London, Cloverfield and Mars

Well, we arrived back from London a couple of days ago. The weather over there was great, back here, not so great.

Anyway, we all had a great time. Roz finally managed to see Mika in concert which she enjoyed and Elliot was exceptionally well behaved and enjoyed the sights of London such as the London Eye, The Tower of London, London Zoo etc.

Funnily enough we were London when the minor earthquake hit at 1:00 am on 27/02/08 (5.2 on the Richter Scale for 15 seconds). We were based in Hammersmith, which did feel the effects of the quake:

This is taken from the Evening Standard
'In Hammersmith, Kiran Sekhon, 29, said: "I woke up absolutely terrified. I was in a deep sleep and all of a sudden woke to find my bed shaking. It went on for a few seconds and then stopped."'

Thankfully we all slept through it, none of us disturbed by it at all, which is strange because I’m normally a very light sleeper.

It seems like something always has to happen in London whenever I visit!

Film watched:
Cloverfield



Blair Witch meets Godzilla. Enjoyable, slightly daft, fun.

7.5/10

Veronica Mars

It’s official, I’m hooked.

I have now watched all of the first series and have just moved onto the second series. It is the type of program which is hard to watch in small bits, there is always the temptation to watch just one more.

It’s a shame that it is now cancelled, but at least the star of the show, Kristen Bell is now in series 2 of Heroes, and in truth she is the main draw of Veronica Mars, that and the tightly written mysteries.

MK Wii, Wii Fit and HD Fury

Well it looks like Both Mario Kart Wii and also Wii Fit have been given release dates in Europe… and what’s better is that they are out here before the US for once!

They are:
Wii Fit - 25 April 08
Mario Kart Wii – 11 April 08 !?!

I have to confess that I am seriously hyped about Mario Kart. I’m a huge fan of the Mario Kart series, every single one of them, even the much loathed (by some) Double Dash. So while Mario Kart on the Wii doesn’t look like much of a graphical improvement over Double Dash, I’m still looking forward to it, mainly for the online aspects of the game.

I’m also looking forward to Wii Fit, especially given my recent health scare, something like this is much needed to help boost my health further!

I just got my HD Fury converter through the post today. Up until now I have been forced to watch blu-ray via a converter box which converts component to VGA, which although good, did not have a great level of contrast and as a consequence dark scenes suffered. HD Fury converts HDMI to VGA and boy does it look good. I gave Ratatouille a quick go and the improvement is incredible.

For anyone out there with a HD compatible (but not HD ready) set, I cannot recommend this enough!

HD DVD RIP & Paprika

Toshiba have just given the official world... HD DVD is dead.

Hopefully this will mean that with the end of confusing format wars, that the uptake of Blu-ray over DVD will increase dramatically. I can certainly say, that after watching the fantastic Ratatouille on Blu-ray last weekend, that this is the future of home cinema.

Film watched:

Paprika

A visual feast for the eyes, but an utter mess.

6/10

Everyday, last star and Mars

Everyday Shooter

At long last Everyday Shooter has been put on the European PSN. I have been waiting for this for months (it was out late last year in the US) and it would seem that Sony have finally got there act together (i.e. included the other languages for our non-English speaking European neighbours).

I’ve only had a short go on it last night, but what I played was fantastic. One of the things that the Xbox has done right is Xbox live arcade. Since a friend bought himself an Xbox, it has to be said that the live arcade games have probably impressed me most about the console, much more so than the full priced games. I was most impressed by Geometry Wars (but also by Pac Man arcade and Rez HD), and as such wanted my own 2 stick shooter to sink my teeth into. I’ve resisted buying the other lesser offerings on the PSN (although I’m aware that a lot of people rank Super Stardust HD highly) and waited for Everyday Shooter.

It has to be said that it feels like a much more chilled experience than Geometry Wars, and the way that the music links to the gameplay reminds me in some respects to Rez. I’ve only made it through 3 stages of the game so far, but I like the way that the games leaves it mainly to you to understand how each stage works. For example, the initial stage may seem like just a case of shooting everything in sight, but instead you need to understand how the different enemies react when shot, and use this to both defend yourself and also destroy the “smart bomb” type enemies at the right time to clear the screen and get maximum points. What is great is that the rules of the game change quite a lot with each new stage, and you are forced to adapt the way you play to match this.

Overall, I’m very impressed so far, and look forward to giving it more time as soon as I can.

Super Mario Galaxy

I never got every star in Mario 64 (it was too damn hard), I also never got every single shine sprite in Super Mario Sunshine (the blue coins were dumb) – but I vowed to do my best to get every single star in Super Mario Galaxy, and the other day, I did just that – I managed to get the final star. It has to be said that there were 3 stars in particular that took sometime to get, but I got there in the end.

What’s great is that Elliot is now an official Mario nut. He loves sitting by me while I play it and even helps out by collecting star bits with the second Wiimote. As such, playing Super Mario Galaxy has been a great father/son time together, which we have both enjoyed.

Also, without spoiling things, getting all 120 stars isn’t necessarily the end of everything! As such, I’ll likely be playing the game for some time more with Elliot.

Veronica Mars

This is a TV series which wasn’t shown over here (to my knowledge, at least not on terrestrial channels), but one which I really wanted to see. Also unfortunately it hasn’t been release on DVD over here, so I’ve had to import US DVD’s to have the opportunity to watch it.

To boil it down to its basics, it’s about the daughter of a PI who is still in high school in a rich suburb of America. The daughter (Veronica Mars) works for her father and also does detective work of her own on the side. Kind of like Buffy meets Philip Marlow, with a dash of 90210.

It is a series that got a lot of acclaim in the US, but never really got the audience that it deserved, and as such was cancelled after 3 years. From my perspective, so far I have enjoyed it immensely. It is cleverly written, with a great ongoing mystery which in unravelled bit by bit as the series goes okay. On top of that are great characters brought to life by great actors. What is there not to like!

Bravo Veronica – the series may be dead, but I’m enjoying catching up.

Oscar predictions

Well, here they are, my oscar predictions (with comments).

As with previous years, I have skipped a few of the awards (namely short films and, rather surprisingly, foreign language films) as I am not in a position to comment on the nominees.

Best motion picture of the year
"No Country for Old Men"

No Country for Old Men is the favourite to win by some margin. It has won the WGA, SAG, DGA and PGA (i.e. all the Hollywood guild awards), as such, it would be a shock for it NOT to win. As much as I’d prefer ANY other film to win, it looks like No Country for Old Men’s year.

Of course out of all the films nominated I thing Atonement is by far the most deserving – but unfortunately I do not see it winning.

Achievement in directing
"No Country for Old Men" Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

I tend to either really like Coen films (Barton Fink and Big Lebrowski) or really dislike them (Fargo and No Country for Old Men). Whilst I think they are deserving directors, they have made much better films than No Country for Old Men. Anyway, I think they will win this year.

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood"

If there is a dead cert this year then this is it. Daniel Day-Lewis is one hell of an actor, and this is quite possibly his best performance so far. He WILL win.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men"

Although it is not the type of role which is often recognised by the Academy, I think that Javier Bardem has won this race before it has begun. He was the absolute highlight of what I consider to be a poor film

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Ellen Page in "Juno"

This is between Julie Christie and Ellen Page. It is often the case that the Academy will give awards elderly actors and so Julie Christie looks the likely winner, however, she has won an award in the past. In addition to this, everyone seems to have universally liked Ellen Page in Juno, and even though I’m likely going to be wrong on this one, I’m going to say Ellen Page.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There"

Actress playing against type – tick. Actress playing someone unattractive – tick. Actress playing someone of the opposite sex – tick.
= immediate win for Cate Blanchett.

Best animated feature film of the year
"Ratatouille”

Considering that it is the highest ranked film on Rotten Tomato’s and Metacritic for 2007, I’d be surprised if it didn’t win. The only crime here is that it wasn’t up for best picture!

Achievement in art direction
"Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"

Achievement in cinematography
"There Will Be Blood"

I personally think that Atonement should win, if only for the stunning long shot around Dunkirk. However, I think this may be a toss up between There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men. As such, I’m guessing that There Will Be Blood will likely scoop this.

Achievement in costume design
"Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"

This is a toss up between Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Sweeny Todd. Elizabeth was not received as Sweeny Todd, plus Sweeny Todd is a little bit different to your average period drama, therefore I think it will nab the award.

Best documentary feature
"Sicko"

If only to see Michael Moore have his minute’s speech in front of millions of viewers!

Achievement in film editing
"The Bourne Ultimatum"

Achievement in makeup
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"

Haven’t seen it – don’t want to, but it’s the most likely winner from the bunch.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
"Ratatouille"

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Falling Slowly" from "Once"

No idea why – but I’ve heard this is a good song (and most of the rest were from Enchanted – shudder)

Achievement in sound editing
"Transformers"

BOOM, CRASH, SMASH BOOOOOOOOM = Likely winner.

Achievement in sound mixing
"Transformers"

See above

Achievement in visual effects
"Transformers"

Although I didn’t enjoy the film that much, the effects were pretty impressive.

Adapted screenplay
"No Country for Old Men"

Because it’s going to win best picture!

Original screenplay
"Juno"

I really, really really want Ratatouille to win this, but I very much doubt it will. Instead a screenplay written by an ex stripper (who has also penned Candy Girl: A Year in The Life of an Unlikely Stripper) seems a good alternative!

Atonement (should win!)

Film watched:

Atonement

I’m going to break my 10 word rule with this one… Why?

Because a long last I’ve watched a film that bloody well deserves the Best Picture Oscar! Forget There will be Blood, forget Juno and for God’s sake please forget No Country for Old Men (I’m not even counting Michael Clayton)! This is the one that deserves to win by a frankly huge margin.

The crime here, is that it quite clearly won’t.

It is a film that clearly wears its heart on its sleeve. At times funny, clever and deeply moving. It is both expertly written and beautifully directed and without a doubt one of the best British films in decades.

I normally ignore the BAFTA’s. I’ll be quite honest, I’ve always thought of them as a cut down British centric Oscars (which they are), but at least Atonement looks like the likely winner at this ceremony. As such, I’ll likely be watching, just to see Atonements moment of glory.

Anyway… At least I have something to back come Oscar night.

9/10

PS3 Desktop VR

I was very impressed by the Wii desktop VR demonstration that was posted on the internet recently, and it appears as if someone has figured out a way to run something very similiar on the PS3 using the Playstation eye...

Once again, very inventive. I don't see why game developers don't use this type of technology in their games. It would be a great addition to a first person shooter!

Link here:

PS3 Desktop VR

I must learn how to imbed video's one of these days - I know you can do it in blogger, but I've failed each time I try... That just goes to show my computer skills :)

Blood

Film watched:

There Will be Blood

Fantastic performances in a film that could have been much better.

6.5/10

Pass

Recently, on a recent visit to the doctor my blood pressure was measured at 145/104. High blood pressure is considered to be anything over 140/90 – which this definitely was. I went for a second test, which gave the exact same result, i.e. 145/104. You need 3 readings over 140/90 to be diagnosed with high blood pressure, so for the last 2 weeks prior to the final reading I have been doing all I can to lower this reading, which has involved me:

* Exercising more
* Eating a much better diet
* Meditating

My 3rd test was today, and I must confess that I have been more than a little worried about it.

The reading… 139/89.

Why do I feel like I’ve just passed an exam by the smallest possible margin?

Anyway, I intend to keep up the same regime and try to improve my health, as the high blood pressure came as a bit of a wake up call for me.

No Country and Sweeny

Films watched:

No Country for Old Men

Cat and mouse game, which rather bizarrely omits the conclusion.

4.5/10

Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street




Gloriously bloody musical from Burton. Equally funny and repulsive.

8/10

Juno

Film watched:
Juno

Quirky, likeable and entertaining, but not much more. Slightly overrated.
7.5/10

Oscar nominations

I'll be posting my predictions nearer the big day (if it happens)!

Well here they are:

Performance by an actor in a leading role
George Clooney in "Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood"
Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah"
Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises"

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Casey Affleck in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men"
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Charlie Wilson's War"
Hal Holbrook in "Into the Wild"
Tom Wilkinson in "Michael Clayton"

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie in "Away from Her"
Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose"
Laura Linney in "The Savages"
Ellen Page in "Juno"

Performance by an actress in a supporting roleCate Blanchett in "I'm Not There"
Ruby Dee in "American Gangster"
Saoirse Ronan in "Atonement"
Amy Ryan in "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton in "Michael Clayton"

Best animated feature film of the year
"Persepolis"
"Ratatouille”
"Surf's Up"

Achievement in art direction
"American Gangster"
"Atonement"
"The Golden Compass"
"Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
"There Will Be Blood"

Achievement in cinematography
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
"Atonement"
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"

Achievement in costume design
"Across the Universe"
"Atonement"
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
"La Vie en Rose"
"Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"

Achievement in directing
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" Julian Schnabel
"Juno" Jason Reitman
"Michael Clayton" Tony Gilroy
"No Country for Old Men" Joel Coen and Ethan Coen"There Will Be Blood" Paul Thomas Anderson

Best documentary feature
"No End in Sight"
“Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience"
"Sicko"
"Taxi to the Dark Side"
"War/Dance"

Best documentary short subject
"Freeheld"
"La Corona (The Crown)"
"Salim Baba"
"Sari's Mother"

Achievement in film editing
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
"Into the Wild"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"

Best foreign language film of the year
"Beaufort"
"The Counterfeiters"
"Katyn"
"Mongol"
"12"

Achievement in makeup
"La Vie en Rose"
"Norbit"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)"Atonement"
"The Kite Runner"
"Michael Clayton"
"Ratatouille"
"3:10 to Yuma"

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Falling Slowly" from "Once"
"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted"
"Raise It Up" from "August Rush"
"So Close" from "Enchanted"
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted"

Best motion picture of the year"Atonement"
"Juno"
"Michael Clayton"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"

Best animated short film
"I Met the Walrus"
"Madame Tutli-Putli"
"My Love (Moya Lyubov)"
"Peter & the Wolf"

Best live action short film
"At Night"
“Il Supplente (The Substitute)"
"Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)"
"Tanghi Argentini"
"The Tonto Woman"

Achievement in sound editing
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"No Country for Old Men"
"Ratatouille"
"There Will Be Blood"
"Transformers"

Achievement in sound mixing
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"No Country for Old Men"
"Ratatouille"
"3:10 to Yuma"
"Transformers"

Achievement in visual effects
"The Golden Compass"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"
"Transformers"

Adapted screenplay
"Atonement"
"Away from Her"
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"

Original screenplay
"Juno"
"Lars and the Real Girl"
"Michael Clayton"
"Ratatouille"
"The Savages"

Cultural film exchange part 2

Well, as expected, my friend was not so taken by INLAND EMPIRE…

He even went as far as writing his own 1 star review for Amazon. To counter it, I have also written my own Amazon review.

Both review are repeated below:

My friends review:

“As films go I like to be entertained!

I must admit I am not a David Lynch expert in that I have not seen any other of his films. So does this not entitle me to my opinion?

When people write reviews it is generally on their type of film (this was not mine) so some may say I should not write a review.

Well here goes:

The camera man was probably a drunk who was dragged off the street and given a camcorder. It was like watching a war documentary, where the camera is wobbling about, trying to keep up. Then the next thing, it is right in the actors face at a weird angle, thats when it stays in focus.
I know that some would say "This is art in a film making way..." but for me, the average film watcher it was unbearable.

I generally will stick it out with a film, believing it will get better.

Well I stuck it out for 1:45hrs and then just had to switch it off. My wife gave up way before that. The film actually lasts 3hrs so I have read, I do not know how anybody can endure this film for as long as that!”

My review:

“INLAND EMPIRE is not a conventional film. If you go into the film expecting this, then you will likely come out of the experience either bewildered or angered (or a combination of both).

Most films lead you by the hand as you watch them. Generally they will tell you something if going to happen, show something happening, then explain why this has happened. The sign of a truly great film, is one which makes you as the viewer do some of the work. INLAND EMPIRE takes this to the extreme. It is beyond a doubt one of the most challenging films out there (although Eraserhead probably beats it to the punch). While the first hour of the film is generally easy to follow, it is the final two hours which throw you into a bizarre of mixed plotlines and images.

It feels like David Lynch has poured out his creative soul into this film. The freedom of digital film has allowed him to stretch his canvas much wider than he has been able to do previously. While the plot of the film may forever remain a mystery and forever be open to interpretation, the themes are all too apparent, especially as the film nears the climax. It would seem that this, like Muholland Drive which proceeded it, is ultimately a commentary by David Lynch into the way that HOLLYWOOD (notice the matching capitals between HOLLYWOOD and INLAND EMPIRE) treats women. This is aided by a remarkable performance by Laura Dern, who has never been better.

I have watched this film twice, and I’m certain that I will watch it many more times. Even then I doubt I’ll be able to unravel all of its mysteries. It is a challenging film yes, but also one of the most refreshing films I have seen in years. Definitely not for everyone, but there is really nothing quite like it!”

Still Alive?

Yep - more portal goodness!

GameSetWatch have compiled the top 12 covers of "Still Alive" thanks to the wonder that is Youtube...

Definately worth a watch...

You just have to love the girl in the pink dress (number 7)

Still Alive?

Marie, games complete & turret

Over the last few weeks I have managed to complete a total of 3 games – phew I know. Anyway, all of these games have been absolutely exceptional, 2 of them have been amongst the best games I have ever played.

Games completed:
Uncharted: Drakes Fortune

An absolute blast. A great mix of action and adventure that plays like a grand Indiana Jones adventure. My only criticism would be that it needed some decent puzzles. There were sections of the game which were intended as puzzles, but in actual fact all of the solutions were written down in Drake’s journal, and it was just a matter of interpreting these solutions (which was pretty damn easy). There is also some screen tearing in some sections of the game, which seems to be a problem for both the PS3 and 360 on some games
Apart from this, however, it is probably the best exclusive game so far on the PS3.

Portal
This just got better and better.
I love a game that challenges my mind a little and some of the puzzles did take a little time to get my head around. What I love about this game is that it seems such a long time that a first person game was something other than shooting the crap out of everything, this shows that you can do something a little different.
In addition the game was unique in it humour, which was absolutely fantastic, by the end of the game you just have to love that damn computer. Also the ending song was fantastic, and was an immediate download for me from itunes.
Overall an amazing and unique game – bravo Valve!

Super Mario Galaxy
This game had me grinning from start to finish.
What’s extra special about this game is that Elliot also adores it, I now try not to play it unless he is also around to watch and give advice. He is absolute obsessed with the game, and at present talks about little else. Even though I have completed it, he still hasn’t seen the end yet, as the prospect of it frightened him. Maybe in a little while he might want me to show him how it all ends.
Saying that, however, I still have a further 44 stars or so until I have fully completed the game, which I will endeavour to do, although some of those purple comets are unbelievably challenging!

Film watched:
Marie Antoinette

Too much opulence and cake and not enough revolution.
6/10

Talking of portal above, I came across this movie that someone created, using the portal turrets. It’s incredibly funny, but definitely NSFW.

Portal video