever as well, mind you. I'll trust the Doctor to choose the right ones.
Aaanyway. Sorry this is a very TV-oriented post, but for once I'm feeling passionate about TV. It doesn't happen a lot, but it would seem there is some entertainment to be gained from that mess of wires and boxes after all! So, Heroes-wise, I wasn't going to go over it today, but I've just had an Epithany.... Epiphany.... However it's spelt. And that is this: Anyone in the loop will have seen the Volume 5 trailer on YouTube (or the website, if you live Stateside), and it's very interesting and a lot of stuff happens. What matters is the last clip which shows a presumable villain, called Samuel, filling his brother's grave telekinetically. His power is moving the ground. Now, call me slow, but I didn't appreciate the full significance of this until just now. Surely, anyone who can move soil can split it apart as well. Hence, the Earth cracking in two! That future is still a possibility! Those amazing graphics could still reappear! En plus, now that we know Hiro's current instability with Time Travel, it's easier to understand why Ando was shooting him with the lightning - To enhance Hiro's power back to normal! Simples!
I know you're all completely lost, but that's my epiphany for today. On a completely different note, Avril Lavigne and her former husband Deryck (From Sum 41, apparently) have split up. It's sad, but maybe it means he won't have as much influence on her next album as he did the last. In theory that's a good thing, but we'll have to wait and see, I guess. Shame that even the entertainment industry, the ones we can usually look to to be cheered up, is going through a pretty tragic time at the moment. Or maybe it's always been like that. Ah well, celebrities everywhere, for one night only, you all have my condolences. Good night!
Jack
Saturday, 3 October 2009
Rummage Rummage
Evening, troops.
First things first, I've decided to call off the Italy diary. There's not enough time these days to make the blog as regular as it was before, and if I carry on in this way you'll be constantly reading about my holidays and never getting any info on the jucier topics! Suffice to say, some time passed.... and some more time passed... And some exciting stuff happened which is doomed to remain trapped in my head, rather than on paper... and here I am! Wahey, time travel!
So anyway, where exactly is 'here'? "Here is unfenced existence: Facing the sun, untalkative, out of reach." Shut up, Larkin. You're dead and I'm not! Cripes, haven't said that for a while... I'm currently drowning under a mountain of homework - I don't see why; I'm not doing much more than last year - if anything I'm doing less. Hmm... maybe it was just one of those September things. I'm also earning plenty of money, FINALLY, and am still out of love and lacking in the Social Life department as well. So you haven't missed much!
Music-wise, I'd just like to gloss over what I've been listening to in the past month or so. Firstly, Frank Turner. His new album is.... Not quite on a par with Love, Ire & Song, but it's not bad. Tell you what, though - it wasn't so noticeable in his older albums, but he's become much more Larkin-esque in the latest collection. "I'll end my days in a house with High Windows." - Is that plaegarism? How do you even spell... plagearism? Having said that, there is a health sprinkling of optimism as well, so don't get too worried!
Let's move on to the ace in the pack, MUSE: The Resistance. As with all things that have hype attached, I did have reservations about this disc, because Black Holes & Revelations was exceptional. But this raises the bar yet again! I don't know if I've talked about Uprising before, but suffice to say it does not suffer from the "commercialised single misleads customer about content of album" syndrome. Mainly because no two songs on the disc are similar - Some people would hate this, but for me, variety is one of the most important criteria! I would definitely reccomend Unnatural Selection, because it is classic Muse, and United States of Eurasia, for its near-hilarious exaggeration. The Exogenesis Symphony, I must admit, was a disappointment, but I guess they are only human. Considering this, they did extremely well!
Paramore also popped up this month, with their latest album Brand New Eyes. I won't lie, of this month's set it is the weakest, and definitely not as good as Riot! Don't get me wrong, though. There are some excellent tracks - Brick By Boring Brick has its moments, and Misguided Ghosts is a bit different for them, but definitely a step in the right direction. Paloma Faith hit the scene with the extremely long-winded Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful? Well, what I wanted was a good album, and it was beautiful. Truthfully, though, in terms of the Funk I was expecting, the disc falls prey to the aforementioned sydrome, and Stone Cold Sober remains the best track.
Okay, that's music out the way for now. Movies-wise, I haven't been to the cinema a whole lot recently, due to work and living miles away from any decent entertainment facilities. I've got a free afternoon coming up, though, and I really want to see District 9. It's sci-fi, and it looks amazing, and it's had excellent reviews, plus there'll be hardly anyone there. I'd also like to see Toy Story in 3D, but it's not top of my list at the moment. What does look good is the upcoming "Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus". It stars Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger (yes, I know), some other famous people, and Paloma Faith, whose accent I love! But I think that's about it, until Star Trek comes out on DVD, Iron Man 2 and Sherlock Holmes are released, and I'm old enough to see Watchmen.
What else.... Heroes should be coming back soon; It's already started in America! I'm craving good TV at the moment - No Doctor Who and no Heroes! Crisis! At least Sarah Jane will be back soon. Let's hope it's even marginally better than last year! David Tennant should spice things up, anyway! Books.... Zorro has got lost somewhere in the post, which is a shame, 'cause Isabel Allende is quite good and the movie was amazing! The Mask, that is, not the Legend. There was too much snogging in the sequel. And I wasn't really convinced by the whole soap thing. Instead, I'm trying to find time to finish Charlotte Gray, for the sake of completion, so I can crack on with James Bond! That's more like it... Games-wise, I resurrected a copy of KotOR, in anticipation of the online version which looks PHENOMENAL. So there you go.
Hmm... I could really do with some live jazz at the moment. Where's Herbie Hancock when you need him? *Rummage, Rummage*. Ah, that'll do. I've always wanted a jukebox. How cool would that be? Hehehe.... Haven't you missed my tangents?
I'm also working on the thirteenth chapter of my book (unlucky for some, I know). In this gripping instalment, some cats die, some sailors have a chinwag and some guy looks through a telescope. Yes! With any luck on my part, however, I should be able to find a way of sticking what I've done so far on the net, for people to read for themselves. Never mind Tamar, I have my own moral quandaries to deal with. It's a bit complicated, I won't try to fry your brains here, but I want to sort it out by Friday. That's the plan. It's always good to have a vague plan. The rest you can make up!
Anyway, I guess that's just about it from me. I'll see y'all when I see y'all!
Jack
P.S. It's spelt "plagiarism". There was no E in there after all...
First things first, I've decided to call off the Italy diary. There's not enough time these days to make the blog as regular as it was before, and if I carry on in this way you'll be constantly reading about my holidays and never getting any info on the jucier topics! Suffice to say, some time passed.... and some more time passed... And some exciting stuff happened which is doomed to remain trapped in my head, rather than on paper... and here I am! Wahey, time travel!
So anyway, where exactly is 'here'? "Here is unfenced existence: Facing the sun, untalkative, out of reach." Shut up, Larkin. You're dead and I'm not! Cripes, haven't said that for a while... I'm currently drowning under a mountain of homework - I don't see why; I'm not doing much more than last year - if anything I'm doing less. Hmm... maybe it was just one of those September things. I'm also earning plenty of money, FINALLY, and am still out of love and lacking in the Social Life department as well. So you haven't missed much!
Music-wise, I'd just like to gloss over what I've been listening to in the past month or so. Firstly, Frank Turner. His new album is.... Not quite on a par with Love, Ire & Song, but it's not bad. Tell you what, though - it wasn't so noticeable in his older albums, but he's become much more Larkin-esque in the latest collection. "I'll end my days in a house with High Windows." - Is that plaegarism? How do you even spell... plagearism? Having said that, there is a health sprinkling of optimism as well, so don't get too worried!
Let's move on to the ace in the pack, MUSE: The Resistance. As with all things that have hype attached, I did have reservations about this disc, because Black Holes & Revelations was exceptional. But this raises the bar yet again! I don't know if I've talked about Uprising before, but suffice to say it does not suffer from the "commercialised single misleads customer about content of album" syndrome. Mainly because no two songs on the disc are similar - Some people would hate this, but for me, variety is one of the most important criteria! I would definitely reccomend Unnatural Selection, because it is classic Muse, and United States of Eurasia, for its near-hilarious exaggeration. The Exogenesis Symphony, I must admit, was a disappointment, but I guess they are only human. Considering this, they did extremely well!
Paramore also popped up this month, with their latest album Brand New Eyes. I won't lie, of this month's set it is the weakest, and definitely not as good as Riot! Don't get me wrong, though. There are some excellent tracks - Brick By Boring Brick has its moments, and Misguided Ghosts is a bit different for them, but definitely a step in the right direction. Paloma Faith hit the scene with the extremely long-winded Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful? Well, what I wanted was a good album, and it was beautiful. Truthfully, though, in terms of the Funk I was expecting, the disc falls prey to the aforementioned sydrome, and Stone Cold Sober remains the best track.
Okay, that's music out the way for now. Movies-wise, I haven't been to the cinema a whole lot recently, due to work and living miles away from any decent entertainment facilities. I've got a free afternoon coming up, though, and I really want to see District 9. It's sci-fi, and it looks amazing, and it's had excellent reviews, plus there'll be hardly anyone there. I'd also like to see Toy Story in 3D, but it's not top of my list at the moment. What does look good is the upcoming "Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus". It stars Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger (yes, I know), some other famous people, and Paloma Faith, whose accent I love! But I think that's about it, until Star Trek comes out on DVD, Iron Man 2 and Sherlock Holmes are released, and I'm old enough to see Watchmen.
What else.... Heroes should be coming back soon; It's already started in America! I'm craving good TV at the moment - No Doctor Who and no Heroes! Crisis! At least Sarah Jane will be back soon. Let's hope it's even marginally better than last year! David Tennant should spice things up, anyway! Books.... Zorro has got lost somewhere in the post, which is a shame, 'cause Isabel Allende is quite good and the movie was amazing! The Mask, that is, not the Legend. There was too much snogging in the sequel. And I wasn't really convinced by the whole soap thing. Instead, I'm trying to find time to finish Charlotte Gray, for the sake of completion, so I can crack on with James Bond! That's more like it... Games-wise, I resurrected a copy of KotOR, in anticipation of the online version which looks PHENOMENAL. So there you go.
Hmm... I could really do with some live jazz at the moment. Where's Herbie Hancock when you need him? *Rummage, Rummage*. Ah, that'll do. I've always wanted a jukebox. How cool would that be? Hehehe.... Haven't you missed my tangents?
I'm also working on the thirteenth chapter of my book (unlucky for some, I know). In this gripping instalment, some cats die, some sailors have a chinwag and some guy looks through a telescope. Yes! With any luck on my part, however, I should be able to find a way of sticking what I've done so far on the net, for people to read for themselves. Never mind Tamar, I have my own moral quandaries to deal with. It's a bit complicated, I won't try to fry your brains here, but I want to sort it out by Friday. That's the plan. It's always good to have a vague plan. The rest you can make up!
Anyway, I guess that's just about it from me. I'll see y'all when I see y'all!
Jack
P.S. It's spelt "plagiarism". There was no E in there after all...
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