Flares, Hairs & Football!

This has been making the rounds again on Astro & me would definitely recommend it to all footie fans.

The Damned United tells the tale of Brian Clough's ill-fated appointment as manager of Leeds United. Fourty four fooking days is all he lasted.

This has got to be one, if not the best, films on the beautiful game. A damn fine performance from Michael Sheen as Ole Big 'Ead & Timothy Spall as his partner in crime, Peter Taylor.

The scenes of muddy pitches & flamboyant sideburns really did bring back some fond memories of watching footie from a bygone era.

The actual footage of Liverpool's King Kev clash with Leed's Norman Hunter in the 1974 Charity Shield on its own is worth the entry fee.

Viva La Revolution!

Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

Revolutionary hero or war-mongering murderer?

If you want to have a closer look at the life of this infamous icon of armed struggle, do check out yer friendly pirated DVD emporium near you fer this 2-disc set. Running over 4-hours & directed by Steve Sodernberg (Ocean's 11, Traffic) & starring Benicio Del Toro as the enigmatic lead, this biopic is no walk in the park.

Heavy going at times, it does offer an insight into the life of a committed revolutionary. This film is based on Che's diaries & has been met with mixed responses. It has bombed spectacularly in the US but have garnered standing ovations in Latin America markets.

It has been snubbed at the Oscars, much to the dismay of Best Actor winner, Sean Penn (fer his performance in Milk), who believed it to be one the most important films of the year but Benicio did get the Best Actor gong at the infinitely cooler Cannes festival.

Me strongly urges you to check this out. Love or loathe Che's politics, ye'd still be fooking inspired by his dedication to the cause.

For a thorough analysis of the film, artistically as well as commercially, click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_(film)

Faster than a speeding . . .

Couldn't quite believe it but last nite on astro's ch412, they actually showed a fooking bona fide classic in the shape of Steve McQueen's Bullitt. Released in 1968, this film is considered to be the blueprint fer the Renegade Cop character & famed fer its fabulous car chase scene thru the undulating streets of San Francisco.

McQueen's character, Frank Bullitt, is also the forerunner to the strong, silent type hero who wore granite-like expressions throughout the film. (Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry & Charles Bronson's Paul Benjamin were some of the well-known crime busters that came in the wake of Bullitt.)

While Bullitt may not have aged well, it was quite an experience to see a film from a bygone era where cops had to rely on their wits, use a payphone & weren't experts in every martial art known to mankind. The lack of gizmos in the film was also refreshing. In fact, the most sophisticated thing in Bullitt was a giant-sized fax/copy machine that needed carbon paper!

Fer those who missed it, do keep yer eyes peeled as they may just repeat it again. The car chase scene featuring a duel between a Fastback Mustang & a Dodge Challenger is quite thrilling. Plus ye get the added bonus of seeing what the fuss was all about regarding a certain Jacqueline Bisset!

ps: In 2007, Bullitt was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

pps: Fook, me previous posting on AC/DC's Back In Black got censored. That's the third time me posting (containing download links) has been removed by Blogger. Bastards!

Cool or what?

Me posted some time ago about how much me enjoyed The Watchmen movie. Unfortunately, it looks like the film adaptation of the Alan Moore / Dave Gibbons graphic novel failed to light up the box office. Well, canna win em all. To date, it has only brought in a paltry $100-plus million which is still $50-70m short of covering production & marketing costs.

Me thinks its down to the fact that Watchmen isn't yer typical icons like Spidey & Bats who over the decades has managed to infiltrate the mass consciousness that is Joe Public. This book dealt with one-off characters & spectacular as the storyline was, it simply failed to register beyond those who are familiar with the book & the ultra-heavy reputation of its creator - Alan Moore.

Still, me thought me'd post a pretty fooking cool screensaver (above) me found recently fer yer to download (http://www.watchmencomicmovie.com/wallpaper/watchmen-wallpaper.php?img=Simpsons_1280x1024.jpg).

Also, me would like to urge those who have yet to catch this flick to do so on DVD & also keep yer eyes peeled fer a special (separate) DVD containing all the extra shit. This just isn't yer typical 'making of' bullshit but includes the animated feature of Tales of the Black Freighter (the comic within The Watchmen comic) as well as docu-style feature (Under The Hood) revealing plenty of history bout the original Minutemen (precursor to The Watchmen). And, of course, you could pop by Kinokuniya or Borders or any one of dem small indie comix stores & buy a copy of the graphic novel.

ps: Screensaver is especially fer uber-Simpsons fan - Jah Mighty Kerp.

Who Watches the Watchmen? You Should!

Me remembers being admonished some time ago fer being infantile & still indulging in comics at me age. The person doing the admonishing is obviously oblivious to the works of the great Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell etc) & like many others look down on this art form as something unworthy of their intellectual prowess (ie intellectual snobbery).

All me can say to such people, "Yer fooking loss". In case you hadn't cottoned on, the film adaptation of Watchmen is showing now. Me urges you to take some time to watch this epic three-hour tale of superheroes gone bad as it is truly a remarkable piece of celluloid.

You may come across a number of negative reviews of the film but make no mistake, this is a splendid film as director Zack Synder (of 300 fame) has remained faithful to the source material. Speaking of which, Watchmen is largely considered by many fans & critics as the dawn of a new age in comicdom. The 'graphic novel' had arrived & this was where the serious, dark, nihilistic shit happens (fer other classic examples see Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth & Frank Miller's Sin City).

Now, me'll be the first to admit that me is no geeky ultra-obsessive when it comes to comics. They were too expensive to follow as a kid & graphic novels still burn a fooking large hole in the wallet today. But me has the good fortune of being married to a wifey who fastidiously saves her pennies to buy the cream of the crop. Thanks to her good taste, me has had the privilege to read the above mentioned titles in the Moore cannon & many others to boot.

The story is set in the cold war era in the mid-80s & in this alternate reality, superheroes are amongst us & non-govt sanctioned vigilantes have been outlawed. Nixon is still president & the Yanks have triumphed in Vietnam thanks to the Watchmen's help. The film is suitably dark & sinister with extra lashings of graphic violence & sex scenes to remove it from yer typical mass-market superhero movie (such as The Fantastic Four & Spiderman).

Movie starts with the murder of The Comedian & sets in motion the chain of events that sees a plot to bring nuclear annihilation even closer to the doorsteps of mankind. Although the film clocks in at a massive 160-plus minutes, it still is unable to pack in every detail of the book. Still it gives plenty of perspective & background on the character's past as well as staying faithful to the book's original flashback narrative.

Without giving too much away, Watchmen is a brave attempt by Hollywood to give life to one of the genre's most illuminating works. It explores the dark psyche of the masked vigilante (Rorscach's unyielding quest fer justice), the consequences of power without control (the God-like powers of Dr Manhattan set against nuclear destruction) as well as some seminal moments in human history (identity of JFK's assassin is revealed).

A recurring theme in the book/movie is the tag line 'Who watches the Watchmen?' as people demonstrate against the unfettered powers afforded these hooded crime fighters. Well, all me can say is you should. This movie is destined to be a cult-classic. Even Moore who has distanced himself from all movie adaptations of his works concedes that this script probably bears closets resemblance to his original story.

Whether yer a comic fan or not, whether you go to the cinema or get it from yer friendly local DVD emporium, please do watch this film. Visually spectacular, thought-provoking & downright entertaining. What more can you ask fer?



ps: Look forward to reading yer comments on the film.

pps: You can get the graphic novel at Kino Kuniya, Borders & all good comic stores.

Smokescreen

Over the weekend, wifey & meself visited our friendly neighbourhood pirated DVD emporium & this was one of the films we purchased. As you can guess from the title, it rips off the documentary Super Size Me (where the perfectly healthy narrator subsists on a diet of pure McD's fer 30 fooking days with horrifying consequences). Here stand up comic Doug Benson does the same; only instead of McD's, its marijuana! Yup, that's right, the challenge was to wake & bake all day & nite fer 30 days!!!

Not quite as revealing as the junk food expose that was Super Size Me but entertaining & educational nonetheless.'Medical marijuana' users, legal dispensaries & law makers are all given a fair shake of the camera. The fact that Benson is a stand up comic makes fer plenty of great one liners throughout the movie.

A good laugh which is well worth yer six ringgit or whatever it is you pay yer supplier (I mean DVDs, not pot!). Have also included a short trailer below fer yer viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

ps: Won't spoil it fer you lot but am sure many will be surprised at the findings/conclusions at the end of this docu.

pps: Before any of you smart alecs start pointing fingers, me claims the right to say shit ie the right to NOT incriminate oneself! hee hee

ppps: Am sure some of you will be thinking been there, done that. Do tell . . .

Only the good die young

Some time back I posted a cover version of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart (By Sussana & The Magical Orchestra). That bit of blogging not only elicited great response but also alerted me to the movie bout the late Ian Curtis (lead vocals & tortured soul). (Sorry la, I'm a bit out of touch & thanx Wei Yin fer the heads up on the movie news & have you seen it?)

Weirdly enough, a couple of days after that post Joy Division was featured on BBCE's Sound of The 70s with an absolutely blistering rendition of Transmission. It was fooking intense. (Vid of that performance is below - please, please do take the time to watch it.)

That was enough fer me to dust down me 4-disc box set Heart & Soul featuring the band's entire output plus rarities, live recordings as well as demo versions (if you see it in a shop, just fooking buy it - its well worth the money!). As I slowly got reacquainted with this classic band, I also did a bit of research regarding the movie.

Well, what do you know, the film is world-renowned rock photographer Anton Corbijn's directorial debut. Fer those who don't recognise the name, this Dutch pixman's work has graced thousands of album & magazine covers, not least the iconic b&w shots on U2's Joshua Tree opus. Joy Division happened to be one of his fave bands & he left his native Holland to seek out this Mancunian outfit. The beautiful picture above is considered the defining image of the band. Creepily, only Ian turns to face Anton as he snaps & weeks later, he was dead . . . and the rest went on to form New Order.

Hence, this film has been a on-going project fer Corbijn as he seeks to bring closure to an important chapter in his life as well as to give Ian a fitting tribute to his short & troubled life. The film, Control, was chosen to open this year's Cannes festival.

Have included an interview/footage vid fer yer viewing pleasure below. Please do check it out & if anyone sees this movie at yer local DVD mart, please give me a holler.

To Ian - Only the good die young . . .