Roll The Hard Six: Random rants and ramblings of a Space Cowboy.

Sucker Punch (2011)

2011-04-08T00:03:00.001-07:00

Mark Kermode said this film was interminably dull, to which I (optimistically, but arguably logically) thought "scantily-clad girls with guns and samurai swords fighting dragons and zombie Nazis CAN'T be dull".

I stand corrected.

Sucker Punch opens with a stylish, albeit clichéd, opening sequence; lots of slo-mo, lots of starkly-lit images and heavy scoring. Then the title appears, the words 'Sucker Punch' appearing in rain rivulets on a car window. I thought the person who suggested that in whatever meeting it was should perhaps have been laughed out of the room. Then my optimism popped up again and said 'Hey, maybe it's an inspired decision and maybe this is an enjoyable, if slightly daft, romp of a film that oozes bold styling'.

Let me summarise briefly to spare a 6-page rant. Shortly after the film's opening I stopped caring about the main character. And the rest of them. Then I stopped being impressed with the 'alternate reality' sequences (the 'dance' sequences). Then I just struggled to keep myself awake and occupied long enough to not walk out and abandon my mates.

I couldn't believe it. Somehow Zack Snyder has managed to achieve something I never thought possible. He's made scantily-clad girls with guns and samurai swords fighting dragons and zombie Nazis genuinely, and mind-numbingly, boring. My hat's off to you, Zack. Now can I have my money and two hours of my life back, please?

Sucker Punch clocks in at 1hr 50mins, but it feels like a three-and-a-half hour film thanks to unempathetic characters, a repetitive format, unexplained layered realities and most of all, gallon upon gallon of slo-mo! Just running the film in normal speed would easily cut it down to an hour and a half.

I think the final nail in the coffin for me was about two-thirds through the film where the main character (whose name my brain seems to have erased already) murders a sleeping baby dragon to plunder fire-producing capabilities. No compassion whatsoever, she just slits his throat and takes what she wants, before having to execute his mother too, after.

No catharsis left, couldn't convince myself to care about any of these characters or the film any more.

Whilst there are certainly some good sequences and stunning visuals occasionally, mostly this is Grade A boring b******t. Which is a disappointment from the guy who did a serviceable job of filming the unfilmable Watchmen.

The Fighter

2011-01-31T14:14:00.001-08:00

Firstly, some background. Before seeing The Fighter, I'd already watched the HBO Documentary High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell, and the AOL Kids parodies of the best picture Oscar nominations, including their version of The Fighter. The former gave me a solid, real-world basis and connection to the characters in the film, and the latter a preparedness for the 'unintelligible Boston accents'.

With this experience, but no clue as to the outcome of Mickey's boxing career, I think I was probably just as receptive and prepared for the film as I could be. Knowing more about Mickey's career might have lessened the tension I felt during the film, knowing less about Dicky, Boo and the realities of Lowell and the Eklunds at that time might have lessened my sense of catharsis. (I can only speculate because obviously I experienced the film under the conditions I did. Maybe there's a thesis here somewhere about individuals' film experiences being just as much a product of their own life experiences and the environmental conditions under which they see the film? I digress. Massively.)

The Fighter is not 'just a boxing film', as I've heard almost no-one describe it, but a taught, involving and very affecting family drama. It deals with family bonds, for better or worse, the effects of fame, both fading and desired, the desperation in the struggle to fight against drug addiction, family shaping who you are. David O. Russell has done a good job, the film is well-paced an elicits a range of emotions from start to finish.

The performances are stellar across the board. Bale captures Dicky very well, and likewise with Melissa Leo and Alice. Mark Wahlberg finally gets his teeth into a worthy lead role. It seems ages since he's had an honest-to-goodness role worth his talent. I think maybe the sting of Max Payne is still tainting my memory on that one... and the preposterous notion of The Happening.

I loved the look of The Fighter too. The interviews which bookend the film, along with, most notably, the final fight of the film were all shot with '90s-era HBO cameras, which avoided the clichéd 'fight film' style and lent it a great authenticity and an immediacy in the ring. The rest of the cinematography (by Hoyte Van Hoytema, who lensed Let the Right One In in '08) was very nicely realised, and the slow-motion swing back and forth between fighters midway through the film sticks in my mind. Loved it.

All in all, The Fighter is a powerful film, thriving on family conflict, and ultimately delivers a knockout.

...sorry.

Easy A

2011-01-18T16:41:00.001-08:00

I had my reservations.

I mean, I've loved Emma Stone in everything from Superbad to Zombieland, but I thought perhaps Easy A would fall into the trap of being a kitschy teen chick flick. Fortunately, however, what we get is an intelligent and biting comedy that at times satirises the films of my expectation (most notably with the quip about the 20-year-old high school student).

From it's sharp, literary references and parallels to the dialogue and performances, Easy A creates a tight, highly entertaining feel-good movie that genuinely provokes thought. This isn't a run-of-the-mill teen comedy, this is witty, thematically complex and very self-aware. The narration scenes break the fourth wall as Olive addresses the audience directly under the guise of a webcast, and there are more pop- and literary-culture references than you could shake a moderately-sized former tree limb at.

Thomas Hayden Church steals every scene he's in, which is a tall order considering the breakaway accomplishment of Emma Stone's performance and the fact he shares a number of scenes with her. I want to see him do more of these intelligent comedic roles, it was very refreshing. Lisa Kudrow gives a very good supporting performance, keeping her character firmly grounded in reality, rather than falling into an exaggerated caricature. By all means though, Emma Stone proves herself a very capable leading lady, rather than just the supporting player she's been to date. Her comedic ability is aptly tapped and she's at her witty, sarcastic best in this, while her dramatic scenes showed a sensitivity and depth worthy of her Golden Globe nomination.

Easy A is a fresh and fun film visually, the lens capturing the youth and the energy of a rumour-led high school in sunny California. Equally, the soundtrack is pitch-perfect, providing additional buzz and that veneer of 'high school cool'. There were some interesting time remapping sequences from long Steadicam takes that really enhanced the idea of connectivity within the high school environment. As I touched upon earlier, the film benefits from its use of real-world references, be they subtle ('heads in the oven') or more blatant (the Ferris Bueller musical number 'for no apparent reason'). This really makes the film appreciable on a deeper level to the savvy audience.

'Pleasantly surprised' would perhaps be doing Easy A a bit of a disservice. It's a fantastically entertaining feel-good film that doesn't feel like the standard popcorn fare, but benefits from intelligent writing. It's a film that isn't afraid of the deadpan retort without feeling the need for the obligatory 'did you get the joke?' nudge and wink afterwards.

It didn't deserve the stigma of being pre-judged based on what I'd heard or thought I'd heard about it. Then again, that's the whole point, isn't it?

127 Hours (2010)

2011-01-11T17:46:00.000-08:00

Danny Boyle consistently astounds me.

I've yet to see a film he's done that has disappointed me. Even Slumdog Millionaire, which I thought was overhyped, was still a very solid, very well crafted film. The diversity and range of the man as a director both inspires me and makes me hate him just a little bit.

Now, that said, I haven't seen his entire back-catalogue, but all I've seen, I've enjoyed. Trainspotting - junkie dramedy. 28 Days Later - zombie holocaust. Sunshine - sci-fi horror. Slumdog Millionaire - a slumdog becomes a millionaire. And now, 127 Hours - adrenaline-fest-cum-survival struggle true story.

To take Aron Ralston's true account of his climbing mishap and battle of will to survive and turn it into a 94-minute film that never suffers a dull moment is a testament to Boyle's skill. Split-screen, pumping, upbeat music, and close-ups are used to great effect throughout the film, as are handheld video and stills shots. Flashbacks and hallucinations keep both the protagonist and the audience entertained/determined to see this thing through.

Along with the entertainment factor, there was a great sense that the audience was experiencing a few of the symptoms of this ordeal along with the character. Personally, I often found myself wondering how I'd be reacting and putting myself in his position. Consequently, the hallucinations and the fantasies all felt very 'real', Scooby Doo in the canyon for instance, got a big audience reaction.

James Franco was simply superb in this film. From what I've seen and heard of the real Aron Ralston in interviews, Franco seems to have nailed it. Additionally there was no point at which I thought 'he's not really stuck in a canyon', it felt very real, not an exaggeration, but a human, soulful reaction to the ordeal.

I read an article before seeing the film about the equipment and techniques Anthony Dod Mantle used to shoot this film, given the incredibly confined location. I have to say, all the effort in modifications and adaptation has paid off. 127 Hours is a beautifully realised film, aesthetically speaking. From the sprawling vistas to the near-claustrophobic canyon, to the exquisite close-ups from within pipes and water flasks, the film is a visual delight. Possible exception of the amputation scene. Emphasis on 'possible' there.

In short, a wonderfully realised true-story, an inspiration, a what-the-hell-would-I-do challenge, a triumph. See it.

Into the Wild (2007)

2011-01-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

I feel a little bit nauseous.

I've just finished watching Into the Wild for the first time. I'd heard mixed things about it previously. A few people have said it's inspiring and desperately sad too, and a few have labelled it 'distinctly average'.

I have to admit, I thought it was a fantastic film. It held my attention throughout its entire 148-minute runtime, and emotionally took me on a journey I didn't fully expect. Did I like everything about it? No. Did I at times find 'Alexander' was selfish and foolhardy to his detriment? Yes. Does that make it a bad film? No, probably the contrary.

Into the Wild is beautifully shot, capturing the essence of wild America in almost every frame. The cinematography succeeds in immersing us in the world, and at times trapping us in it with Christopher in his darker and more frantic moments.

I thought perhaps Into the Wild would be a study of Christopher as reflected in the landscape and the characters around him, but the supporting ensemble have such weight and are all so very well portrayed that they are almost the bigger story. That is to say, Into the Wild is as much a film about Christopher's influence upon the world and those he meets therewithin as it is about the way they affect him.

Speaking of the supporting cast, I can't find a weak link, none of the characters feel incidental or unnecessary, and all are pitch-perfect performances. Catherine Keener, Brian Dierker and Vince Vaughn all had great supporting roles, as did a pretty well-disguised Zach Galifianakis. Special note must be made of Kristen Stewart (I had no idea she could act when given a decent script and good direction!) and Hal Holbrook, both of whom made me genuinely care about them beyond their appearances on-screen. I was left wondering how they dealt with life after 'Alexander' left them. Come to think of it, was Christopher being selfish when he told the old man he'd talk about adoption after he returned from Alaska? Was he instead guarding against the possibility he wouldn't return? It's clear from his leaving his hat and attempt to cross the river that his intention was to make it back, so who knows?

And whatever happened to that fresh-faced kid from The Girl Next Door? Emile Hirsch proves he's got some serious acting chops, as well as a Christian Bale-like ability to change his bodyweight to suit the role. He carries off this sometimes kooky, sometimes brazen and oftentimes conflicted character with great conviction and success.

The character and the story, given that they are based on real-life events, are handled responsibly by writer/director Sean Penn, and woven into a very affecting cinematic experience. The journey, both physically and emotionally, of this literary, adventure-obsessed character to escape the oppression of his parents and the stresses and strains of modern society in the wider sense is a hell of a story. The descent into self-exiled, lonely delirium and the dissolution of the rational, educated mind through desperation to survive is a powerful enough conclusion, especially when framed by the lives of those he's left behind. Yet, is this a sad tale of lost hope, or the (somewhat unfortunate) natural conclusion to a dream sought and lived? The latter, by all means.

I couldn't help but to enjoy the ride, even with the niggling dread playing on my mind, until the desperation and resignation of the finale. Even in death, that this young man could find the meaning of happiness is inspiring.

My Camera Showreel

2009-06-29T04:05:00.001-07:00

My Camera Showreel is now finished and up on YouTube. It's also included below:-

And the extended version is here:-

What an eventful month and a half...

2008-07-04T11:59:00.001-07:00

Well It's well and truly summer again...

I spent my 6-week placement working for White Lantern Film in Poole, where I had great fun as a Production Assistant and driver and even got a Gaffer credit on the comedy short film Flushed, as well as working on the forthcoming Amateur Gardening Magazine DVD. The staff and crew there were really fun to work with and I think it was a very successful insight into the work of an upcoming independent production company. I have also passed on the opportunity of 2 weeks work placement at Leopard Films to James, as he still hadn't secured a placement.

Pretty much straight after this, I packed my bag and headed on to Glastonbury '08 with Ben, his girlfriend, and Sparrow. It was great fun once again, with scarcely a trace of mud this year!! Whilst the line-up wasn't so packed with bands I wanted to see, we had great fun watching those we made it to, including The Wurzles, Alphabeat, Panic! At The Disco, The Fratellis, Goldfrapp, Kate Nash, Mark Ronson, Lightspeed Champions, Seasick Steve, and those we heard from our camp, like Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly, The Raconteurs, John Mayer, Shakin' Stevens and Brian Jonestown Massacre. The biggest disappointment was the Young Knives, because they were pretty generic and kept us waiting for what seemed like an eternity in a VERY packed John Peel stage, ahead of the Ting Tings debut.

Conveniently, this leads me to the highlights of the weekend's music. Best hot tip: Vampire Weekend. Best intra-band banter: The Wombats. Best rock lightshow: The Verve. Best crowd-draw: The Ting Tings. Best set of the weekend: Jay-Z. There, I said it. Sod the controversy, he was pretty f*cking awesome.

Anyway, I'm home again now, and I returned to 700-odd bales of Hay my first day back... Lovely.

Returning from Bournemouth on the M27, with a car full of my stuff from Uni, and travelling at about 85mph in the fast lane, the rear of my car started to wobble, as if affected by a crosswind, although the trees weren't moving. As I slowed down, the snaking became worse and the car started making some very unhealthy noises and began billowing smoke from the outside rear tyre. I managed to safely guide my car across the 3 lanes and the slip road to the relative safety of the hard shoulder, to see my tyre was 'somewhat buggered' as the AA man so eloquently phrased it. In preference to risking my legs without a big van with flashing lights on it behind me, I rang the AA and joined for the year, and there was a friendly mechanic on scene not more than 15minutes after I hung up. Of course I got Mr Thick at AA telesales who couldn't work out why I wasn't still in the outside lane, why I was by the sliproad to junction 7 or what the meaning of his useless existence was. But there you go. Sorted it out, found a spare hubcap by the hard shoulder (albeit not the one I lost) and bought a new tyre that afternoon.

Majors, ahoy!

2008-04-28T23:52:00.000-07:00

I have recently been very busy, working on a few 3rd years' Major projects, including Ian Roe's Bounce and Anna Lucia Sadler's as yet unnamed film. I've really enjoyed the experiences, as a camera assistant to Ian, and an actor and runner on Anna's project. I feel that I've learned a lot about the production process, and especially scheduling for my minor and major projects next year. On Ian's shoot I got the opportunity to experience the HVX200 for the first time, and it was certainly an interesting experience. It's got all sorts of new and exciting features, such as HD capability (via a P2 card or Fire-store device) and slow motion, as well as a feature which allows you to alter the colour temperature whilst you're filming, allowing for on-set grading! I'm sold. It seems that finding a good, well organised producer/1st AD next year will be paramount to a successful and smooth shoot.

BA(Hons) Procrastination Studies

2008-04-19T02:25:00.001-07:00

Well, it's not all bad. I've finished my 4000 word Production Analysis (although it actually came in at 3636, but what the hell), but I cannot emphasise enough in words how much I don't want to write my Adaptation essay, it just doesn't appeal. So I thought I'd update my blog instead, so here goes:

I'm bored. I mean BORED.

This has given me an idea. I'm going to waste a lot of good time doing this for your literary pleasure, but I'm going to type 'bored' into my little Google search bar and explore what happens...

'b' - B&Q Online is the home of kitchen, garden and general all-round hardware suppliers B&Q. Interestingly enough, their web address has neither a B or a Q in it. However, the wikipedia page dedicated to the letter b, the next suggestion, does. Google also asks if I want to see results for 'bebo', the retro social-networking site most of us stopped using when we left secondary school.

'o' - Realty Income CP (NYSE) is down 0.06. O2, the mobile phone network is apparently one of the leading mobile phone suppliers. It also suggests the wiki page for Oxygen, and asks if I want to see results for 'bebo'. I'm now convinced it's a conspiracy. Are they jealous of Facebook?

'r' - 'R-Project' - Some project for statistical computing. Additionally, it comes up with the 'Comprehensive R-Archive Network' aka, believe it or not, 'CRAN'. How crantastic is that? It also asks if I mean Runescape, the MMORPG. No. I do not.

'e' - e = 2.71828183, according to 'the calculator', about which I could have learned more. I didn't. E! Online, the entertainment news website, ebay and the physical review E sites are suggested. Amazingly enough, this manages to cover everything from Paris Hilton to Quantum Physics. I love Google. Interestingly though, no bebo suggestion this time.

'd' - The Dominion Res New (NYSE) is up 0.35. Otherwise, it's mainly the physical review for the value and use of 'D'. More quantum physics. Another conspiracy? Unlikely, quantum physicists probably just watch a lot of sesame street and like playing with letters.

Wow. I feel I've learned something today. I now no longer need to think about writing an academic essay, I'm all learned-out for today.

3rd Placement!??

2008-04-08T00:10:00.000-07:00

Had a meeting at Vertigo Films yesterday and they seem keen to have me as a runner, I just have to arrange dates with them apparently. There are a few complications in terms of their hiring a new member of staff which could negate the need for placement students, and they can't sort my placement out until he's settled and they have returned from Cannes in May. Oh well, fingers crossed!

Unproductivity Inc.

2008-03-20T11:53:00.001-07:00

I am *really* fucking bored of Halo 3. There, I said it. Spectating for the last THREE HOURS has put me right off it. And in any case, Call Of Duty 4 is so vastly superior, it's a wonder the cartoony charm of Halo has survived. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed playing it myself back in the day, but watching two housemates try to complete level upon level on 'Legendary' difficulty is truly soul destroying. Oh well.

And who in their right mind thinks it's acceptable to jump on top of SOMEONE ELSE'S car? Someone they don't know. And a brand new car. And make a HUGE dent in the roof, thoroughly pissing the driver off for the remainder of the afternoon. Rant over. For now.

Got my marks back for our Indie Drama and my Censorship essay, which earned 70% and 74%, respectively. Well at least something good came out of today... Hopefully the TV social tonight will brighten my outlook a little. Tex out.

Damage Control

2008-03-10T17:43:00.001-07:00

The year is 2062. China has grown to stand equal to America in terms of military power and the two nations hold an uneasy peace with one another. America’s military resources and political presence have become diminished by their ongoing entrenchment in a war on terror. The Middle East is scorched from US nuclear weapons and global warming has forced some coastal regions to be evacuated due to storms and flooding and inland shantytowns are commonplace across the globe.

Bill Sadler is a young, handsome man in his mid 20s. He lives in Dyess, Arkansas, and lives what is, in these times, a pretty good life as a young farmer. He meets a girl and they fall in love. As war breaks out between the US and Asia, Bill gets drafted, trained and shipped out. As he leaves, he tells her he loves her.

Twelve bloody years of battle later, snippets of which are revealed via flashback throughout the miniseries, Bill finally returns home, to find his homestead in ruins and his fiancé gone. He finds letters, written and stamped, addressed only to ‘William Sadler, Private 1^st Class #482-7943’. The last letter is dated seven-months previously, and is unfinished, un-enveloped and on the ink-stained desk next to a dried-out fountain pen and an upturned chair stained with long-dried blood. Bill is clearly upset and cries for the first time in over a decade.

As he searches the world for his lover, flashbacks to the war reveal an unsanctioned black ops mission two years prior. Two squad members are killed and one captured in a raid on a biological testing centre in Korea. The facility was trying to create enhanced warfighters from genetically modified embryos and DNA from the most successful soldiers, along with mind-control implants for instant satellite communication and, if necessary, remote termination. Bill and another, Marcus Kane were the only two survivors from the raid.

Although Kane is now dead, Bill learns his wife has also disappeared. He tracks down the genetic researchers and rescues his fiancé. They make it as far as his waiting car when her eyes go dead and she falls, limp, to the floor.

Five years later, to the narrated recitation of the poem, Bill is revealed, heavily scarred, sitting in a darkened corner of a dingy bar, with a half-empty whiskey bottle on the table in front of him, a nobody, a ghost of a man haunted by love lost.

*********************************************************************************

This 3-part HBO Sci-Fi miniseries outline, entitled Damage Control, is the result of an heteroglossic, analogical adaptation of William Blake's poem Never Seek To Tell Thy Love. The poem is concerned with a man's regret at lost love and his insistence that one shouldn't express one's love, as it only leads to pain and loss.

How merry.

The adaptation above is based on the poem, adapting its themes and issues raised, more than a direct visual representation of the images conjured by the poem yet, in a way, it fulfills this also. The emphasis, however, is on the effect of lost love on the main character, and the way in which he regrets admitting his love. The final sequence in the bar is full of regret and serves as a warning to others; 'do not tell of your love, for it will only bring pain'.

2nd Placement!

2008-03-02T23:05:00.000-08:00

I've just had an interview at White Lantern Film, and secured a 5 week placement there too! I'll just have to check with my tutors to make sure it's all OK, as I'm currently scheduled to start on the 19th of May, which is before the end of term...The office seems relaxed and friendly, if a little cluttered, and I'm looking forward to starting work there.

(William) Blake's Seven

2008-02-29T03:24:00.000-08:00

William Blake’s poem ‘Never Seek to Tell Thy Love’ speaks of the melancholy experience of one man’s love for a woman who slips from his grasp. It speaks of a traveller taking her ‘with a sigh’. The key issue seems to be a necessary reluctance to ‘tell’ of one’s love, for fear of notifying the lover, or explaining this love and the effects and ramifications of so doing, based on the narrator’s experience of love lost. I interpreted the poem as a warning of sorts, a cautionary tale of love and loss, with sinister, potentially supernatural undertones. When he tells his lover of his feelings, she is fearful and he loses her. Love is like the wind, silent, invisible, a natural feeling that need not, nay, should not be explained. It is perhaps an unrequited love he is professing, or she may be simply a typical woman, making a big deal of the fact he said the l-o-v-e word, and running away because she’s relationship-phobic or whatnot. In the case of the latter, what then became of the pair? She has left, following his admission of love. Does he pursue her? Does she return of her own accord? Does she stay gone, and he become an emotional wreck drinking himself to an early grave? Or perhaps she realises she loves him but has by now fallen-foul of a ghost-like ‘traveller’ from whom she needs rescue? Only time, and a three-part sci-fi adaptation by a second-year TV student, will tell…

First placement!

2008-02-20T23:02:00.000-08:00

Well that was quicker than I expected! I have, via email communication alone, secured my first confirmed placement. The last two weeks of July will be spent as a runner in London, working for Leopard Films. Now just to sort the other 4 weeks...

Taking the plunge...

2008-02-11T22:57:00.000-08:00

Well, here I go! I've started bombarding the British media industry with work placement applications... A nicely-worded email and attached CV (following some useful input from Emma Shaw!) is now winging it's electronic way to 20-or-so film and TV production companies, broadcasters and equipment houses. Now I've just got to sit back and wait for my phone to ring, hot with offers... I expect it will be a while...

To censor or not to censor?...

2008-01-16T00:57:00.000-08:00

As the final part of the Online Element of the Censorship and Regulation unit, I’ve been tasked with reacting to the following images (there are a fair few) as Media Watch UK (or MWUK) would react to them… So here goes:-

IMAGE 1

Media Watch UK have an eye for blasphemous libel… Whilst Monty Python’s Life Of Brian escaped legal action from MWUK, this book categorically denies the existence of a supernatural creator, which MWUK finds offensive and blasphemous. Blasphemy law states that “At common law it is an indictable offence punishable by fine or imprisonment to speak or otherwise publish any matter blaspheming God by vilifying or bringing into disbelief or contempt or ridicule Christianity in general or any doctrine of the Christian religion.” We are lighting our burning torches, and mounting a charge on Mr Dawkin’s private residence in the early hours of the morning. With our legal advisors, obviously.

IMAGE 2

MWUK has little issue with this image. It is scientifically presented and educational in nature.

IMAGE 3

This image was banned after numerous complaints in December 2000. MWUK has strong views on pre-watershed nudity and, as such, this advert has no place on street billboards or anywhere young and precious children might be corrupted or offended by it.

IMAGE 4

MWUK have in previous years condemned Michael Grade at Channel 4 for broadcasting Goodfellas at 10pm, when 2 million starving people were being subjected to horrible atrocities in Rwanda, claiming such a violent and obscene film desensitised the audience to the real-world atrocities. Images such as this, which heighten the audience’s awareness of real people’s plight around the world are thus supported by MWUK, although the image may cause offence. The image, in the correct context, is intended to inform the audience, and should not be banned, but perhaps come with a warning about the disturbing nature of the image, to protect the young ‘uns.

IMAGE 5

MWUK see no place for pornography in today’s society. Ban it! No, we know WE can’t, but we can make a petition… I’ve got some PVA glue and some glitter, how can the MPs ignore that?

IMAGE 6

Oh good heavens… It’s sexually explicit, but it’s educational! Oh we’re all of a dither… This image is acceptable given the context, albeit a little explicit for our tastes… couldn’t they just be holding hands on a park bench? This image certainly shouldn’t be available to young people. We wouldn’t want teenagers getting the ‘safe sex’ message after all.

IMAGE 7

We at MWUK have problems with mock violence on TV, let alone the real-life execution of Mr Hussein. The content on YouTube should be regulated somehow. I feel another petition coming on...

IMAGE 8

Given the context of this image being featured in an art gallery or exhibition, MWUK feels that it is sufficiently restricted from the public domain, and in an environment in which morally shocking images are to be expected these days.

IMAGE 9

This is shit. I’m sorry, we meant sh*t. Apologies to those offended. It’s in an art gallery with, frankly, a whole bunch of other sh*t we don’t give two hoots about (see above) unless it were to enter the public domain. In which case, we’d probably sh*t ourselves.

IMAGE 10

This is unacceptable in the eyes of MWUK. Imogen i-used-to-be-on-Big-Brother-and- must-therefore-count-as-a -celebrity-and-thus-have-a- sex-tape-in-my-closet Thomas is not worthy broadcast material. It should be banned, as with all non-educational sexually explicit content. Dirty girl.

IMAGE 11

Ooh! Violent videogame, our specialty! Ban it, BAN IT NOW! Mr MP, we’ve already got a petition for this one!

IMAGE 12

Oh we complained. A lot, the broadcast of JSTO was a misguided attempt at giving the licence-payers what they wanted. The BBC failed in our opinion, instead alienating a large portion of their viewing audience.

Cynical, moi? Never...

From pinata, to fenugreek, to the top ten TV shows...

2008-01-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

Right, well I made Sophie do it, so it’s only fair…

Again, I’m gonna slightly alter the original source blog topic of ‘the top ten best-written TV shows of all time and why they were/are still popular and what made them great’… The question is how to subvert the topic to my own ends? Do I pursue a list of my top ten favourite shows? Do I go genre-specific a la Ms Johnson? Or do I throw caution to the wind and abandon all hope of winning the wrestle with my conscience that such a dilemma would entail, and just plump for the random, ever-so-slightly cult-oriented option?

Yeah, you know it…
Right, I’m not convinced they’re in necessarily the right order, and lord knows there are plenty of shows that should be up there too, but hey-ho, it’s a blog, I’m not gonna cry.

10. House, M.D.
House is fantastic. The writing is sharp and witty, and the title character, Dr Gregory House, is portrayed exceptionally beautifully by Hugh Laurie. As a disaffected, drug-addicted doctor who specialises in solving peculiar medical cases in the most unorthodox of manners, House is a man fighting the system for which he works. Obviously, therefore, audiences love him. Having alienated his regular staff, causing two to quit, and firing another at the end of the third season, the fourth sees him auditioning new recruits. What other show plumps for a cast overhaul after a highly successful 3 season run? Like the character, the show is one in a million. Well, a lot at least.

9. The Day Today/Brass Eye
Look, I’m cheating and combining two shows! Shock, horror! Deal with it. Chris Morris is a comedic god amongst men and women who, in recent years, are less funny than a bomb at a funeral. Titty Titty Bang Bang? F*ck off. The sheer absurdity of these classic shows, coupled with the authoritative delivery make them so hilariously quotable, you could still be rolling on the floor WEEKS after. “He’s got football pie all over his shirt!"

8. Father Ted
This was a toughie, the spot almost went to Only Fools And Horses, but if I’m honest, Ted’s just funnier. The characters were classic anti-stereotyped priests, perfectly stereotyped Irish, and perfectly ridiculous situations they continually found themselves in. Again, infinitely quotable, the marque of a great comedy show.

7. Nip/Tuck
When I was making this list, I basically decided the main criteria were that the shows had to be sufficiently original and stand out from the crowd, and that I had to be genuinely excited at the thought of watching it. Unfortunately, I didn’t deem Supernatural (one of my favourite shows) to suit the former condition well enough. Nip/Tuck is a drama about plastic surgeons. And by god, is it gripping and darkly entertaining. I had my reservations (plastic surgery, you say?) but from the first episode, they had me hooked, and by the end of the third season, my head was spinning…

6. I’m Alan Partridge
Oh. This is higher than Chris Morris. Put away those burning torches. Alan Partridge was one of the best characters in TDT, and this show has so many great episodes and so many more great quotes. Partridge is a complete twat, and we all love it. His penchant for doing or saying the most awkward or embarrassing thing at the most inopportune moment, whilst remaining blissfully unaware and merely digging himself deeper has yet to be surpassed. Now, smell my cheese, you mother!

5. Twin Peaks
Practically invented the season arc in television. Not only was it creepily shot, and cryptically written (what do you expect from David Lynch? Anyone who fully understood Inland Empire, I take my hat off to you), but the setting and the characters just… worked. Agent Dale Cooper quickly became the coolest character ever to any adolescent male watching. He’s an FBI agent who eats pie all the time and throws rocks to gauge his instincts… What’s not to like? Plus, it was weird. I mean it was *WEIRD*. But in a kind of accessible ‘oh I *will* eventually understand (more or less) the significance of the red room if I watch the whole show’.

4. Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Angel
Whoops. I combined again. Buffy was witty, tightly written, pop-culture savvy, and able to span the genres. It was a horror, a teen drama, a comedy and even a musical at times… And Joss Whedon pushed so many boundaries. An episode almost completely devoid of spoken dialogue, a full-on musical episode, extended one-take steadicam shots, main characters becoming gay, then turning evil, trying to destroy the world and finding redemption through the friendship of Nicholas Brendon. Angel broadened the Buffyverse, and kept up the sharp writing tradition of its parent show.

3. Battlestar Galactica (Ronald D. Moore)
No, it’s not the original. Yes it is better. No, I won’t apologise. The urgency and sheer desperation in the 2003 miniseries is convincing enough for the audience to truly empathise with the characters, and believe that, yes, this really is the rout of civilisation, the massacre of mankind. And that drama, that tension, the PACE, just keeps going right through the series. It feels like you’re watching it in real-time, and it is bloody good. The characters are flawed and thus more human, and the show breaks several conventions, having alcoholic Colonel Tigh in his position of power, and having Starbuck (a woman, believe it or not, you original diehards) and Apollo punch each other randomly every now and again. But it is always necessary to the plot, and we always care about the characters.

2. SPACED
Simon Pegg. I need say no more, but I will anyway. This show is so wonderfully geeky, it feels like an adolescent indulgement just to watch it. Like the Mastermind of pop-culture, this show was not only witty and fast paced, it was so tightly written you couldn’t slide a penny between its cheeks. The characters were larger than life and the situations were slants on the norm, and it was perfect. Watch it if you haven’t already, and if you have, I know you’re already reaching for the DVD…

1. Firefly
A western. In space. With Nathan Fillion heading up a fantastic, if little-known, cast. Joss Whedon’s finest televisual work, snuffed out by those short-sighted, pessimistic bastards at the Fox network. I can’t describe my feelings for this show in words. Not so it’ll make much in the way of sense, anyway… Suffice to say, the writing, filming, editing, acting, scoring and setting of this show is nigh perfect. Not to mention pioneering effects such as the focus-pull and crash-zoom on special effects shots, paving the way for BSG (see 3, above). Don’t rent it, buy it. Now. Why are you still sitting there?

*13 episodes and a movie called Serenity later*

Now wasn’t that addictively fucking awesome??

So here endeth the list. It’s been emotional. And it’s certainly been long. Three hours long, in point of fact.

So, debate away… (just bear in mind, if you disagree, I’ll nod and smile, but I’ll know I’m right)

"A ship will bring you work, a gun will help you keep it. A Captain’s goal is simple, find a crew, find a job… keep flying"

Media Watch UK

2007-12-18T04:49:00.000-08:00

Are you worried that your children are going to turn into violent sociopaths with a lust for violence? Or perhaps you're afraid they'll never make it to see their fifteenth birthday, because our Media content in this day and age is too loosely regulated for the free-thinking public? If so, you can join like-minded killjoys and paranoid scaremongers over at Media Watch UK (www.mediawatchuk.org), an organisation built upon the great British tradition of complaining, demonising the Media, in the interest of a public that just doesn’t seem to give a damn anymore... So much for the stiff upper lip.

Violence and swearing on TV seems to be their main concern at the moment, although sex on TV and violence in videogames are also high on their moral hit-list. Intent on trying to mobilise an apathetic public (maybe they just don’t care that much anymore, folks?!), they are responsible for running campaigns, and trying to petition MPs on banning and regulating the media that they deem harmful. Great. More watered-down crap on TV, good work guys. If reruns of Songs Of Praise start to replace Waking The Dead of an evening, you’ll know who to thank.

Media Watch UK accuse programmes such as Big Brother, Wife Swap, Pornography: The Musical (which wasn’t offensive, per se, it was just crap) and Sex With Strangers (all broadcast on Channel 4) of “disregard[ing] standards”. Additionally, they have a big problem with Channel 5’s license, which includes an ‘erotic programme’ clause for weekend broadcasts. This prompted a retrospective investigation, wherein they “analysed 146 films shown in 2003 and identified 2,234 uses of the f-word and 1,622 uses of the s-word.” And what might they be, exactly?... “foreplay” and “shag”? Grow up, we’re all adults here, and after all, even if we weren’t, kids these days have learnt to swear. Mainly from the media, I’m sure. It certainly couldn’t be from their parents or ANYWHERE else.

Honest.

Society is in tatters thanks to lax censorship in the new millenium. Just look at Pete Docherty and Amy Winehouse, clearly they have been adversely influenced by the media and are spreading that effect by being 'bad role models'. They didn't invent the rock and roll lifestyle, which, if anything is LESS acceptable in todays society... Keith Richards and co were just quirky anomalies back in the day, after all...

Darker days are drawing near...

2007-11-18T06:49:00.000-08:00

It's a cold and wet day in Bournemouth, days are getting shorter, nights are getting longer and heating is getting turned on sparingly...

Life down here is pretty good right now, the second year is definately where it's at...

I've got an Authorship essay due in a week, a course social on Thursday, work on Friday til 6 then a camping trip with the boys back home til sunday, ahead of a TV studio drama shoot at 9 am on the monday. But besides that it's just a bunch of free time...

The new HD TV Studio is dazzlingly superb, full of loads of flash equipment that would make HBO jealous. Needless to say, we can't wait to start shooting in there...

Year Two begins...

2007-09-23T05:50:00.000-07:00

I'm back at uni, living in an awesome house in Winton. The last three weeks have essentially been a heady mix of beach, nights out and chilling out in front of Fred's 37" HD TV... Folks are steadily filtering back from the summer, and it's nice to see some familiar faces when you're out and about these days.

My finances are suffering somewhat though, not least thanks to an emergency ambulance run for Karin who couldn't breathe today. I got clamped outside Londis for no logical reason and had to pay £125 release fee. Myself. With no reimbursement from the patient. So I might just not bother next time... It's not like it would have been at home, I know that much!

Speaking of which, summer was pretty cool, great to get back and see all my mates again. Y'know, all those mates who would thoroughly appreciate any part I played in saving their lives... Oh well, ce la vie.

Anyway, I'm back in Dylan's and looking forward to Year 2! Roll on the snakebites...

The end of the Rainbow...

2007-08-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

Well, as I write this, I'm sitting watching A Cock and Bull Story with Gilad, Sica n Fred in Gilad's idyllic Irish country house. We went out clubbing last night which was great fun, and today has been spent mainly chilling at Gilad's, playing some poker, football and cricket, and watching Middletown which is also quality. Also started reading Patrick McCabe's Call meThe Breeze this morning, which is pretty cool. I also seem to have developed a mediocre Nor'n Ire'n accent, which seems to come out subconciously, and probably seems highly stupid, from Gilad's pov especially! Tomorrow, I think we're off to Belfast, but beyond that, it's all a bit up-in-the-air...

End of Haying, off to Ireland soon!

2007-08-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

Haying for this season is finished! 9,360 bales all told, all in and stacked as of last Saturday...

I also went to retrieve the car and caravan from Maldon for the circus, and ended-up getting duped into pull-down. Anyway, I'm looking forward to going to see Gilad in Ireland in a couple of days time with Sica n Frederick.

George's 20th in the caravan in West Wittering was also fun last week, featuring toasts and speaches from Marv, myself and, of course, the man-of-the-moment, George. We played some games, watched some TV and ate a f*ckload, thanks to Marv's somewhat over-zealous culinary exploits...

Marv's 21st was also a laugh, although all the pubs in Billy were shut due to some Gypsy funeral, and the place being somewhat inundated with them, the police told everywhere to close for the night... (although there was a quite appealling theory that they were actually closed because they knew it was Marv's birthday, following the exploits of his 18th in the Bells!) We ended up going to Bar Vin in Horsham, wherein liquer was quaffed and quizzes were lost! :D

Bombay Saphirre is awful, by the way.

Oh, how I've missed Summer at home!

2007-08-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

Well, them thar 3 fields are in now (Cottage Meadow -1000, East Park -966 and Hunt's Meadow -743) and Moat Field is now cut... Needless to say, having finished Hunt's Meadow about half an hour ago, we're somewhat hot and bothered!

On another note, Jack and I went shooting the other day and bagged 4 rabbits and a squirell, although my rifle was shooting some 4 inches low at 20yrds (not having been used for the best part of a year!) And having just finished playing with le ferret, I spotted a rabbit on the lawn and dashed off to tie the dog up and get my gun, but just as I got back, my mum lost it in the bushes! And the dog (of course) couldn't find him after that! She'd have more luck cathing a horse than a rat/rabbit/squirell/anything small, fury and pest-like! The ferret was under the hut the other day and chased a mouse out which practically tripped over the dog's tail and she didn't notice! Ah, well...

Managed (after 400-or-so bales) to make it to the Bells last night for Karaoke... George and I kicked off with our old classic 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia', before he and Marv did 'Gold'. I then sang 'From The Ritz To The Rubble' on my tod (which was very well received!) and then, after Marv and George's 'Can't Take My Eye's Off Of You' redition, Moss and I did 'When The Sun Goes Down' (by the Arctic Monkeys, not Kenny Chesney/Uncle Kracker) to round off our evening's performances... A good time was had by all, and even Mr Walter managed to make it to the pub, if not karaoke! :D

Right, probably an idea to have a shower now, before the crap and haydust becomes a part of my genetic code...

Make Hay while the Sun shines...

2007-07-31T01:47:00.000-07:00

Well my laptop is sorted (look, there's some wood that I'm touching!), thanks to a OS CD Repair and Tech Support Guy Forums (www.techguy.org) and a reinstallation of MS Windows Update Agent... Yay!

Cirque Normandie was fun, nice to be back for 2-and-a-half weeks, rather than the whole season! Haha! We did get slightly bogged-down in the washout that was the 2007 Netley Marsh Steam Fair, although thanks to a crazy nutter in a huge Massey, the lorries got pulled out (even if he did almost roll the bunkwagon!), and I managed to get Ed's spazwagon out under it's own steam, so to speak. Other highlights of this years tour include Ben's mission to finish a mixed grill AND a mahoosive ice-cream/brownie/malteser/sauce concoction as big as his head and Tolly's attempted popcorn suicide... He turned a nice shade of claret, then deep purple and passed out, having stuffed a handful of popcorn in his mouth... Fortunately, Dave and I were on hand to save him, and Ed was on hand to... carry on making candyfloss!!

Anyway, I'm back at Fishers Farm Park (cue shameless plug: www.fishersfarmpark.co.uk) 3 days a week, and the Sun IS now shining, so Dad's out cutting the hay... 7 fields left, 3 are now cut, one or two of which might be ready for baling/collecting this pm/eve... Oh joy. Nice to be back with the old boys again down the pub, even if Marv is getting steadily more emo... :s Won't be long before he's listening to My Chemical Romance and drinking Windolene in cemetaries with fifteen year-olds! His retort being, 'I already do! Haha!' :)

Ah, Summer is *finally* here... :D

Summertime Blues

2007-06-29T04:53:00.000-07:00

Bournemouth's hogging all the sun...

Well I'm back in the little two-star town devoid of mobile phone signal and technologically a massive blackspot. My laptop is f*cked. I don't know why, nor how to fix it. Mr Poppadum from Dell doesn't seem to know either... Grrr...

Anyway, possibly re-joining the circus for a stint in July, before heading back to Fishers 3days a week from the 25th to the 24th of August... Oh, and haying at home should be fun too (provided the rain lets up, that is...) Apparently daddykins has beaten everyone to it and got 3500 bales in already (no-one else has started in the country, I don't think!) Mr bloody Superfarmer, eh?...

Oh well, Dell support probably need an update now-ish, and I do still have to fill in my Tax Return (not my Tex Return, as James noted...) sometime today.

"Thankyou Glastonbury!!"

2007-06-26T03:20:00.000-07:00

Well folks, Glasto 2007 was absolutely UNREAL!

From wednesday night at the Stone Circle, to the 2-hour absolutely rain-drenched queue to catch a bus on monday morning, the whole experience was exceptional! And the mud is beyond what you could possibly imagine... I mean, I've seen my fair share of mud in my time, but it was unbelievable...

Anyway, on to the list of who I saw, and just how great they actually were...

Friday:-
Adjegas - We caught the end of them, and they were... interesting.
The View - Ker-wality! And we HAD had the same jeans on for 4 days now...
The Earlies - Pretty good, but I don't really remember them too well.
Gogol Bordello - Highly entertaining performance, a real crowd drawing act!
Bloc Party - C'mon guys, it's Bloc Party! Were they crap? Were they buggary!!
The Fratellis - I was dancing my socks off at the front for the whole set.
Kasabian - Wicked! Top dollar performance with their stonking tunes.
Arctic Monkeys - And they said they didn't have enough tunes to headline... pah!

Saturday:-
Seasick Steve - Quality country blues - legend! (Ben thought it was Hendrix)
The Long Blondes - Again, caught the end, pretty good too.
Biffy Clyro - Quality! 'Mon the Biffy!
CSS - 3 outfits for the lead singer, and one great show from the whole group!
Calvin Harris - He definately got all the girls! Great tunes and a nice bloke.
Paulo Nutini - Caught the end, not a fan, but the jungle book was good!
Maximo Park - Rocked our socks off! We were raving our hearts out!
The Kooks - Sorry to say, I got a bit bored and wandered off...
Barnstormer - Fred and I certainly enjoyed dancing daftly for them!
John Otway - Legend! Hilarious show for the 10 people who caught it!

Sunday:-
Corb Lund - Country. Need I say more? He sang a song about pick-ups!
The Enemy - Meh, they were alright, only caught a song or two.
Sunshine Underground - Quality set from a great act.
The Marley Brothers - Caught a song or two again, good fun!
The Rakes - Great show, lead singer was a bit of weirdo! :D
Manic Street Preachers - Awesome set, entertaining show.
Kaiser Chiefs - Wicked show, I was almost all danced-out after...
The Who - What can I say?! Flawless performance!... oh, and Roger Daltry looked me in the eyes... lol!

All in all it was one of the best extended weekends of my life (and my wristband number was 3915, near as I could make out)... Also, the food was great! We tried, amongst other things, Ostrich, Kangaroo and Crocodile, some North African cuisine we couldn't pronounce, Buffalo and 'praaper good cider' (turns out it's quite hard to translate the somerset accent into typed phoenetics...) was flowing by the barrel...

Roll on next year!!

109 minutes I won't get back...

2007-06-16T03:58:00.000-07:00

Now, I don't personally have a problem admitting it when I like a 'chick flick' (Mean Girls, for example) but White Chicks is not only not a chick flick, but is in fact absolutely abysmal. No ifs, no buts, it is terrible. Yes, I would even go so far as to say it was *worse* than Catwoman. Those of you who know me will now appreciate just how bad it actually is.

Now don't get me wrong here, I approached it with a relatively open mind. Although I had my reservations, expecting it to be crap, I allowed myself to think about the possibilities of what could happen, and how it *could* be good. How I wish I hadn't bothered.

The jokes are ruined by the predictability and unoriginality, the plot is ludicrous and thoroughly unconvincing (need I give an example? Oh, OK then, how about the fact THEY DIDN'T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE THE ACTUAL GIRLS!!). Most punchlines, and even the slapstick, is so obvious that one can see it coming a mile away. It's full of cliches and things that have been done before. There was not a single moment in the film when I found myself surprised at what happened. I knew exactly where the film was heading the entire time, which obviously killed the "humour" before it had a chance to work.

Not to mention the make-up, which took a whole team of make-up artists to do in the first place, in a montage, a MONTAGE, people! (it must therefore have taken quite some time!!) could then be simply put on and off by one of them alone, in a matter of minutes. And of course all of the girls' closest friends fell for it hook, line and sinker, despite the fact they looked nothing like the girls they were supposed to be.

It is also the worst so-called 'comedic' portrayal of the FBI ever. They are portrayed as a bunch of undisciplined muppets who just screw everything up, and seem to have no training at all whatsoever. Obviously the real FBI is not like this... I'm sure they have both training and discipline.

It is a film *completely* devoid of realism, and the only snigger out of me was when the big bald black dude started raving. The Wayan brothers have sunk to a new low with this one... If it were a parody, then, yeah, it would probably have worked. Sort yourselves out boys.

PDP: 1500 words BEACH: 2 hours STOPPING LAURA GETTING INTO A FIGHT: Priceless.

2007-06-13T05:23:00.001-07:00

Well, yesterday was quite an eventful day all round... PDP done got handed in, along with my UGLY project, meaning the last remaining item on the agenda is my expenses claim form for my UGLY... once I've found it... Anyhoo, Fred, Gilad and I managed to hand ours in, and then hit the beach with James and Laura, where she played with balls whilst we came up with sketch ideas...

Having driven home, we then got an invite for dinner round Grissly's and, after a quick shower, went to purbeck for some pasta. Long story short, Gilad, Laura & co turned up and we played strip poker, which ended rather abruptly with a *very* bad all-in call... The less said about that the better. Moving swiftly on, we headed to Bliss for the night, where Blow Jobs and Quick Fucks were £2.50 a hit (yes, I *do* mean the cocktails) and we danced the night away to some quality cheese.

Eventually got home at about 4.30, having broken up a fight that Laura tried to start with some guy who was apparently a right twat and also couldn't deal with the fact that she has white friends, here in the 21st century where none of the rest of us gave it a second thought. And you wonder why there's still racism in this country... Anyway, watched some Supernatural and hit the hay around 6.30ish.

Plans for today include a free meal at the Hop & Kilderkin, courtesy of the quiz Fazza and I hosted a fortnight ago, and then who knows...

Term 3, what a wicked time!... Well, barr PDP...

2007-06-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I've *thoroughly* enjoyed term 3!

From the Summer Project (Hadrian's Wall - holla Group Gee - Grisslybear, Trigg, Laura, Sam 'n' JiP!) and almost getting arrested, to the Ugly Project (Over Exposure viewable here) and helping out with as many peoples' as I could! Not to mention of course the Summerball - yes, despite the fact I was working the bar, I did still have a great night! Plus I got paid, and I can remember it!! :D

PDP remains one of those unfathomable entities along with how they get the egg inside ham/egg loaf thingies... Anyhoo, It's practically done now, so if it's wrong, tough. I was supposed to evaluate my progress and I did. Deal.

Meat Loaf at Wembley was fantastomatic as well! He's still rocking (despite the fact we did all think he was gonna collapse during the show!) at the ripe old age of 57 or whatever he said he was these days...

Anyway, off to watch some more Supernatural now, 'cos I'm halfway through Season 2...

Over and out.

Term 2 progress

2007-04-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

Well, Term two aka 'Narratives' and 'Audiences' has gone well, and our Documentary on Rodney (The Bookshop In The Sky available here) has done very well! We got 74 for it, of which we're all well chuffed! Turns out the re-edit must have been worth the creative differences... :P

Anyways, my Audiences essay has also been well received by the Berge-meister, although he commented that I'd have more fun next year as I'd be able to write more freely... Apparently the essays this year were somewhat too narrow in terms of what they were looking for... So I can't wait! Also, pretty sure I'm gonna be doing Censorship & Regulation and Adaptation as my theory options for next year which should be fun... Dunno about my practical specialism at the moment though, I'm kinda torn between Camera and Editing... I love composing shots, but I also like the power of manipulation and making it 'real' in the edit...

Oh well, ce la vie...

New blog for a new year...

2007-02-10T17:12:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is folks, the new blog...

So it's gooodbye to the rubbish-ness of my Myspace blog, and hello to my shiny new one...

The old blog can still be accessed here.

More to follow... as always!

Keep it Mexico.