And all the whores and politicians will look up and shout 'Save us!'...

...and I'll look down, and whisper 'no.'

And thus opens Alan Moore & David Gibbon's Watchmen. It finally arrived this morning (after two weeks of waiting) and I'm loving it. Grim and brutal, highly stylised and a fascinating read so far.

It's one of four books I now have on the go. Not bad for someone who's always been a slow reader.

The majority of my reading time is going towards Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife; the sequel to the truly magnificent Northern Lights/The Golden Compass. It seems a lot more complex than Northern Lights, which makes it more diffuicult to get into, but Pullman's characters and style and the scope and quality of the story as a whole keep me hooked. I would focus more attention towards it, but it's part of a rather large omnibus edition of His Dark Materials, so it isn't exactly portable.

So, when out and about, I'm reading Terry Pratchett's Making Money; the sequel to the truly magnificent Going Postal. Let's face it, Pratchett's a safe bet. Making Money picks up right after the events of its predecessor and is so far just as funny, just as intelligent and just as all-round entertaining.

Finally, there's China Miéville's Perdido Street Station. I get the feeling I've mentioned this one before, but can't remember where and when. It's a very difficult one to describe, being a very dark, dour, often depressing and overtly intense, but ultimately fascinating fantasy. It's a heavy read, which is why I started reading The Subtle Knife in order to break it up, and if I'm honest, I probably won't be going back to it till I've at least finished Pullman's great opus. Still, it's inventive and original, with writing of a very high standard, and I know one or two of you out there would get a kick out of it.

I'm now off to do some shopping...

Old Men on the Corner (creeping-out the kids)

So, New Kids on the Block are back.

I'll just leave you to digest that for a moment...

...

Done?

Hollywood's current love of the reboot is understandable, given the success of the franchises that have done it, but the pop world has so far failed to repeat that success. Okay, so Take That managed a sell-out tour and chart-topping album of new stuff (which was shit), but everyone else who's tried recently has bombed. The Spice Girls, All Saints, Boyzone and the Backstreet Boys all returned to the scene with a minor blip of excitement from their now far post-pubescent fans, before quietly sinking back into the pit they'd dragged themselves from.

I get that has-beens must hanker after recapturing the old magic, and it isn't a huge surprise that four of the five would be keen on the idea of reforming, having done sweet fanny-adams in the past two decades. What baffles me is the return of Donnie Whalberg.

Shortly after splitting from the rest of the 'Kids', Whalberg became an actor with starring roles in a couple of films and a few successful series (including a fantastic turn in Band of Brothers). Whatever possessed him to agree to this god-awful heap of dog excrement…



…is beyond me.

I’ve little doubt that, on the evidence of the above, this will be another short-lived stumble back into the limelight before the world can return to being the happier place it was when they first split, but we must now live under the umbrella of fear that Donnie’s brother Marky-Mark might start reminiscing about the good ol’ days with the Funky Bunch.

Saints preserve us!

The Night is Darkest Before the Dawn

And it seems, when that dawn is 30 days away, the night is very dark!

Yes, another day, another comic-book adaptation; this time, 30 Days of Night. Josh Hartnet (who I've, till now, hated in everything he's been in except Black Hawk Down) is the sheriff of a sleepy little town in the far, frozen north that goes 30 days without sunshine. One dusk, a bunch of particularly vicious vampires roll into town and make a particularly big mess of the locals.

Continuing with Hollywood's new-found love of holding no barrs, the story-telling is kept very minimalist in favour of showing the gruesome vamps doing gruesome stuff and looking decidedly gruesome (black eyes, pale skin, long, sharp nails and a full set of very sharp teeth, covered in blood both fresh and stale throughout).

If anything, the story-telling is a little too minimalist. For example, we're never told how a nine year-old girl manages to survive almost a month in a frozen town all on her lonesome, with nothing but hungry monsters for company. Though I appreciate the idea of cutting through the crap and getting straight to fun stuff, the side-effect is certain scenes coming across as random and/or silly.

In fact, the plot movement is incredibly jumpy, with the first 20 or 30 minutes setting things up over the course of a single day, before jumping to a week into the ordeal then, without warning, 29 days.

It's also a shame the vampires aren't developed further. For all their brutality, the head of the pack is a fan of making speeches (in some undisclosed language) and everything he says and does seems to hint at some deeper story that is never told.

On the other hand, the story-telling mechanic does prevent a lot of the usual horror-movie clichés (or, at least, sweeps them aside before they wrench your gut too much) and it also helps keep the pace up, despite the number of quieter scenes, in place to crank up the tension.

All-in-all, despite its patchiness, it’s a lot of fun, with some great effects and set-pieces and masses of gore, as well as solid performances from the leads (Hartnet and the head vamp in particular).

What's Not to Love?

Robert Rodriguez directing Rose McGowan in a chain-mail bikini, swinging a sword. Yes please...

Warning: This Review Contains Gushing

How to sum up The Dark Knight...

I'll start with the negatives. Christian Bale's growling is a bit odd and Heath Ledger's performance makes the tragedy of his death all the more sour, as we'll never get to see it again.

I'm now out of negatives.

My heart pounded, my breath caught in my throat and at one point I even jumped! I never jump, which just goes to highlight the intensity of the film.

And it is intense. There's been a trend in Hollywood over the past year for film-makers to avoid pulling-punches, and Goyer and the Nolans (that’s Jonathan and Christopher, not the 70’s girl-group) are no exception.

Another Hollywood trend in recent years, when it comes to the big franchises, has been to make a hugely successful, entertaining and innovative first film, and then go nuts with the sequel, cramming as much in as possible and ending up with something convoluted and silly. With a new suit, new vehicle, new technology, two new major villains, a ton of grand set-pieces and even some globe-trotting, it would have been easy for The Dark Knight to go the same way, but the whole thing is put together masterfully.

In fact, the writing is some of the best I’ve seen in a very long time. There are plot and character developments handled better in these two and a half hours than I’ve seen in an entire franchise. Not a single character is wasted and the innovation surrounding The Joker’s motivations in particular is inspiring.

The cast, too, are all on top form. Of course, Bale doesn’t seem to have any level other than top form and the rest of the returning cast all have their roles expanded and are all more than up to the task. Indeed, it’s a good thing Katie Holmes bowed out of playing Rachel Dawes again, because there is no way she’d have been up for the type of performance required. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Rachel was slyer, wittier, more intelligent, more intense and more passionate than Holmes could’ve managed.

As for the other newbies; I was very impressed with Aaron Eckhart. To date, the only thing I can remember seeing him in is The Core, in which he played the standard disaster movie hero, but he very much shows his acting chops as Harvey Dent who, on the surface, comes across as little more than an incorruptible do-gooder, but has layers to his personality ***POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT***even before the inevitable tragedy of his tranformation***POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT OVER***

But, let’s face it, it’s Heath Ledger who steals the show. It’s an understatement to say I was sceptical when I heard he’d been cast as The Joker. I knew him as the Antipodean, blond pretty-boy from Casanova and A Knight’s Tale. The Joker? And a Joker in a darker, grittier Batman universe? Are you mad?!

The perfect blend of twisted, crazy, savage and nutty. In the blink of an eye he can go from hilarious to horrific to unerringly calm and coherent. His physical, vocal and emotional performances perfectly tailored to the character.

Mad?

No.

Inspired.

It’s said that rumours of a posthumous Oscar nomination were a little hasty, but I struggle to see how anyone can possibly top that performance.

The bottom line is, believe the hype. This is the best ever Batman film, one of the best Batman stories ever told, the best film of the year so far and probably one of my favourite films of all time.

Pass? Pfft!

I got the official results for my college course today. Gloucestershire required passes (40%) across the board to get onto the Creative Writing course:

Psychology - Merit (57%)
English Literature - Credit (67%)
English Language - Distinction (71%)

The latter two I already knew (at least, I knew them as preliminary results), but I wasn't so sure about Psychology. I was pretty sure I'd passed, and thought just maybe I might've edged a Merit, so it's good to see I actually got a very comfortable Merit. I've no idea how; I only completed half of the exam...

This afternoon I'm celebrating by going to see The Dark Knight, then possibly taking myself out for a drink.

Doctor Horrible

Over at Vox, Sarai made a post about a new Joss Whedon project that she'd never heard of.

Neither had I.

Went to the link: http://www.drhorrible.com/

Loved every minute :D

I then read the letter written by Whedon about the poject and a particular detail caught my eye:

ONE WEEK ONLY! AN INTERNET MINISERIES EVENT!

"Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog" will be streamed, LIVE (that part’s not true), FREE (sadly, that part is) right on Drhorrible.com, in mid-July. Specifically:

ACT ONE (Wheee!) will go up Tuesday July 15th.

ACT TWO (OMG!) will go up Thursday July 17th.

ACT THREE (Denouement!) will go up Saturday July 19th.

All acts will stay up until midnight Sunday July 20th. Then they will vanish into the night, like a phantom (but not THE Phantom – that’s still playing. Like, everywhere.)

That's right, people, the clock is ticking, so take 45 minutes out of your day and go watch the genius that is this: http://www.drhorrible.com/

This sentence is extraneous and I'm really disappointed in you for reading it when you should have already clicked the link and be enjoyng the show. GO!!

Packing Up

And, yet again, our beloved efx returns!

I know there'll be people uming and ahing over whether or not they'll be going back - some of gotten comfortable where they are; others of lost faith in the old place - but I shall be among the returnees. Blogger and Vox might have the odd few advantages over each other, but I missed the Control Panel.

That's not to say I won't be keeping this place up and running. Given efx's tentative nature, it's always good to have a back-up...

Feed Me

As highlightied by Twisty in a conversation yesterday, the one issue I have with blogger is the Blog List. Nice idea as it is, it's annoying that you only get the latest post, which, if you subscribe to anyone who has a spell of making several in a few hours (as I did the other day), you can miss alot.

And so, I've scrapped the bog list in favour of the RSS feeds for each of the blogs I read. It isn't as neat and tidy as the Blog List, but at least I can keep better track of people :)

Incidentally, if any of you did miss the Watchmen trailer posted below, I suggest you give it a look. I'm rather excited...*buzz*

Also...

Just had to do a search for the song in the aforementioned trailer. I knew it was Smashing Pumpkins (what kind of music lover would I be if I couldn't recognise that voice) and I knew I'd heard the track before, but I couldn't quite place it. Oddly enough, it turns out it was from the soundtrack of another comic-book movie, though I use the term loosly *ahem*Batman & Robin*ahem*

As set to yet another fantastic Advent Children vid, this is The Beginning is the End is the Beginning:

***EDIT***

***EDIT 2***

Decided I also wanted to add the prequel to the above track, The End is the Beginning is the End, as it is also genius (and proof that, with the right music and careful selection of clips, any film can be made to look appealing):

Oh, and I've now purchased said book :D

Time to Shop for a Certain Book

Princely

Proof yet again that if you want something to appear more stirring, just add in a touch of Sigur Rós:

Could the Miracle Have Finally Happened?

Could McG have possibly made a good film?



Impossible to tell from this trailer, but at least it's got Christian Bale in it (not to mention Helena Bonham Carter - mmmmmmmmm).

Seeing as it's Wednesday

This seemed apt.:

Coming to 360

*does a little dance*

How It Should Be Done

I'm a writer. Complete absence of success aside, I've reached that point in my 'career' where I feel comfortable saying that. As a writer, I am, of course, interested in the work - and more specifically, the technique - of others.

BBC2 is showing Pulp Fiction tonight. I wasn't in the mood to watch the whole thing, but having watched the introduction, and the beautifully scripted and played conversation between Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer, I had a hankering to watch 'The Bonny Situation', which, for those who don't remember, is the latter section of the film after the main story arch has played out.

During the two-way between Vincent and Jules as they're cleaning the car, I realised that Quentin Tarantino possesses a talent few writers do: That is the ability to shape his dialogue to specifically fit a certain character.

It's something every writer strives for, but it's a very difficult thing to do. When reading a script or a novel, it's easy to distinguish who's saying what as a reader because we're told, but if all you have is the dialogue, it takes a very talented writer to allow you to make that distinction. None of the dialogue in Pulp Fiction could be transposed from one character to another because every line is sculpted to that specific character.

And that is why I hate Quentin Tarantino; the smug, overly talented, genius-like git...

*ahem*

(bitter? me? pfft)

Oh, and possibly my favourite line in a film, ever (albeit better in context): Vincent - "Jules, you give that fucking nimrod fifteen-hundred dollars and I'll shoot him on general principle."

In Homage to the Grindhouse?

Comfy

Okay, it's the end of the week and I've now got this place filled with music vids, trailers, pics and ramblings. I've got a tracker set up for blogs both here and on another server. I've got my shoutbox. I've got the old MCR banner I made for an earlier efx2 itteration and even the related video to said banner embedded in my sidebar.

It's still lacking that...lived in feeling, but I'm sure that will come with time.

Now I just need this place to suffer a major slow-down every Saturday night and crash a couple of times and it will really feel like home!

*puts feet up*

Bring the Payne

Yes, I know; terrible pun. I couldn't help myself and can only apologise.

Anyhoo, if this was done right, it could be brilliant. From the looks of this, however, they seem to have missed the mark. All the same, it's got to be worth a look:

More of Mirror's Edge

A few months ago I watched this:



*drool*

Suffice it is to say I liked what I saw.

After a long wait, we finally have more!



It's unfortunate that it doesn't show more of the gameplay, but at least we get a deeper look of what the game is about.

This is slated to arrive towards the end of this year, though pundits are suggesting we might have to wait longer. Me hopes not!

*EDIT*

Sweet holy shizzle!! I've just read who's going to be overseeing the writing on this game: Only Rhianna freakin' Pratchett!

That's right, kids; the offspring of The Great One himself!

Yet Another Remake

In recent years reboots and remakes have become de rigeur in Hollywood. Given the fact that the trend has spawned the likes of Batman Begins and Casino Royale, that's not necessarily a bad thing, though I recently read another that's currently being contemplated is Robocop. I'd be less enthusiastic about that seeing as the idea was never intended as a series in the first place. A better move would be to erase all memory of everything that followed Robocop 2 and be grateful for a great film and its decent sequel, both of which have aged pretty well.

Another project in the pipeline is Highlander. Although I know a lot of people who would balk at the suggestion that the original was crap, I'm pretty sure none of them have watched it recently. The performances were good, the script was decent and the soundtrack was magnificent (Queen, people!), but the action was truly woeful. I've seen more competent sword fights in an episode of Power Rangers. Plus, as with Robocop, the sequels and series were all rubbish.

It also seems a good idea in the remake trend to go old school. And I mean ooold...

A lot's changed in the last 57 years. Whether or not it's for the better, we'll have to wait and see, but I'm intrigued enough by this.

A Weekend in Lon(don)

While I'm at it (and my memory card's playing ball) I thought I'd also post some pics of a day I had in London a few months back. I'd love to include labels with these, but I was clicking quite randomly as I was walking around, so I'm not entirely sure what all of them are, but I'll do my best...

A couple of views across the Thames

Nelson's Column

My office :)

A Weekend in Brum

Now with pictures (seeing as my memory card decided to have a fit when I tried to post this on efx)!

Two Fridays ago I went to Birmingham to visit an old friend. I only ever get to see my friends on all-too-rare occasions, so it was, as ever, a big deal for me. We spent the evening having a quiet drink, catching up and playing some pool. No better way to spend an evening :)

Saturday we went into the centre of Birmingham. Other than a brief visit to the Bull Ring (the city’s big shopping complex) on a previous visit, I’d never seen Birmingham. It has a reputation for being a little rundown and somewhat backward, but the only evidence of this I saw was some dip-shit having a rant at a group of Amnesty International people protesting against China’s civil rights violations. I couldn’t hear exactly what his problem was, but the fact that he was so enraged by their humble little protest for what is, to me (and I suspect many others), a very noble cause can only lead me to the conclusion that he was a fucking idiot.

Sole douche aside, the central part of the city was surprisingly beautiful; spacious and clean , with tree-lined streets, new buildings and a grand town-hall in the heart of it...

...sporting a large, elegant fountain where people could meet and chat and enjoy their take-out. The fact that it was a sunny day would usually mar things for me, but it wasn’t too hot and it helped make the place look all the more pleasant.

In the afternoon we went to the cinema to see The Incredible Hulk. Now, unlike many, I was a big fan of Ang Lee’s Hulk. A lot of people found it plot-heavy and weren’t convinced by his elegant approach to the story telling, but I enjoyed the contrast between Lee’s style of direction and the brutality of the character, which I thought was well represented in the action sequences. Hulk’s flight from the military was particularly impressive. Yes, it was silly in places and yes, the climactic fight was just plain stupid, but overall it was enjoyable.

With The Incredible Hulk, things don’t start well, with an attempt to retell the back-story in the space of the opening credits. Because the characters are being approached differently and are played by different actors, there needed to be some kind of build up where we got to know a little about them and could actually feel something for them in the course of the movie. Because this doesn’t happen, all of the stuff between the action is very thin. Edward Norton is given nothing to do, there is zero chemistry between him and Liv Tyler, and William Hurt’s portrayal of General Ross isn’t a patch on Sam Elliot’s. The only actor to really shine in the film is Tim Roth, though he’s not very convincing as a hard-bitten marine; not because of his performance, but because of his physique. He just looks…odd.

Of course, given everything that was said by producers in pre-production, I knew everything between the action was going to be an after-thought, even with the high-calibre cast. The action itself was spectacular. The Hulk looks better than ever, if still a little cartoony (but then, what can you expect when watching a CGI green giant). There’s an attention to detail that was previously lacking that brings the Hulk to life; at least, as close to it as has ever been.
Hulk’s nemesis, however, is another story. If anything, Abomination was over designed, with random protrudences and weird skeletal details that make the thing look less realistic the more you look at it. That said, the climactic fight between the two is one of the great action set-pieces to so far come out of Marvel Studios.

After the film, we discussed its pros and cons over a quick drink, then sought food. Rinita took me to burger place on the canal. I’ve never paid £7 for a cheeseburger before, but then I’ve never eaten a cheeseburger that was worth £7. YUM!

We then hit the bars. I’m not big on cocktails, but the first place we went to called for the drinking of one and I actually managed to find one - The New Yorker - that appealed. Tasty it was, too.

We tried a few more places, including one that we were turned away from for being ‘too casual’ (snobs), but ended up going back to the first for a final cocktail. This time I had a Rob Roy. Not bad, but I preferred the New Yorker.

Sunday, we went to see Wanted. Although this also a comic-book film, it couldn’t be further removed from The Incredible Hulk. For one thing, the basic set-up - average Joe Nobody lives a dull and pointless existence until the day he finds out his father was some great hero - is the only thing taken from the comic. In the comic version (as I understand it), a bunch of super-villains have all-but wiped out a bunch of super-heroes and are taking over the world, and only this nobody, who is actually the son of one of these heroes, can save the day (N.B. I found out from birdy (anyone know where he is, by the way) after making this post originally that the main character actually hooks up with the villains). In the film, the band of super-heroes is replaced with a band of super-assassins, one of whom has gone rogue as bumping off his former comrades. Step up James McAvoy as the aforementioned nobody, who must learn the tricks of the trade and avenge his father, killed by the rogue. Cue a series of impressive, over-the-top gunfights and set-pieces that would have been laughably silly if they hadn’t been pulled off so well. There’s also enough character development and plot twists to add depth to what could’ve easily been an impressive, but shallow frag-fest.

A word of warning, however: The blood and gore is equally over-the-top. Personally I found much of it hilarious (an original take on the human shield I found particularly giggle-worthy), but Rinita had to cover her eyes once or twice, so it is not for the faint of heart. That said, she still enjoyed it so, if you can stomach it, give it a shot.

We finished the weekend with a quiet night in, watching TV over some take-out Chinese, mocking many of the selections on The Greatest Romantic Movies (whoever voted in 9½ Weeks watches too much soft porn).

The Rights of Men

A few years ago, the great Steven Moffat - writer of some of the best Doctor Who episodes of the new crop (and, indeed, of any crop) - wrote for a BBC sitcom called Coupling (which spawned an ill-advised American remake that bombed like a skud launched from a sling-shot). Although, as these series tend to do, it petered out towards the end, I remember it fondly for delivering some of the best speeches ever committed to film; more often than not delivered with utmost skill by Jack Davenport (who made his name in This Life, then Ultraviolet, but who most of you will probably remember from the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy).

The Triumph, the Tragedy and the Tears

This post is somewhat two-fold as our beloved efx2 is having trouble again.

But, to the point: Another brilliant series of Doctor Who comes to an end. And what an end! Shakespeare couldn't conjure tragedy like that lot can. I was on the verge of tears at the end.

Oddly, it wasn't until watch Doctor Who Confidential that a tear was actually shed, when they replayed the ending, only this time backed by the heart rending Hoppipolla by Sigur Rós:



Brosandi (smiling)
Hendumst í hringi (spinning in circles)
Höldumst í hendur (holding hands)
Allur heimurinn óskýr (the world is a blur)
nema þú stendur (except when you're standing)

Rennblautur (dripping wet)
Allur rennvotur (completly soaked)
Engin gúmmístígvél (no rubberboots)
Hlaupandi í okkur (running inside of us)
Vill springa út úr skel (wants to burst out of the shell)

Vindur í (wind in)
og útilykt ? af hárinu þínu (and the smell of your hair)
Ég lamdi eins fast og ég get (i hit as hard as i can)
með nefinu mínu (with my nose)
Hoppa í poll (jumping into a puddle)
Í engum stígvélum (wearing no boots)
Allur rennvotur (rennblautur) (completely soaked (dripping wet))
Í engum stígvélum (wearing no boots)


Og ég fæ blóðnasir (and i get a nosebleed)
En ég stend alltaf upp (but i'll always stand up again)


Og ég fæ blóðnasir (and i get a nosebleed)
En ég stend alltaf upp (but i'll always stand up again)

I can't wait till Christmas!

Ooh, and I just came across this rather fine cover by We Are Scientists: