Some good stuff...

So today I saw a woman carrying a severed head. Ok so it wasn't a real severed head, well, not real as in from a human. This was all resolved after I reapplied my glasses to my face and saw the head for what it was, however it did scare me for those few brief seconds. What has this to do with anything? Absolutely nothing, which is what this post is all about really.

Although not mentioned in full last time, I'm still working on my E4 entry for this years Estings, and I'm about half way through. If all is well it should be good. However I'm going to have to make it longer than the 10 second limit and cut it down afterwards which hopefully won't detract from the final piece.

This is stopping me from looking for a new job, which is an almost inconceivable task in the current climate, however I shall persevere and hopefully come out the victor. (that is if working actually makes you the victor, or some kind of sheep like being. But hey, I need to eat)

This paragraph is used to sing the prises once again of Scott Pilgrim. My obsession is fueled by the daily photo updates on Edgar Wrights blog here. Nothing much has been given away yet. There are a few cool videos featuring the cast, but nothing as to how the film will finally look. There's a long way to go just yet, set for release in 2010 (that's Twenty-Ten by the way) but I must say I'm looking forward to it. The unfortunate thing is I'm currently on volume 3 of the comic ans therefore only have another 2 before I'm out. I think there's to be a sixth and final volume set for release with the film. I'm just gonna have to keep my eyes peeled.

Now I'm going to talk about a great film form my childhood, Young Sherlock Holmes. This has still stood the test of time as far as I'm concerned. We were going to watch it as part of a double bill with the Dolph Lundgren starring Masters of the Universe but time was against us. I'd forgotten most of what Young Sherock was about. I could remember the classic moments like the stained glass knight (which by the way looks as good , if not better , than any modern CGI) and Watson seeing cakes come alive and force themselves into his mouth. Which come to think of it is pretty weird. But what I could not remember was how terrifying the character Elizabeth Hardy's hallucination was. I remembered that there were zombies, ok I was somewhat prepared, but not for her falling into her open grave. not only this, but a laughing, screaming skeletal zombie carves her gravestone whilst her dead uncle begins to bury her. This honestly scared me. I'm sure they must have cut this from any previous version, or I happened to block it from my memory. Young Sherlock Holmes is good stuff, as good as Congo even. Check out this trailer for the film taken from some random American TV station.




Finally I'm going to post a video that Brother Chris is most likely posting at the moment here.
It's a video my Dad's friend made for one of their old songs.

Screaming till the Sun Goes Down from Extra Familiar on Vimeo.

The song featured on the locally produced LP Cry Havoc by the Stoke Musicians collective. A lot of the tracks still sound cool today as I did give it a listen the other day. Altogether "Do the East Berlin. Do it again!"

Anyway I like the video and I'm glad the song has not been forgotten.

In a final link the same people were behind the song Elasto which I have posted here before, and do so again as I think it gets ignored too much. Now I've got to buy even more extortionate train tickets. Until next time...

Ultimate destruction is just a few minutes away...

I said I'd come up with a better title so there you have it. And it means nothing really, despite the fact that I'm about to destroy my PC.

I've been editing some behind the scenes footage for the Dark Future trailer, and it's been going smooth up until recently as my PC has now decided to initiate Project Complete Lockdown, which is really annoying, especially as the video is so near completion.

Anyway, I'm back into working on films again with the making-of mentioned above and about to start work on a feature script with Chris that either is, or will be known as Jimmy Fight.

So this post is short as I'd better get on.

However I would like to mention that the Congo Review website has been updated after about 10 months or so. I hope to get more done, but for now there's just a few due to time really. There is also another film that has reached the dizzy heights of being Better Than Congo, but I'll let you find that for yourself (which isn't hard if you just check the New Reviews page)

So back to work I go. Here's hoping the PC will hold out just a little longer.

New location, same old troubles...

How depressing does that sound. Next time I'll try for a better title.

Anyway, to bring anyone who doesn't know up to speed, I'm now living with Brother Chris. Yes I was naive to think everything would be different. In short, its not. I am closer to the sea though. I just haven't got used to it yet. But I will.

I recently saw My Name Is Bruce. Is very silly, but still good. I am somewhat biased towards Bruce Campbell though, however this was more enjoyable than The Man With The Screaming Brain which suffered quite a lot from its small budget and Bulgarian filming locations.

I'm also biased due to the fact that My Name Is Bruce slipped a Congo reference in, which as you know always gets a thumbs up in my book. So is it better than Congo. No, but I'd say its as good as.

Despite starting a new job, and therefore acquiring the inability to stay awake throughout a whole film, I've seen quite a few over the last couple of weeks. Special mention goes to Let The Right One In, a Swedish vampire film that plays with the concept of vampires a little more than others do. Not much is explained about the origins, and there's no foppishness involved. There's also a cool sequence concerning the whole "invitation in" rule that I don't think I've ever seen dealt with before.

I've also finally started watching Veronica Mars. A TV show that everyone seems to like and recommend, however at the moment it's nothing special but I am only 3 episodes in so hopefully things will look up.

I'm stopping no I have things to read and write other than blogs and really need to get some work done. However, I may just end up playing games. Who knows.

Valkyrie, Valkarar,Valkyrie, Valkara-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.

Not that is was funny. Ok so I saw Valkyrie. Its not the greatest. At first I wasn't really that bothered, then Brother Chris highlighted the fact that Usual Suspects' Christopher McQuarrie wrote it so I was intrigued. Unfortunately, Brian Singer has lost it a bit I think. Overall it was a bit like watching a history video. Knowing nothing of the attempts on Hitlers life I have nothing to go on as to how much was made up. However, if even a fraction was made up, then they should have taken advantage and gone with it. Example, there's a section where Tom Cruise has to go and get an extra man to help out, obviously I'm paraphrasing and making it sounds slightly less interesting. Anyway, this extra man is attracted in an interesting fashion but it made me think that he could have made it like Magnificent Seven or Mission Impossible with Tom Cruise having to go an recruit these "traitors". And then have Willie carry the bags.

As it ends up, as mentioned, there's no real visual flair. The script is pretty good, and the acting is good in theory (more on that in a bit). But having a look at Christopher Mcquarrie's IMDB page, he hasn't done anything of his own for the last 8 years or so. The last thing he was credited for was Way of the Gun, and I wasn't a fan. Unfairly, I was comparing it to Usual Suspects a lot, not wholly my fault as this has been a major marketing factor.

So back to the acting, the German language is abandoned early on in a nice transition, however, then each actor speaks in with different accent. Tom Cruise is his usual American, the majority of the English cast use slightly posher accents, with the exception of Terence Stamp, who, as ever, seems to just be playing himself once again. Then on the other side you have Thomas Kretschmann with a German accent, and a few others with German accents. With no clear language flowing through the film you feel each character needs their own German to English transitional segment.

Overall, the film could've been better. I think, and I'm not sure if this is credible, it does show how loony Hitler and his followers really were. (A link to Scientology springs to mind). There is a scene with Hitler and his henchmen sitting in a circle like some kind of Evil League of Evil, each with their own special characteristic. Look out for the toys in shops soon. It also loses a lot of clarity when the good Germans start taking over, it all seems pretty easy, especially as they're following a guy with one eye, one hand adn only three finger left on the other. You can't really see how Germany nearly took over Europe. They were all mental.

Well, maybe not.

I'm trying but there doesn't seem to be anything better than Congo lately.

Could I do any better...

...yes I think I could.

So what's all this about? Well recently I watched a film at the cinema. Now for some reason I seem to go less and less these days, unless there's a film I'm excited about such as The Indiana Jones' and Dark Knights. Apart from these though I tend to wait for DVD. This is in part to do with the fact that the time between cinema and DVD release is getting shorter and shorter, and part to do with the fact that I have an online rental account with a decreasing wish list that needs filling up from time to time.

Anyway, so I'm sitting in the cinema hoping to enjoy The Transporter 3. I like the Transporter films, and have seen them both around this time at the cinema, so its sort of a mini tradition that I was willing to continue. However on this occasion I left feeling disappointed. Despite it being written by the original writers, Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, and with the action choreographed once again by Corey Yuen, this entry fell short. Without getting into too much detail there just wasn't enough going on. Too much was focused on character, which I wouldn't have minded if A) Frank Martin (Jason Statham) was anything like he was in the prequels. He seemed to have loosened up a lot, and B) if sidekick/love interest Valentina (Natalya Rudakova) wasn't in it. She was basically annoying. If Frank was anything like he used to be he would have smacked her on that hill and taken his keys back.

She was one of the main problems really. She just wasn't very good. That and the lack of a decent story, and a weak ending yet again. Robert Knepper (T-Bag in Prison Break) was cool though but he's going to have to start working harder, after this and Hitman I think he's beginning to pick dud roles.

Friday night I watched Botched on DVD. It stars Stephen Dorfffffff and is basically a mish-mash of genres. Heist goes wrong, people start to die in the basement where they were hiding kind of thing. It's ok, there were a few funny moments, but again nothing special. My short review kind of sums up my feelings towards it. It was basically alright. Nothing seems to be beating Congo since I started this blog.

So back to the beginning. Could I do any better. I apologise for the following paragraph, I will come across as big headed.

I think I could do better. If these films got made surely there's a chance for me out there. And If I do say so myself, not only could I do better, but I have done better. Yes, it depends on who reads the scripts and so on. I understand in the case of Transporter 3 that there is already an audience. But with Botched, I know the script I wrote is better, if not equal. And would appeal to pretty much the same audience.

Now I realise I'm just complaining to deaf ears, and nothing will come of it the longer I keep this up. All I'm really saying is if this is the quality of the films that people are putting money into, even if it's the lowest of the low, then I've got to have my chance at some point. It's just getting it out there which is and always will be the problem. Britain is known for its poor film industry. With directors like Neil Marshall and Paul W S Anderson completely ignored, yet Mr 'I'll never make a Sci Fi movie again even though my first attempt was crap anyway' Danny Boyle is King, along with the rest of the miserables, Mike Leigh and Shane Meadows.

Some will disagree now, especially as I've gone off on a massive tangent, but there's enough talent out there that just isn't appreciated just because they prefer to work in genre films, Horror, Sci-Fi, Action. Instead of Richard Curtis romantic comedies or Mike Leigh sitting round your working class house with a funny voice.

To bring it all to some kind of close The British Film Industry isn't going to become a proper film industry until all these areas are covered. It's not as if there's nobody out there wanting it.

It's my Birthday...

...and I'll post if I want to. Still alive after 26 years.

Ok, so this is more a reason to see what I was up to on my 26th birthday years down the line. To see how far I've come hopefully, 'cause as it stands, it isn't looking too promising. Yes, I'm going to moan. Huzzah!!!

Anyway, my birthday is shared with a couple of decent famous folk. According to the ever accurate Wikipedia, victim of Jack the Ripper, Elizabeth Stride, was born in 1843. Apart from her there's Fisher Stevens, William Fichtner, Kathryn Bigelow, Jimi Hendrix, and Bruce Lee. Not a bad line up really. Makes you think this collected talent must rub off on me at some point.

Apart from that nothing much is going on. I said it was to see what I was up too, but as I'm not up to much it's going to be pretty difficult to say anything. Earlier this year I had an animation in the E4 Estings competition final, then I edited the behind the scenes footage for Ten Dead Men, then I wrote a script with my brother. Then nothing. Since about July there has been nothing of creative interest to be getting on with. Yes there were alterations to be made to the script, but overall, my creative juices seem to be drying up. I'm still plugging away at mystery script number two, but as mentioned creatively its getting difficult. I still have a couple of things on my mind that I don't want to go into that could be hindering me. Either way, I'm sure at some point my mind will find its path.

Which brings me onto The Forbidden Kingdom. Better get something out of this post. This is the Jackie Chan and Jet Li "Together for the first time" vehicle. And its alright. Its pretty much the same as The Warriors of Virtue, except with no Kangaroos, and the kid is older. I did enjoy it though. I think I would have liked it more had I been a little younger but it was still enjoyable. Not as good as Congo me thinks.

Now Sidekicks, what a film that is. Actually still not as good as Congo, but a perfect film to watch when its too late to watch anything properly. It's basically about a kid who dreams about teaming up with his, and everyone's hero Chuck Norris. It's also stars the late, great Mako in. Trailer posted below for your pleasure, another one that shows the whole film. Happy Birthday me.




Just found this on Youtube and thought I'd add it on. Cool AFI video for Miss Murder.

Microsoft bastards...

This heading seems kind of harsh now I think about it, but how can company get things so right and so wrong at the same time. All I want is what I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share.

To explain, I recently joined this hi-tech next generation of consoles, which is really the current generation, and tried signing up to Xbox Live with a guaranteed Xbox Live gold trial for all new users. Like me.

I read all the manuals, signed up online at Xbox.com as advised inside the Xbox Live booklet and I was away. But no gold in sight. After lots of searching, and signing up a second new account onto gold I realised that by using the advised method I have been sidelined because Xbox think I was a previous member. So no free trial for me. Well, sort of. I can get online and play games with strangers under my second profile, but what about my original profile, with all the achievements (I say all, as you can see not really that many, but that isn't the point) I don't want to be playing as jimbo getting all online credits when after the month he gets deleted. So I email. This gets replied telling me to phone. So I reluctantly phone. And what do the Microsoft bastards tell me to do, sign up another account, with another email and there you are, a free trial. WHAT THE HELL! Not here you are sir, enter this code and a free month to you, but here you are a kick in the pants.

I mean, what is the point of all the achievement crap if they wont support my predicament. Why should I even bother to achieve anything. Is that what they want. I only wanted to sample online delights, get a few achievements along the way and decide if I was willing to pay for the honour. Now I have to keep swapping, and any achievements gained I'm going to have to achieve all over again. Anyway, the lady I spoke to was quite friendly, so none of this is aimed at her. But come on Microsoft. You've got fifty billion million trillion gazillion marillion dollars. You can spare a dime for a month for me.

My ranting is over.

I saw P2 last night. It was a straight forward "girl gets chased around a car park" horror film but it plays well. And Wes Bentley was good in it.

I also watched Postal, Uwe Boll's attempt at another video game film, based on a game that I've never played but I gather you just had to shoot people in it. Listening Jeff Goldsmiths Creative Screenwriting podcast interview with the director, you kind of see where he was going with the film, but watching the trailer made this film look like a big politically incorrect mess.

But...and I can't decide if I hate myself for saying this...I kind of liked it.

It was funny. Don't get me wrong, a lot was on the borderline of incorrectness, and a lot was a bit shit, but at times I laughed. Out loud.

The film does say a lot about what we accept these days. South Park had an episode with an Elmer Fudd style Osama bin Laden in. Even Family made jokes about the videos he made. This film basically brings that mentality to life. A cartoon, but with real people. I may very well be praising it too much. It's still an Uwe Boll film and misses the mark from time to time, but after watching Dungeon Siege, Uwe Boll does manage to get things right once in a while.

Bloodrayne 2 was crap though.

P.S.
I write this post posting as I just read Brother Chris' blog and realised something about mine. Please forgive the fact that I never elaborate on anything, or review anything longer than a few sentences. This is not to say eveyone else waffles on, but more that everyone else know how to do it properly. I'm just a pretender. I felt the needed to raise this point. But then again, you should know all this about me, coming form the creator of the Congo Review.

P2 and Postal aren't as as good as by the way.

Blogging for the sake of it...

I haven't been up to much. Not much at all. I was planning on working , as in writing, a lot this weekend but somehow found myself preoccupied with other things. Therefore I still have nothing to report. As with my brother, I'm still in a transition after coming home from New York, not to mention other crappy life stuff I've got going on, all results in my lack of creativity.

I have about 2 solid ideas and 1 work in progress floating around in my head at the moment and I feel I need to write them down, although whenever I've done this in the past the idea sort of shrivels away into nothing. The work in progress was another attempt to bring a character somewhat based on myself into yet another film. This is a character I created at college so I could basically moan about things and life in general. It only lasted a couple of comics but he's stayed with me. Now he barely resembles myself, but I still wanted to bring some life into it, but then I saw a film Interstate 60 starring James Marsden and Gary Oldman, directed by Bob gale (co-wrtier of Back to the Future) and this film was basically the idea I had. Now If I carry on with my idea, I will basically be making a very similar film to this, but then I've already been describing it kind of like Pee Wee's Big Adventure anyway so I guess it started off "borrowing" from other films. As this character so far has never featured in a live-action film, or any other film for that matter I will probably go ahead with it, but it is way down the production line. The last attempt I made to get a script out with the character it was reviewed by an unknown at Screen West Midlands as "This is visually, stylistically and narratively a mess". But to this day, that ten minute script made sense in my eyes, and a couple of others, hence why the character I created to moan through lives on today. Even more so when it gets rejections like the one mentioned.

By the way, Interstate 60 is as good as Congo, The Wizard of Gore isn't as good, and Lost Boys The Tribe isn't as good either.

I'm nearly back...

I'm back from New York, which I've decided is both like my preconception of a movie based 1940's era city but also nothing like that at all. Good times were enjoyed by all anyhoo. Now is the time when I need ot get back into writing and the like, but I have one more, I wouldn't say complication but I can't just get back into things. Soon though, this blog will be back. Congo and all.

Speaking of Congo, last Sunday Film Four had a monkey inspired schedule with Mighty Joe Young, Dunstan Checks In, Monkey Business and Congo. Congo still only getting the one star even though Hudson Hawk seems to have increased.

Two in one evening...

So I could have just edited the original but I thought it best to post a whole new...well...post. It also isn't really the same evening as it is now 3 in the morning.

To pick up where I last left you I've just seen The Strangers. Now the confusing thing here is, despite what other people have told me, it is strikingly similar to Them. Granted there are slight differences between the two, but on the face of it they are one in the same. Even the reasons for the terrorizing is the same. I've been told that the writer-director Bryan Bertino stated he hasn't seen the french film, and that this film was conceived completely independently. Now I'm not saying he's made that up, but the similarities between the two films are there. Go see the film (on DVD though, it's not worth the ticket price) and then watch Them and you will count the differences on one hand.

I suppose with this though you could say, for example, that all zombie films are the same as they all feature zombies. All slasher films are the same. And I guess you'd be right. It's about the journey, but Them had a better ending. The design and music used in The Strangers was good as well as the choices in masks for the intruders. It did have the feel of an older film such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and the early Wes Craven films.

In short, had I seen this before Them I most likely would have said that Them was ripping off The Strangers. Its kind of like Dante's Peak and Volcano, Armageddon and Deep Impact, The Illusionist and The Prestige. One is always better than the other. Even Congo had its rival in Primal Force; and that wasn't as good as Congo despite killer baboons and Ron Perlman.

In other news concerning my recent trip to the cinema. I was impressed that Disaster Movie (again I will now have to wash my mouth out) had no reaction from the audience. Not a single laugh. Hopefully this is a sign that the makers of these excuses for spoofs will now just STOP.

In other trailer news, Death Race, the remake of the Roger Corman produced 1975 Death Race 2000, actually looks quite good. Now I am a sucker for explosions and the like, and despite his questionable accents Jason Statham is watchable, and it even has Lovejoy in it. But i think most of all the draw is in the trailer itself. This trailer just looks cool. There was a time when trailers used to be exciting. Nowadays, in most cases, they've just become lazy, showcasing the coming movie, not caring how many twists are given away. But with Death Race, it serves its purpose. The trailer makes me want to go and see this film.

$@#% You...Congo is ace.

Here's the thing. I've set up a website about all this, but I can use this blog to go into a little more depth from time to time. So here goes...

In the UK, the television guide The Radio Times has given the film Congo 1 star out of 5. (See the review here http://www.radiotimes.com/servlet_film/com.icl.beeb.rtfilms.client.simpleSearchServlet?frn=3446&searchTypeSelect=5)

Now even Channel 4, and their sister channel Film Four, who show Congo most of the time, have given Congo 3 1/2 stars. (See their review here http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=102273) This is closer to the film I love. At least other films can be better or worse than it.

I feel The Radio Times have given Congo a hard time. No film shown on television can get less than 1 star, therefore, according to The Radio Times, every film broadcast on television, including all the cable and sky channels, must be better than Congo, or at worst, as good as. For example The Radio Times has given Raiders of the Lost Ark a review of 5 stars, making it 5 times superior than Congo. In this case I would agree. But they have also given Mike Leigh's Secrets and Lies a 5 star review. This film is in no way 5 times better, nor equal to Congo.

With the bench mark set I have taken it upon myself to review all the films I've seen based on whether or not it is better than, equal to, or worse than Congo. See the main web page under My Corner of the Web links.

This is all still an introduction. What I really want to say tonight is why I think Congo has been misrepresented. Talking monkeys aside (and even that doesn't happen much) Congo has a pretty tough lineup of cool actors. Joe Pantalioni, Tim Curry, Ernie Hudson, and even Bruce Campbell pops in for a brief role. In a line up you can't beat those actors. Delroy Lindo shows up for a brief cameo demanding Tim Curry not to eat his sesame cake. Dylan Walsh is in there and Joe Don Baker and even Peter Jason squeezes in a brief cameo. Then you've got Laura Linney leading the cast. I know she probably hasn't looked back on this experience since, but by my book its a great addition to any career.

And that's just the casting, story wise its a great adventure. It has action, comedy, horror, a crazy satellite lazer gun. All the things to make it an enjoyable experience. Not to mention the fact that its about evil killer monkeys. Now come on. Film bosses know monkeys can pull in a crowd. And these monkeys kill.

I think I've basically covered the main points. Oh, just remembered, Congo even had its own video game based on it. Granted this was actually rubbish but still. There's not many films out there that can boast all the above.

I can't see why Congo has been given a bad rap. It's based on a book by Michael Crichton and people ate up Jurassic Park. I know there's a talking monkey in it, but as I mentioned she doesn't talk as much as you think. The last time I watched it I was trying to see why someone would deem it worthy of only 1 star. And I honestly couldn't. This film is terribly underrated. I love it. I like the jokes, the ensemble cast, everything. Even the music is good.

I think I've proved my point (or madness) so I'll leave it to you to decide. I also realise that they are gorillas, and not monkeys but same difference. The reason behind the website is just to put things into context. It's a simple review system. Some films are actually better than Congo. Quite a few are just as good as Congo. And a hell of a lot just don't cut it.

Please check out the website to see for yourself. If you can't see a film on there yet, submissions are welcome.

Oh, and Congo is obviously as good a Congo before you go checking. It is the benchmark after all.