Sorry-Not-In-Service

It's been a while...

2013-07-31T14:59:00.002+00:00

I've always been a dreamer and I loved the original Danny Kaye version of the story. This the trailer for Ben Stiller's take on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (he both directs and stars) along with Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn, and a great little tune from Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men.

I'm quite smitten with this trailer and I can wait until Christmas.

One Day On Earth - April 22nd

2012-04-05T16:51:00.001+00:00

On October 10, 2010 (10.10.10), across the planet, documentary filmmakers, students, and inspired citizens recorded the human experience over a 24-hour period and contributed their voice to the largest participatory media event in history.

I was one of those filmmakers and I've been lucky enough to have some of my footage included in the final film.
The Light House in Wolverhampton will be screening the film as part of the global event on Sunday 22nd April at 3pm and admission is free. You can check out more details about their screening and all the great things happening over at the Light House by visiting their website - Light House.

It will be interesting to see what footage they included in the film but you can what my full edit of the day here -

I hope that you can make it to one of the screenings across the globe and support this incredible piece of documentary filmmaking. Check the One Day on Earth website for more screening announcements - One Day On Earth.

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It's Trailer Time...

2012-03-01T20:56:00.001+00:00

Two trailers hit this week for films I'm very excited about. First up is the trailer for the stop motion version of Tim Burton's Frankenweenie. I'm a huge fan of the original version (which was shot as live action) but this stop motion animated version just looks perfect.

If you like the look of that then you must watch Tim's Vincent short which just for you I'm going to post right here..

Brilliant isn't it!
Then we come to The Avengers. The comic geek in me exploded upon watching this trailer. Cannot wait until the end of April now.

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One Day On Earth Global Screening Event

2012-02-22T16:22:00.001+00:00

On April 22nd 2012 the One Day On Earth film will be screened for the first time globally. The film, created from over 3000 hours of footage filmed during the 24 hours of 10.10.2010, is a snapshot of what was happening around the world on that very unique day. I was involved in this event and hopefully some of my footage will have made it to the final cut.

I hope that The Electric Cinema in Birmingham or The Light House in Wolverhampton will be able to screen the film, so please get in touch with them via Twitter or directly and encourage them to become part of this global event. You can show your support for the project by visiting the One Day On Earth Global Screening page - http://www.onedayonearth.org/screening

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Muppets, Avengers and Spiders

2012-02-10T17:57:00.001+00:00

The Muppets is released in cinemas across the UK today - you owe it to yourself to go and see it as soon as possible. It's been 12 long years since the Muppets last graced our screens and this new film from the brains behind The Flight of the Choncords looks to put the merry puppets back in their rightfull place as the kings and queens of family entertainment.

Welcome back Kermit and Co - you've been sorely missed.

Elsewhere this week we've seen the latest trailer for Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man. I was sceptical of Marvel properties still being produced outside the Marvel Studios umbrella but minor problems aside (no lab coat and snout on The Lizard) it looks like Marc Webb's take on Spidey might turn out to be okay.

The Avengers also got an extended Superbowl spot online this week and we finally get to see a little more of The Hulk. I'm hoping the combination of Joss Whedon and Marvel's mightiest heroes really delivers the goods this April.

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Happy 80th Birthday John Williams

2012-02-08T13:50:00.001+00:00

Music is an incredibly important part of my film going experience and many of my favourite movies have had scores composed by John Williams.

From Empire to Raiders his musical cues are incredible and have brought to life many characters and worlds. My record collection is littered with his music and each record will always bring back treasured memories of sitting in a darkened theatre and being taken on a journey with heroes and villains, peril and delight and a tune that will remain timeless.

Happy Birthday Mr Williams - and thank you.

Here is John Williams conducting just a few of my personal favourites:

and of course...

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Broderick, Broderick, Broderick - Nearly New Bueller

2012-01-30T17:25:00.001+00:00

I have conflicting feelings about this one. While I'm happy to see Broderick revisit the spirt of Bueller, I'm not sure Ferris would appreciate the corporate exploitation of his image.

Still it's good to remind ourselves that "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

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I Heart First Aid Kit

2012-01-29T18:29:00.001+00:00

First Aid Kit return with a new album 'The Lion's Roar'. Here are the first couple of the tracks -

The Lion's Roar

Emmylou

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No more "DANGER DANGER, WILL ROBINSON, DANGER!!!"

2012-01-27T11:47:00.001+00:00

Farewell Dick Tufeld, the voice of LOST IN SPACE's Robot is now silenced...

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The Muppets and OK GO - Muppet Show Theme 2012

2012-01-23T11:43:00.001+00:00

The Muppets make everything OK GO!

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Film and Digital: Side By Side

2012-01-20T19:22:00.001+00:00

This documentary produced by Keanu Reeves looks incredibly interesting - Side By SIde: The Science, Art andImpact of Digital Cinema.

facebook.com/sidebysidethemovie
sidebysidethemovie.com
twitter.com/sidebysidemovie

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Protest SOPA/PIPA - Why It's Important.

2012-01-18T13:12:00.001+00:00

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Moonrise Kingdom and more...

2012-01-13T11:26:00.001+00:00

I've been a fan of Wes Anderson's work since Bottle Rocket and I loved Fantastic Mr. Fox so it's great see the trailer for his latest film Moonrise Kingdom. It looks beautiful and fits in perfectly with the alternative world Wes has greated and its a world that I want to live in.

Many of you will have already seen Lee Hardcastle's claymation wonder that is Pingu's The Thing but it is such a fanastic piece of work that it's worth posting again here.

Retelling John Carpenter's masterpiece The Thing in 2 minutes with Pingu replacing Kury Russell, it is an absolute gem.

And finally, I stumbled across this little gem on Vimeo. Directed by Adrien Merigeau and Alan Holly and produced by Cartoon Studio in 2009, Old Fangs is a wonderfully animated short film what should appeal to Studi Ghibli and Wes Anderson fans alike.

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2011: Music

2012-01-10T19:58:00.001+00:00

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Music, music, music. What with digital downloads, Spotify and internet streaming, I’m finding it more and more difficult to keep up with what’s new in music. But 2011 provided some old favourites as well as some new pleasures.

There were great new albums last year from the Foo Fighters, Kate Bush, The Horrors, Wilco, M83, P J Harvey, Duran Duran and Lykke Li along with a greatest hits collection form the Manic Street Preachers. I totally recommend David Lynch’s excellent Crazy Clown Time, which you simply must hear. Foster the Kids hooked me with the single Pumped Up Kicks and their album Torches has several interesting tracks, one to watch this year.

Bret McKenzie’s The Muppets (not released here until February) and Alex Turner’s Submarine soundtracks are full of great songs and compliment their respective films well (at least I hope so in the case of The Muppets – but then it’s The Muppets and it’s bound to be fantastic and I already love the songs).

I’ve put together a Spotify playlist featuring a few tracks from these albums where available which you can listen to here – Songs of 2011

There is still plenty of great music out there for me to discover so if you have any recommendations then let me know.

Finally I must thank Sketch along with Joe Duddell of Phonic FM’s (Exeter’s Sound Alternative) Sketch’s Sunday Scribble for putting me on to some excellent new music last year. This great little show airs locally in Exeter but can be found online every Sunday between 10am and 12pm and is well worth tuning in for.

If your interesting in any of the albums I have mentioned you can get them from Amazon by clicking on these links –

National Treasures - The Complete Singles (Deluxe Edition)

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2011: Television

2012-01-10T18:58:00.001+00:00

Even if I can’t get to the cinema much these days there is always TV and 2011 provided a fair few highlights. Once again the BBC proved to be the home of comedy, with standout shows like Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon’s The Trip. Directed by Michael Winterbottom, the series saw both performers poke fun at their real personas in a fashion not dissimilar to Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm. Technically screened at the tail end of 2010 I’m counting this as it was brilliant and you should watch it.

Tom Hollander has also been superb in the second series of Rev. If you have not seen this show yet I highly recommend it – it’s funny poignant and features a truly outstanding performance from Tom, who has a fantastic supporting cast.

Talking of casts, the ensemble cast of Psychoville, which also returned this year for a second series, was again outstanding. Lead by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, this show is darkly comic and featured one of the scariest characters to appear on TV this year, The Silent Singer.

The scares kept coming with The Fades, a new series on the BBC. This featured Daniel Kaluuya from Psychoville, and proved that we can do supernatural drama here in the UK just as well as our colonial cousins.

Elsewhere I enjoyed The Big Bang Theory, which keeps getting better, and new Sky One comedy Spy. Taking up residence in Sky One’s comedy Friday slot alongside Modern Family, The Middle and The Simpsons, Spy was a smart, funny and clever little show. Hopefully it will be back for more in the future.

Doctor Who and The Walking Dead also returned this year, and although I enjoyed Doctor Who, I thought this years Christmas special had been the best episode since The Eleventh Hour for Matt Smiths Doctor. The Walking Dead is quickly becoming my new Battlestar Galactica, which I think tells you how much I’m enjoying it.

Charlie Brooker is awesome and lucky even if he was to lazy to do much in the way of ScreenWipe and NewsWipe this year he did make an appearance on Channel 4’s 10 O’clock Show. It got off to a shaky start but once Brooker and the other hosts found their feet it made great intelligent, questioning TV and I’d like to see another series this year. Charlie also gave us Black Mirror, a twilight zone for a less innocent age. These three tales of technology-fuelled what-ifs posed interesting questions about where our twitter and celebrity obsessed culture could be headed if we’re not careful. For me the standout episode was 15 Million Merits, which featured a future I could see actually happening.

But at the end of the year the best TV shows of 2011 for me were Horrible Histories and Misfits. Horrible Histories is based on the children’s books of the same name and stars a cast of the best actors and actresses on the BBC. It’s funny, witty, and clever and does not talk down to its audience. Great song, sketches and enough catch phrases to keep this old Vic and Bob fan happy, Horrible Histories is an absolute gem hidden away on the kid channels. Interestingly enough they did try to do a version aimed at a more general audience with Stephen Fry replacing a puppet rat on Sunday afternoons – I’m not sure how successful that was but you owe it to yourself to track down this awesome little show.

And what can I say about Misfits, now in it’s third series. Without a doubt this is the best show made and screened in Britain today. Filthy, gory and wickedly funny the show managed to weather losing one of its main cast by bringing in an even more loveable rogue. With a heartbreaking ending this show has earned its place on my must watch list – and you should be watching it to. So go, get the boxset and enjoy.

If your interesting in any of the show I have mentioned you can get them from Amazon by clicking on these links –

The Trip [DVD]

Rev - Series 1 [DVD]

Misfits - Series 1-3 [DVD]

Psychoville Series 1 and 2 [DVD]

Horrible Histories - Series 1 [DVD]

The Fades Series 1 [DVD]

Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror [DVD]

The Walking Dead - Season 1 [DVD]

Doctor Who - Complete Series 6 [DVD]

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2011: Films

2012-01-10T17:59:00.001+00:00

So as 2011 fades from view I wanted to take a quick look back at some of the films, soundtracks and television that made an impression on me over the course of it’s rather bumpy 365 days.

Once again I managed to get to the cinema on fewer occasions than I would otherwise have liked, being a freelancer means money and time is not as disposable at it once was. At this point I would like to thank Gavin Ingram, his Cineworld unlimited card and Orange Wednesdays as between them I got to see Rise of the Planet of Apes for next to nothing (35p on a text is not bad).

ROTPOTA, as it is affectionately know, was one of the blockbuster highlights of 2011 and I’m pleased I managed to see it on the big screen unlike a certain Doctor K. Great motion capture work from Andy Serkis, must mean it can’t be long before the Academy is having to nominate these kind of performances in the Best Actor/Actress category. And talking of motion capture I thoroughly enjoyed The Adventures of Tintin. The film looked great and captures some of that Indiana Jones spirit I so love.

In a year where nearly every release was being pushed out in some form of 3D, I went to see Tintin in 2D, as I have found that only certain films really benefit from 3D. One such movie was Hugo, a fantastic love letter to early cinema from Martin Scorsese. It’s subtle use of 3D to enhance the experience shows how 3D can and should be used.

As a lifelong comic fan I really enjoyed the Marvel offering this year. Thor and Captain America both captured the spirit of the characters and have only increased my excitement for this years Avenger team up. I’d love to see future Captain America films head back to the 40’s as like The Rocketeer (Joe Johnston’s much underrated film based on Dave Stevens comic series), that period is an ideal setting for rip roaring adventure. X-Men First Class was a nice addition to Matthew Vaughn’s body of work. Playing fast and lose with the comics history, the films was an interesting reboot of the film franchise and it was great to see the Blackbird on screen just as I remembered it from the books. I’d love to see them properly introduce Kitty Pryde and Lockheed in the future.

British talent provided some fabulous cinema this year with Richard Ayoade directing his first film Submarine and Joe Cornish bring us his first big screen outing Attack The Block. Films from either end of the entertainment spectrum but both assured and entertaining movies I recommend you see at the earliest opportunity.

The summer brought it’s usual blockbuster heavy schedule and I as much as other people didn’t I enjoyed both of the latest Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers movies. Transformers: Dark of the Moon was pure 3D spectacle with giant robots smacking giant robots in 3D, and as usual the human characters were pure background. I’d like to see them jettison the human element and concentrate on the robots, with a story set on Cybertron, but as most audiences are not that versed in Autobot history it’s unlikely. On Stranger Tides, in 2D, was just dumb fun and as I had no problem with either of the two previous Pirates films I was along for the ride. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two was a suitably epic end to one of the most successful film franchises in history and I loved every minute. It’ll be strange not having new film to look forward to each year but this series has now joined the list of timeless classic children’s films and will be watched at Christmas in our house for many years to come

I’m a huge fan of Wim Wenders work and it was lovely to see him give us Pina. It’s a beautifully shot film and is Wenders tribute to late choreographer Pina Bausch. Well worth seeing and is available on DVD now.

I must also mention Rango – a beautifully realised and animated film from ILM and Gore Verbinski. On par with the very best of PIXAR, the film is a shot in the arm for CGI animated fare. Leagues above its peers, Rango is well worth your attention whether you’re an adult or a child, so put down that Shrek DVD and go out and purchase Rango today.

I end the year with a stack of films I’ve yet to see including Source Code, Green Lantern, Super 8 and Super but thanks to DVD and Blu-Ray I’m set for all those times I can’t get to the cinema this year. I will make special effort to see a few films in 2012 including The Artist, The Muppets, The Avengers and Prometheus.

If your interesting in any of the films I have mentioned you can get them from Amazon by clicking on these links –

Submarine [DVD]

Thor - Triple Play (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)[Region Free]

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Triple Play (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)[Region Free]

Pina [DVD]

Captain America - The First Avenger: Triple Play (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)[Region Free]

Rango [DVD]

Attack The Block - Double Play (Blu-ray + DVD)

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 [DVD] [2011]

X-Men: First Class - Triple Play (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)

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The Killers @ Christmas

2011-12-18T17:01:00.002+00:00

Am I A Man, Or Am I A Muppet?

2011-12-10T17:03:00.001+00:00

I know which I am - what are you?

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Time and Creativity

2011-11-18T12:56:00.001+00:00

Thanks to Meeni for putting me on to this short film - something very interesting being said here.

What do you think? Do you agree? I think the final statement pretty much nailed it for me.

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Being Elmo

2011-10-26T20:48:00.001+00:00

Thanks to kfrilly for putting me on to Being Elmo. Quite how this has managed to pass me by I don't know, especially considering my love for Jim Henson and all things Muppet related. This documentary looks at Kevin Clash the puppeteer who brings Elmo to life. I'm already sold on this based on the trailer alone.

I'm hoping that this will be available on DVD or screening at one of my local cinemas in the long gap before we get the new Muppet movie.

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Star Wars Art: Comics

2011-10-18T20:17:00.001+00:00

I love Star Wars and I also love Art Adams artwork and comic books. This publication is going on the Amazon wish list.

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Kate Bush - Wild Man

2011-10-10T20:07:00.001+00:00

Kate Bush is back with a new album '50 Words For Snow'. Due for release in November this is a radio of the first single from the album. The album will feature special guests including Stephen Fry on the title track.

Based on this the album is looking very interesting.

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RIP Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011

2011-10-06T11:45:00.001+00:00

macstartup.mp3 Listen on Posterous

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60's Dexter and Stickman

2011-09-23T09:41:00.005+00:00

Just a couple of things that caught my attention this week. First up are these incredible Saul Bass inspired retro titles for Dexter by Ty Mattson. This completely captures the Harry Palmer Ipcress Files style I've always thought the Dexter titles was going for.

Here are those Ipcress Files titles - notice the similarities especially in John Barry's incredible score.

Next up is Draw a Stick Man.

This just shows you how great HTML 5 can be - a beautiful example of how to while away a few minutes in a charming and engaging way. So click on that link and unleash that inner creative spirit.

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Back For The Future

2011-09-11T13:43:00.001+00:00

Looks like Doc Brown has been out in the Delorean again! Here are couple of recent adverts featuring the Back To The Future franchise.

Still no power laces. Looks like we'll still have to wait until 2015 before we get those and hoverboards.

Although I can't afford a pair of those shoes myself I do hope that they raise a lot of money for The Michael J Fox Foundation. It's great to see Michael and to hear Alan Silvestri's awesome theme again. It still gives me the chills even now.

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