Tubs and Lazy

Calm down dear, it's only a blog post

2010-02-03T22:14:00.009Z

Yes yes, I'm full aware at how shit I am at this. I know I haven't made a post in ages (I'd check how long but the internet here is worse than herpes in your eye), but hey, I'm here now! who knows how long I'll stay, but I guess a little update wouldn't hurt? So here are some thing's I've enjoyed recently:

A new series of Newswipe (hooray!)

Christmas being over and TV shows starting again (woo!)

Being far too lazy to do my essays, so managing to watch some quality (and not so quality) films (yippee)

Yeah. Exciting life huh? Rather than go into immense detail about every single film I've seen since last time, I'll just try and rush through it. But before we start, let me just say. I haven't seen Avatar (yet?), so shut up. I'm sure it's great and everything, but if one more person tells me I MUST see it in 3D at the cinema, then...well I'll probably just nod and agree whilst secretly cursing my laziness. But I digress, so here we go:

Up in the Air: Easily one of my favourites, Jason Reitman strikes lucky for a third time (Thank You for Smoking and Juno being his others, and ranked highly in my DVD order...yes I order my DVDs, shut yer pork cylinder). It's a great story with a great cast (George Clooney in particular, probably on par with his performance in Michael Clayton), and is just the kind of depressingly dark comedy that I enjoy.

The Hurt Locker: A strong Oscar favourite this one, and I can see why, it's weirdly appealing in an odd way. Unlike other war films, where moments of silence usually become superseded by explosions, gunfights and bloody guts, the whole film has a relative calm about it, as if something can go horribly wrong at any point. A brilliant script and relatively unknown cast make this one a beauty.

Adam: This one's a story about a guy (Adam, funnily enough) who has Asperger's syndrome and thus struggles to fit into everyday society. It's sorta like a romantic drama, only, weird and a bit nerdy. Enjoyable nonetheless.

Whip It: Drew Barrymore's directoral debut, starring Ellen Page as a teen from a small town outside of Texas who joins a roller derby team. Classic funny times ensue.

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell: This is a screen-adaptation of some of Tucker Max's stories. I really didn't have high hopes (or any hopes at all) for this film, but it was kinda fun. Gross, but fun.

The Men Who Stare at Goats: Didn't really know what to make of this. I like George Clooney and Ewan McGregor, but I didn't really get what it was trying to do. I think it was trying too hard to be hilariously funny, and falling flat on it's face. There are moments of comedy, but at other times you just have to wonder what the hell is going on.

New York, I Love You: This one's a bit of a crazy one, and I'll only advise you watch it if you like mega-depressive indie-esque deep-filled films that don't really try too hard (Sorta like Linklater's Before Sunrise/Sunset, only less existentialism and more...New York). In essence it's a series of short films, each directed by different people (with one done by Natalie Portman), but with certain characters overlapping into other stories. Pretty good stuff.

Law Abiding Citizen: A pretty neat thriller, with some good twists and turns and some good ol' fashioned blood (now that I think about it, quite a lot of the stuff, like Saw proportions)

I think that's it for now (or at least, those are the ones that I can remember, I'm pretty certain there's been many more). Oh also, 30 Rock is just as awesome as ever this year, as well as a new show called Community (it's most notable stars are Chevy Chase and "the guy from The Soup on the E channel", but hey, don't let that put you off, it's effing A)

As for future releases, I haven't really had a chance to watch any trailers (what with aforementioned internet being absolutely fucking terrible), but I'm sure there's some good ones coming up, right? Bah, who cares, I'll watch anything.

~ Lazy

Moral Kaufman

2010-01-09T23:22:00.006Z

I just discovered Charlie Kaufman wrote the story for one of the episodes of Moral Orel! You could usually see Moral Orel on [adult swim] but they stopped showing that on UK TV back in 2008, much to the dismay of many. Anyhoo! Watch it by clicking the link: "Love" - shitload of ads to avoid, but what do you expect?

Enjoy!

-Tubs

Christmas + RatM = everyone should shut up

2009-12-18T10:25:00.000Z

Stop talking about RatM and what a great (read: TERRIBLE) idea that was, and listen to this:

-Tubs

Holidays are coming

2009-12-05T02:22:00.004Z

I haven't yet seen the Coca-Cola Christmas advert, but I have been assured it is being broadcast, so I suppose that means it's basically Christmas now.

In the next couple of weeks, I'm going to bust out a Christmas playlist for you but for now be contented with the brilliant Sufjan Stevens Christmas album 'Songs for Christmas'. It's not new, but it is good. A warning, however, it isn't full to the brim with blinding Christmas cheer; after all, this is Sufjan Stevens we're talking about. Good to slowly get you into that festive mode, though. So enjoy!

Hohohere!

- Tubs

Captain Kirk is climbing a mountain

2009-11-12T15:33:00.002Z

-Tubs

How to: Smack My Bitch Up

2009-10-12T22:04:00.002+01:00

-Tubs

P.S. Yes, I know Lazy has been the only one blogging for AGES. I'll try to step up and actually write something soon. MAYBE.

Just a quickie...

2009-09-04T18:39:00.007+01:00

...this week, haven't really managed to watch much, altho I can't exactly say that I've done much else because, well, this is me we're talking about, and I'm pretty damn lazy.

So here's the roundup, as far as I can remember:

Taken: Have had this one for a while now, and it's not really caught my attention until somebody recommended it to me. It was fairly enjoyable, a quite down-to-earth tail of an retired government agent who travels to Paris to find his daughter who has been abducted, utilising all of the skills he knows best (basically, it's like your dad kicking some ass). I was hungover when I watched it, so it could have been worse than I remember.

Se7en: Took me AAAAGES to watch this one, 14 years to be exact. Granted, I was 7 when it came out, but you think I could have gotten round to it at some point. It was, however, worth the wait. Just the right amount of plot twists in this detective thriller made it a great watch, especially with the cast of Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt, who manage to play off each other brilliantly. I also love seeing how outdated technology is just a decade ago, much like the "futuristic" technology in The Bone Collector.

Weeds: I've finally managed to get round to catching up with the 5th season of Weeds, and have to say, I'm not that impressed. The first few seasons were great, but after branching away from the Agrestic/Majestic suburbs, the storylines have become way too far-fetched and ridiculous to say the least. Not only have the mexicans thoroughly invaded, but the amazing sub-plots involving Andy and Doug have all but vanished. Re-watching the first and second series has reminded me that it IS a great show tho.

Dexter: Managed to complete Season 3, after starting it a couple of months ago (I really need to pick something and watch it from start to finish in one go). Pretty great, as per usual, although I'd still lump it in the same boat as Weeds, in which the original series was SO great that it's pretty hard to compete as the series develops. Season 3 did have a pretty great last few episodes, which helped to redeem the previous episodes (which could explain why it took me so long, the earlier episodes were so boring that I just couldn't be bothered).

And that's pretty much it. Granted, TV shows take longer to watch, but still, poor effort on my part. Also, I was pretty bored yesterday, and wasn't in the mood for ANY of the films I've got, so I started 30 Rock from the beginning. Never fails to amuse, and is in some parts better the second time around, where you notice the little hidden jokes that fly so thick and fast the first time (much like my re-watching of Arrested Development, the number of hidden gems in that is incredible).

Hopefully next week I'll find something good to watch, if not, I'll probably just make up a few lies and pretend that I actually care :)

~ Lazy

It's that time again

2009-08-28T18:23:00.004+01:00

So I've been meaning to write this for the past week, so here we go. I've decided that maybe I should try and update this once in a while, that while being "every week", so here goes, the first of hopefully a weekly update on what I've been watching and whether you should bother watching them too. Simple, yes?

First up, Groundhog Day. It's taken me a long time to get round to seeing this, I believe the last time it was on telly I watched about 5 minutes and fell asleep. So I think to myself, now now, lets give it a chance. So I start to watch again the other day and BOOM. Straight to sleep. HOWEVER. Before you start throwing rocks and sharp implements, in my defence, I'm lazy, I can't help it when I start to fall asleep. I can't fight it, I just have to go with the flow and nap.

Now, when I finally awoke, I decided that I didn't even try the first time (that and I'd run out of stuff that I could be bothered to watch). And what did I think after finally making it all the way through? Amazing. Classic Bill Murray, a real treat for my eyeballs. I have no idea what was making me fall asleep, but once I got into it, I was delighted with what I saw. That being said, if I happened to be stuck in the same day for the rest of my life, I'd probably just stay in bed more :)

I also managed to catch Banlieue 13: Ultimatum this past week, which was pretty spectacular. If you've ever seen the first film, probably better known as District 13 here, then you'll know what you're in for. This film is produced by Luc Besson, known not only for his directoral contributions such as Léon and La Femme Nikita (which is on my "to-watch" list), but for his producer role in films such as the Taxi series and The Transporter films, and is rife with parkour and martial arts stunts galore. Almost all of the stunts were performed without wires, as performed by the star of the film, David Belle (known for being the Godfather of parkour). The storyline is much weaker than the first, but that doesn't stop the film being pretty kickass. I mean, what would the film industry be without terrible storylines (*ahem* Crank/Crank 2).

I can't be bothered to write large amounts for the rest, so here's the rundown:

Gigantic: Really weird indie film. I pretty much watched it cus it's got Zooey Descanel in it (you would, don't lie to me). The trailer made it out to be a pretty simple film, but for some reason, every now and then, a random homeless guy keeps attacking the main character. With absolutely NO explanation. That's just TOO weird for me.

Mission Impossible: Re-watched this, forgot how awesome it was (the 2nd film really put me off)

Night at the Museum 2: Now this is a film. An all star cast and a pretty great story, full of fun and whatnot. Dips at parts, and just seems plain stupid at others (forgetting the fact that the whole film is based around statues coming to life). Not as great as the first, but still pretty funny .

Up: Now I had pretty high hopes for this film, and have been told by many people that it's hilarious. Really? It's kinda funny, but most of all it's just plain sad! First off, it starts with a kid meeting a girl, they grow old together and then she dies. Oh. That's FUNNNNY. So then he spends the rest of the film talking to his dead wife, being followed around by a kid who tells the story of how his dad never comes to any of his scout meetings. Wow, please, stop, you're killing me. Sure, it's a nice film, but the abandonment issues run a little too deep for my liking.

I Love You, Man: Actually watched this a while back, but forgot to mention it. I quite liked it. It was a bit slow, and as much as I appreciate Jason Segel in Freaks and Geeks and How I Met Your Mother, I think his on screen antics start to wear a little thin on me.

Terminator Salvation: Again, watched this a while back. It's okay. Nothing spectacular.

Management: Quirky "rom-com" with Steve Zahn and Jennifer Aniston. I emphasise quirky. He feels her bum and then follows her across the country. Kinda creepy dontchathink?

Manic: Indie film from 2001, about kids locked up in a psych ward. S'got Joseph Gordon-Levittz (yes!) and Zooey Deschanel (yesss! altho she looks pretty young and "puffy") in it, so thats nice. Pretty cool.

And on top of all those, I've also been watching the TV show Spin City from back in the later 90s, which is much more awesome than I remember. And you really can't tell that Michael J Fox has the disease of the Parkinsons. Maybe thats bcus his character is always jumping around like he's on edge. Or maybe thats because he has Parkinsons, it's hard to tell. I'm on the 4th series now, but from what I can remember, at some point MJ Fox disappears and is replaced by Charlie Sheen. At that point I will probably give up (altho the rest of the characters are just as funny if not at times funnier).

So there we have it. Tune in next week for another episode of "Sam's Amazing Adventures (that don't involve leaving his bed)"

~ Lazy

insert witty title here

2009-08-09T20:51:00.007+01:00

So this week saw the passing of a true legend, the late John Hughes. He was a true master of the screenplay, bringing us such greats as Curly Sue, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and of course, one of my favourite films of all time, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. His films, both directoral (haha, direct oral) and littoral (is that even a word? IT IS NOW) were of great significance to the 80s, and have become legendary in their own right. I'm not sure my life would really be the same without FBDO (I certainly would have one less poster hanging on my wall). RIP

In other news, the trailer for Fantastic Mr. Fox is up, and it looks goooood! (linksy). Now the only qualm I have with it is the teeny weeny incy wincy little bit that says "Based on the book by the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". This to me is pretty much a fucking disgrace. The fact that kids these days wouldn't get "Based on the book by Roald Dahl", so they feel the need to compare it to another film?! and frankly not even a great one, I would have preferred "Based on the book by the author of Matilda". Now THATS a fucking classic.

So here's whats been going on:

Ice Age 3 - Wow. Way to kill it guys, really, you've outdone yourself. Literally. Kill it. Preferably with fire, but you may choose to utilise any of the following methods: Spork, Stapler, Angry Cat, Cheese or Lawnmower. It's just not funny. And frankly, there are a disturbingly large amount of "adult" jokes in there. Shrek could pull it off, but then again they never had a scene where a prehistoric animal goes up to a cow to milk ot and and ends up having to run away screaming "I THOUGHT YOU WERE A GIRL". For one, that's rape. And for two, it's the bad kind of rape.

The Proposal - I've seen worse chickflicks, and you can't beat a bit of Ryan Reynolds or Sandra Bullcock.

Twilight - I was forced to watch this one. I've never read the books, and quite frankly, I'm glad. Now I know vampires aren't real, so technically NONE of it matters, but well done, way to butcher the classic tale of the vampire. There's some serious plotholes in mythology here, most notably, the fact that they can come out during the daytime. Yeah, apparently in the twilight-iverse, vampires don't die when hit by good old fashioned UV rays. Apparently they, and it hurts me a little to say this..."sparkle". No word of a lie. They sparkle. Like diamonds. Big gay magical unicorn diamonds. *vomit*. Oh and the only real way to kill them is to rip them limb from limb and burn the body. So no stake through the heart. No silver. No sunlight. Can you get any more retarded?

Beside from that, I also re-watched Liar Liar, cus it's awesome, and have just finished watching a new show called Castle, which is about a novelist who tags along with the NYPD to gain ideas for his next book. In a way it's pretty similar to every other standard crime show, except it's not stupid. It's actually kinda funny. S'got Nathan Fillion in it. He's a funny one!

And on the music front, I can't stop listening to Florence and the Machine. She has an absolutely amazing voice, plus she's ginger, so that's a bonus right there

~ Lazy

The Voice

2009-08-03T03:00:00.006+01:00

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival on Vimeo.

If you've never heard of Bobby McFerrin before, now is the time to check him out. I remember hearing his 'Flight of the Bumblebees' years ago and pretty much jizzed myself. He is a wonderfully skilled jazzman, and that's fun and great. Go listen to him on Spotify immediately! He does a pretty good 'Sunshine of your Love' cover which is always good news.

Moving on: I went to Latitude Festival fairly recently (as Lazy pointed out in his last post) with Richard Hayward (there you go, love; there's your mention) and I should really blog about that. Maybe I will! But I might not. Isn't the tension killing you? Oh how thrilling.
Following this escapade, I finally bought a Bat for Lashes album (because she was amazing) so my next recommedation for you today is 'Trophy'. Spotify that wonderful treat and eat it up like pancakes and bacon. Mmmm... I'm hungry.

- Tubs

So I'm pretty shit

2009-07-16T16:04:00.008+01:00

Cus I keep forgetting to actually write about some of the films I've been watching. So here's a mega (or not-so-mega depending on how bored I get halfway through) post of what's been going on in film (and maybe some music thrown in for good measure.

Let's start with the good; Adventureland. F-to-the-UNTIMES. I really liked this film, there's just something about it thats so likeable. If you've seen the trailer, you might have thought, like me, that it was pitched as a very in your face comedy. Highlighting the fact that it's from director Greg Mottola (who directed Superbad and is set to direct Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's next creation, Paul) and features roles from the likes of Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Reynolds and Martin Starr, I was given the impression that this would be another rollercoaster ride of a comedy. What I actually saw was something even better, a film worth watching again and again. I'd put the style of the film somewhere between a low-profile indie flick and a Wes Anderson masterpiece. It's just quirky enough to not be too mainstream, but contains enough of the usual Hader/Wiig antics that'll make it so popular.

And now some bad:
Land of the Lost - I gave up about 20 minutes in. It made no sense at all. Not even Anna Friel can save this monstrosity
Dragonball Evolution - Just...what.

And some mildly average:
Van Wilder: Freshman Year - Not great, but not entirely bad either. I'm sure everyone who will watch it will completely disagree, but there are definitely some parts of this which are worthy of a chuckle or two.
Watchmen - Not having ready the comic books, this film would probably have made more sense. It was alrite and everything, there were just bits of it that were all like "meh" and stuff (You can tell i'm really trying here can't you?)
17 Again - Yeah, not bad. Obviously not great, cus frankly its been done before and better (Tom Hanks you legend). Although, one major flaw with the entire film is that the wife doesn't seem to realise that her husband is now a kid. Not just any kid, but the kid she went out with in high school and had a baby with (*SPOILER ALERT* that last bit was a spoiler...shit, i've done that wrong havn't I?). Frankly "oh, you look a bit like my husband used to" doesn't really cut it. You'd think you'd KNOW what they looked like and you'd be all "MIIIIIINDFUUUUUCK" or something.

And now for some more good stuff! YAY FOR GOODIES!

Well I haven't actually got any more goodies film-wise, but...ummm...Chappelle's Show is awesome! Couple of years old now, but you can't go wrong with a bit o' racist banter huh! I've also been watching Breaking Bad, havn't quite managed to finish the 2nd season yet as I've had work to do etc. But I will, don't you worry. There's also a long list of stuff that I should watch before the new series starts in September, but I'm not going to bore you with it (mostly cus it's all gay stuff like Grey's Anatomy)

In terms of music, the new Calvin Harris song, "Ready for the Weekend" has some pretty good remixes. Official ones too, good ol' Calvin Schmalvin got Fake Blood and High Contrast to do some pretty awesome mixes. I have yet to decide which is better, altho i'm leaning slightly towards the High Contrast remix. However I'm thinking that if I heard the Fake Blood mix on a fat bass system on a night at Custard, i'd still blow a load. (THAT IMAGE DOING ANYTHING FOR YA?!?!). You can find the tunes over at hypemachine, just do that thing with the search box and your keyboard.

I think that's it from me. I turn 21 on Saturday, which is nice and everything. I believe Tubs is over at Latitude for the weekend, so I'm sure she'll have some updates for you when she gets back.

~ Lazy

Danger! Love!

2009-07-05T15:11:00.010+01:00

Hello kiddiewinks! How are we this glorious, greying day?
It is I, Tubs, appearing on your computer screens to talk about SCIENCE. No, wait... MUSIC.

I bought the new Decemberists' album Hazards of Love a while back and have been meaning to write about it ever since, but it's been sunny and I don't get paid to write this crap. However, now I venture...

Hazards of Love is a concept album inspired by an EP of the same name by an old folk singer called Anne Briggs, who Colin Meloy has mentioned before. She is proper, original folk; the kind of stuff your parents probably listened to when they were getting stoned around a fire. I imagine that's what all of your parents did, right? In any case, she's just one of those obvious influences if only because Meloy has regularly mentioned her. That's all you would need to know about that if necessity were a feature at all.
Just in case you're not clued in to The Decemberists, they can be simplified down to folk-rock that dips into 'progressive' now and then. Colin Meloy has a style that has been referred to as pretentious, but fuck that; he just tells good folk tales using wonderful wording. Also they have good timbre. Delicious. More accordions in music please!
Anyhoo, this is their fifth album but is different to their previous work and is my favourite as it is consistently great. It is also super-epic. It is a sort of rock-opera revolving around some chick named Margaret, but the narrative is vague enough to not get in the way of the music as it is. Meloy's wonderfully lyrical way with words isn't lost here despite my unusual disinterest in the content, and definitely gains new ground with Becky Stark as guest vocalist. It just sounds great. There's a brilliant use of dynamics, ranging from sweet and sensitive guitar to massive rock lurches that are almost obnoxious, and I feel I should note that I'm getting a big Pink Floyd vibe. That's not just because of the big kids chorus number near the end of the tale which, by the by, happens to be my favourite chapter of the album; in many ways it's incredibly eerie, but is somehow lovely as well. (Reminds me of Zelda: Ocarina of Time a bit for some reason...) It just feels ridiculously clever.
Hazards of Love is probably my favourite album of the year so far, because it is immediately heart-crushingly luxurious and dramatic. It's a wonderful piece of work and I urge you to purchase it post-haste! And then listen to it all in one go, since there is no divide between each 'single' - it must be appreciated wholly, like a good film. Don't spotify it because the adverts will ruin it and that will make me sad.

I'm going to go and drink lots of water for my hangover now. Good day to you!

-Tubs

Transformers: Revenge of the slo-mo

2009-06-29T14:19:00.007+01:00

So I've been meaning to write this review for some time (it's been a week since I've seen the film), but am just getting round to it in my own good time. Mostly because, well, I was pretty disappointed.

Now if you've seen the film, or read any other real reviews, then you'll know why. It's just..."meh". There is no other way to describe it. It's not BAD but it's just not GREAT either. There was so much hype surrounding the film, and as amazing as the first film was, this one just doesn't even come close.

In my opinion, there's just too much in this film. Too much of everything. The first Transformers film was great, because it didn't really TRY too hard, and didn't take itself too seriously, so the jokes and the action seemed to intertwine almost seamlessly. However, Revenge of the Fallen fails at this on so many levels. The script at times was absolutely shocking, and certain scenes and characters were completely unnecessary. Obviously being a sequel means that you have to step it up, as people rarely want to see a carbon copy of the original (although in this case, maybe that would have been better?). Looking at past examples such as Spiderman 2, Terminator 2 and Toy Story 2 (yes that's right bitches, MOTHER-LOVING TOY STORY), these were all successful films that managed to continue the success of the franchise to no end. Transformers 2 however, seems to have gone the route of Spiderman 3, in just having way too much to it. Its far too meaty for what it is, and has too many large plot holes in order to stretch the film out (SPOILER: Why the hell didn't they just use the all-spark fragment to revive Optimus instead of that old English wanker who kept spunking fluids all over the places?) - at times it reminded me of that bit in Thank You For Smoking when Rob Lowe's character says "Thank God we invented the...you know, whatever device".

On the other hand, the action sequences were pretty great, and who doesn't want to see Megan Fox running around in slo-mo with a skimpy top on? If only Michael Bay could have cut all the crap from the script, maybe there could have been a decent film in there somewhere, but alas, it wasn't to be. Lets hope Ironman 2 doesn't go the same way when it comes out next year (Or Toy Story 3, but come on, that could never ever ever fail *crosses fingers*).

I'm not even going to talk about Skids and Mudflap, they fail all on their own merit.

~ Lazy

New 2012 trailer!

2009-06-18T20:09:00.003+01:00

First we were given

This was long ago. Intrigued, I searched 2012 on the googlebox and then decided I was very excited for this film. Vexcited.

Now finally we've been given

and I was reminded that John Cusack is in it. This pleases me greatly.
2012 will be out in November and you can bet I'll actually fork out the money to see it as soon as it comes out, rather than hanging around waiting for the Prince Charles to show it.

In other news, I saw Drag Me To Hell a week or so ago and it is hilarious and great. See it! Also, I only found out after watching it that Sam Raimi is making the Evil Dead series a tetralogy! BIG news. But that baby isn't out 'til 2011 so we can forget about that for now and avoid stressing over whether it will disappoint or not.

Apologies to Lazy for repeatedly ruining our pleasant dynamic by insisting on crossing the board to talk about films! Music update soon I promise.

-Tubs

Lazy: It's fine, I don't mind, especially when it's as epic as this film. John Cusack you sly dog! I'd write some stuff about music, but we all know that I'm tone deaf, so my opinion really doesn't matter :)

She's come a long way since The Princess Diaries

2009-06-13T21:37:00.006+01:00

So today I watched a film called Havoc, which was released back in 2005 as a straight-to-DVD film. As soon as I hear the words "straight-to-DVD" I assume the worst, as this right is usually reserved to less-than-par sequels and basic garbage that the studio couldn't really afford to have shown in cinemas. And to be frank, this one was pretty much the proof in the pudding.

I had seen a movie poster for the film a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't really considering checking it out, as the 2 names mentioned are "Anne Hathaway" (The Princess Diaries) and "Bijou Philips" (I'll be honest, I had to look her up. Apparently she's been in Almost Famous and Hostel Part 2. Oh and in GTA San Andreas as a character called "Helena Wankstein"). Not exactly entirely enticing, but if I tell you now that you see Hathaway's boobsicles at least twice, will you change your mind? Probably not, the Internet is littered with these things people call 'breasts'.

The reason I finally got round to watching it tho? Well honestly, in "researching" my last post, I looked on the wikipedia page for the new G.I. Joe movie, and was surprised to learn that Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun) was in it. Now I've been a fan of his for quite some time, probably spreading back to when he was on 3rd Rock, but since then he's done some pretty stellar low-key indie flicks such as Mysterious Skin, Brick, and The Lookout, all of which showcased his tremendous skills as an actor. Having seen he was in Havoc, I figured that he'd at least add some serious weight to the cast (which also includes Channing Tatum of Step Up fame), but alas, it was not to be.

Levitt's role is fairly small, and frankly, not that great, which didn't exactly give me hope for the rest of the film. The film itself depicts the life of so-called rich 'Wiggers' and the rebellious nature of upper-class teens becoming mixed up in a world unknown to them (which apparently is alllll the way from Beverly Hills down to East L.A.). Now the premise for the film is actually fairly intriguing, and could have potentially made something of itself. However, one can't exactly get over the fact that Anne Hathaway is playing the lead, who to me doesn't exactly strike me as someone who could really portray the angst that should have been felt by her character. To me, she seemed TOO Beverly Hills, and I couldn't connect with her representation of a character who is trying to fit in with an East L.A. Mexican gang.

If you're like me and you have nothing better to do (or are intrigued by the afforementioned Hathaway boobathon), then give it a watch and see what you think. Just don't go into it expecting miracles. What you should watch out for though is Levitt's upcoming movie 500 Days of Summer, which alongside Zooey Deschanel (You may have seen her in Yes Man or Elf , but I much prefer her roles in The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Go-Getter, an excellent cameo in Weeds) is looking like a great film from the trailer. I like the fact it's being released on Fox Searchlight Pictures, which specialises in great Indie films, and according to wikipedia has brought us I ♥ Huckabees, Super Troopers, Thank You For Smoking, Garden State, Little Miss Sunshine, The Darjeeling Ltd, Juno, and is set to bring us the Arrested Development movie. There's no bias there, but I'm pretty certain thats one of the greatest collections of films I've ever seen :)

~Lazy

What's this I hear?

2009-06-12T12:07:00.004+01:00

A re-make of the classic 80s TV show 'The A-Team'?

That's right folks, you heard me, another classic about to be completely butchered. Now when any franchise is 're-booted' persay, there comes issues. Firstly you get your die-hard fans (which i'm thinking with the A-Team is probably about 6 people?), who are absolutely opposed to any new changes and send death-threats and severed heads to whomever may be directing.

However, sometimes re-boots works. Just look at the new Star Trek. With JJ Abrams at the helm and a multi-million dollar budget, things went well. Not that I've seen it, but I heard it's kinda like Star Wars (http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1910892).

But what's really difficult in attempting to re-make a classic is the casting choices. The reason shows and old movies become classics is because of the people that portray them. They become the face (THATS RIGHT I SAID FACE, LIKE FROM OFF OF THE A-TEAM...) of the series and often become synonymous with that franchise.

Now from what I've gathered thus far, although this hasn't been confirmed, but Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers, The Hangover) is a potential to play the Faceman, and Liam Neeson (Taken) is in talks to play Hannibal. Now that's all very well and good, and I'm sure they'll do a tremendous job. But the real question is, who will get to play B.A. Baracus?! Obviously, you've got 2 options: 1. Have Mr. T reprise his role, knowing full well that people will go see the film just to see him say "I ain't gettin on no plane" with a glass of milk in his hand, or 2. Cast someone else, and have everyone sigh and say "Should have been Mr. T". The choice is obvious, right?! NO. IDIOT. As much as I'm sure everyone would love to see Mr. T back in the helm that made him famous, by bringing him back this film would become as much of a farce as the upcoming G.I. Joe reboot. That'd be admitting that the only real weight behind The A-Team is on the strength of a man who legally changed his name to include a full stop.

In other news, Breaking Bad is awesome. But I'm sure you're all aware of this, so there's probably no need to delve any further into this. ALSO, there was a show on the American network Starz called 'Party Down' which was really awesome and funny and I'll probably write a whole review, but for now I probably need to get dressed as I'm meant to leave the flat in about...3 minutes.

~Lazy

Relevant!

2009-06-10T14:04:00.001+01:00

I love the Amateur Transplants. You should buy their CD! Today I put up this song because it is currently the situation. Hooray. Thanks, guys.
Okay now I have to GET A BUS to see a house like a COMMON ANIMAL.

-Tubs

Whore Chords

2009-05-28T17:51:00.002+01:00

I meant to post this Axis of Awesome video a while ago (even though it does lie little bit). I always do as I intend. Eventually. (Especially if it involves deceit.)

-Tubs

Seeing is believing (peeing is relieving!)

2009-05-21T17:45:00.005+01:00

This is likely to occur more in the future so don't freak out or anything, but this is Tubs talking about films. Take it. Digest it. Pass it out with the joys of poopin'.

This post is to expose you all to this site I just came across. Runpee is a fucking wicked idea some guy with a nice voice came up with to let you know when you can go for a wee during a film and not miss anything. So simple and yet so wonderfully clever!
Register and make this the wikipedia of cinema toilet breaks.

-Tubs

This is a long post so get comfy (but don't piss or shit yourself)

2009-05-14T05:57:00.000+01:00

Well since I'm AWAKE, I may as well post a wank. Tonight, or rather, last night was a good one for my musical library. Granted, I was supposed to be learning a set of three essays for an exam I have in about 4 hours but that is neither here nor there!

First of all let's start with Red Sparowes. Having heard of them but never listened to them, they were known to me as some kind of indie instrumental band that my mate Sam Walker liked. Turns out that they are pretty good. I don't really have anything more to say about them other than if I had gone to uni a year earlier I may well have gone to see them at ULU. 'Cause they played there. But in July? So I'd probably not be in London? Honestly the logic was flawed from the beginning, so I'm not going to commit in any way to following it through. Anyway, I can't find any updates since then so who knows what's cooking? DOES SAM? Maybe he does. Or did... (Hint: He's dead now.)

Onwards, keeping the same sort of instrumental indie theme but stretching it out so it's slower and longer, we have Bossk. Very easily background music for doing very little, if anything, Bossk are a fairly worthwhile addition to your musical collection. (You must have 'doing nothing' in your interests if you're this far down the page, AMIRIGHT?) They're currently getting pre-orders for their new split EP with Rinoa, and you can get that in a big fat bumper package with lots of cool shit like tees and badges and bacon maybe... So go grab that if you're feeling particularly wealthy.

With The Legend of Charlie we take a jaunt down jazzy lane, among some experimental electronica wildlife to delight your fancy. There is also some mad-eyed leprechaun with a kicking haircut. Green eyes, man. To suit his little green dickybow.

And now, my favourite band of the moment: Thingy. They are thoroughly enjoyable, and as I perused their polite little myspace fan page I just gobbled up one song after another. They are good times since '95 and I feel bad that I only just noticed their existence. Thankfully, quelling my fears, they are still together and are supposedly working on a new album. Can't seem to find any vines about that, but I trust it'll be up on the radar soon enough and I'll pass it on to you. IF YOU'RE GOOD.

Next time hopefully I'll finally write about the return of The Thermals. Maybe I'll get round to all the CDs I meant to talk about earlier this year? It could happen. Pigs are flying, after all...

In the meantime, I leave you with the new Animal Collective single. Do a sex to/on it!

Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes

-Tubs

These things are new...

2009-05-10T21:44:00.000+01:00

So I don't really have time to write anything proper (coupled with the fact I still haven't managed to come to terms with the English language), so here's a list of things I've seen/heard lately:

Bloc Party - Intimacy Remixed: Not as good as Silent Alarm Remixed, and some of the tracks made me yawn, but there are some good bits (Trojan Horse - John B Remix is a particular favourite)
M83 - Saturdays=Youth: I like it. It's very chilled out and mellow, perfect for the summer
The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die: Meh. Nowhere near as good as The Fat of the Land.
I also really love this remix of The Streets' Blinded by the Lights by Nero (linksies). It turns an already brilliant track into something much much more.

And here's the films, condensed into one easy to swallow list:

The Game Plan: Like an Eddie Murphy movie, you laugh and then you feel guilty after
S Darko: Bleurgh. The writers obviously didn't quite understand the first one at all
Vantage Point: Average at best
The Bank Job: Decent-ish
Crank 2 - High Voltage: Mental (in the good way)
Fanboys: Enjoyable
Push: Bit of an anti-climax towards the end, and riddled with plot holes, but some nice special effects
Dead Man on Campus: light-hearted funtimes
The Cleaner: Not Samuel. L. Jackson's finest, and not helped by a pretty simple and predictable story
Teen Wolf: Hilariously tame

Also, I am looking forward to these films:

Paper Heart (trailer)
Adventureland (trailer)
500 Days of Summer (trailer)
The Hangover (trailer)
Extract (trailer)
Adam (trailer)
Funny People (trailer)
Away We Go (trailer)

I'm sure there will be more posts coming next week, as I'm done with my exams on the 16th. But don't hold your breath, I'll probably be too busy sleeping or sipping on Pimms

~ Lazy

Jump for my love

2009-05-07T04:35:00.000+01:00

Pro bros. No hos. Fo sho's!

2009-05-05T02:40:00.000+01:00

Basically, this is the deal: I now have to do lots of work because it is time for what the Americans refer to as 'finals'. Being a lazy waste of space, I have done barely anything of worth and now it is time for the cramming to commence! This means I will either post lots (procrastination) or post rarely (work ethic) over the next month. As for now, I am currently supposed to be writing an essay relating the architecture of a church to the development of Christianity throughout British history, and so I have decided to dazzle you all with a much-needed post about MUSIC. So! LET'S GET TO IT.

Warp Records is one of my most favourite labels. With acts like Battles, Autechre, Squarepusher, Aphex Twin and Grizzly Bear you gotta offer some pooty-tang or something. Recently, my big bro had absent-mindedly hummed along to the Audi advert and it looked like fertile ground for a bit of nudging and tripping up in my direction. I'm a big fan of Battles. (If you haven't got on that bandwagon yet, then please learn to prep before you come to class. The notes are at the front.) I feel they are making math-rock accessible, which is something I think I approve of! There's nothing wrong with a bit of accessibility, as long as the product isn't damaged in any way (see: The Beach, for how to fuck that shit up), and Battles are ace so clearly it is trophyville. I was curious to see how someone who has avoided all contact with any kind of progressive rock in favour of generally more soulful and more popular rock (if any rock at all) would react to the math genre. I wasn't about to drop in any The Murder of Rosa Luxemburg; I think that would hit the wrong notes (boom!) entirely so I hit him with some New York Warp shiznaynay. It's sometimes difficult to get people to admit when they like something if it's part of something they've avoided all the years it's been blasting out your room, but this sort of 'friendly' entrance to the genre could turn those grimaces to positive witnesses! Once your foot's in the door, you're half way in. As they say. Perhaps... It's a bit like the way Classic FM is the first step and Radio 3 is the next. Lord knows what other classical stations there are getting deeper and deeper into the depths of the baroques, romantics and so on. But I'll bet my sleep-pattern there are at least more! Incidentally, I bet it irritates classically trained musicians when all 'classical' music is referred to as that, but I guess that's the way it's gonna be until they go invent a better word. SO GO DO IT. Anyway, I guess he liked it maybe.

Let's rant about something else now: Jools Holland. He used to be cool, right? Now he puts on balls. He must be being made to do this. Maybe he doesn't care anymore...
^{Jools Holland - the descent into madness}
Holland's heart is dripping with black tears and he just doesn't want to live anymore. Well buck up, J'and! This isn't Garden State.

In other news, my parents are pretty pissed that Marianne Faithfull is making some sort of comeback, which I guess is fair enough. They thought that she'd gone for good but she just came craaawwling back! Of course, she was doing ting anyway but since we're obsessing over the past on the BBC lately it seems she's probably now going to get some publicity. I believe she has a new album out this year and is going on tour, but I really don't care. Honestly, when your biggest claim to fame is sleeping with the Rolling Stones and then deciding you liked Jagger the best (surprise! lead singer! who'da thunk it?), you don't really deserve any time on my speakers. Plus her voice makes me want to throw up a little. You wonder why I'm writing about this when I am nearly indifferent, and I tell you: It's a warning. Also, it'll make you seem cool to bitch about stuff that your peers aren't really aware of. Right? Right??
^{Mick Jagger - wouldn't you?}

Anyway kids, I better skoot. This essay won't ruin itself! I'm going to go get the resident cat to shit on it. Also, it has piles or something so the stool will be BLOODY! Enjoy it, moderators!

- Tubs

I'LL ADMIT IT

2009-04-24T00:52:00.000+01:00

I watched a chick flick. And it was GOOOOD!

Now for those that know me, this probably isn't a big shock, as I've watched enough chick flicks in my time to be refereed to as an ACTUAL girl. but surprisingly, when I told my friend earlier that I was watching "He's just not that into you", she seemed astounded, not only at the fact that I was watching said film, but at the fact that I was watching it alone. It was 11 o'clock in the morning, I hadn't even gotten out of bed, how the fuck else was I MEANT to be watching it?

But what can I say? Am I meant to be limited to only Action, Comedy and Horror movies? First off, I don't really see the point in horrors. The world is scary enough without people prancing around in masks telling me I'm going to die. And secondly, do they not call it an "entertainment business"? Am I not meant to be entertained? Who can honestly tell me they've not sat through a chick flick and been entertained! SUUUURE, the ending is pretty much set out in stone, but the joy is in the the journey, not the destination (I believe it was Peaceful Warrior that taught me that).

Now, I will be the first to admit that among all of the amazing films that I've both seen and owned, there are the fair shit of absolute shitstorms. Take for example the other week, a low point in my life. Not the week itself, but the fact that I resorted to watching The Hottie and the Nottie. PLEASE. NO LYNCHING. I say "watched", in my defense, I only saw about 5 minutes of it. And the REASON I watched it was simple...I needed to get to sleep. I don't even know why I mentioned that whole thing, but there is a point. And I think it's this...Chick flicks are seen as an atrocity to human nature. But really? are they? can they really be any worse than The Perfect Storm? NO. it's physically impossible, that film makes me want to throw up in my mouth. But really, chick flicks are the most suited of all the genres to their purpose...to entertain. And that they do.

I was once told by a friend, and I really hope she's reading this, that "Mean Girls" is a chick flick. NOW COME ON. It was written by Tina Fey. It's about funny things, and don't solely revolve around one girls quest to get some cock. Now I'll admit that the fundamental backbone of most films is the romantic interest, and I'll hope you'll agree that the majority of films out there involve this aspect, but Mean Girls? REALLY? TINA FEY (hot) wrote it, it must be funny! (Can we have our money now?). A chick flick? Stop being a douche and watch it again, you'll understand!

SO...all in all, this is how the scenario plays out. Chick Flicks = Fun. Mean Girls = Comedy, and I'm not ashamed to admit that not only is it in my DVD collection, but it's quite high up there as one of the best films I've ever seen. And I guess going back to the original point, He's just not that into you is actually a pretty good film. You'll kinda understand where I'm coming from if I say it's a tame version of Young People Fucking if you've seen it. If you've haven't, it's highly recommended. As well as everything I've mentioned here...EXCEPT THE PERFECT STORM (shit)

P.S. I love driting my wrosts prunk. Mostly because I get so anal about the spelling I have to keep checking it and so it probably ends up better than my sober posts. I'm pretty certain none of it makes sense though, so that's always fun :)

~ Lazy

Hey what?

2009-04-23T03:11:00.001+01:00

Wuh huh? Hey! Look who's been masturbating furiously to youtube! Me? Is it me? It's me.

Let's look at what has been drawn to my attention in musically themed youtube vids recently...

First of all there is the obvious youtube fanbase reaching of Kyle Andrews. Dedicating your entire video to youtube, with samples of thousands of different videos is a surefire way of getting lots and lots of people to notice you and your easily overlooked music. I'm not saying the song isn't alright, and nor am I putting this guy down for obvious coat-tail grabbings. Really it's a smart move, but this kind of thing is going to get rapidly more irritating.

I checked out the rest of this Kyle Andrew's work on his website and it didn't really do anything for me to be honest, but I quite liked some of what he was trying to do so go have a listen and see if you can make yourself like it. I'm sure he doesn't need your support what with the millions of fans he'll get from his little attention chasing video, but hey! Clever move, Andrews...

Vadrum is this pretty sweet drummer who likes to smash his kit to lots of different well-known tracks. For example...

I'm sure there are lots of people on youtube doing similar things, but, well, fuck them for not trying hard enough that I didn't get to see them and hence show them to you. Plus this guy seems awesome. Go Vadrum!

I don't think the following video needs an explanation.

Go check out the rest of Andrew Gregory's videos for fun musical American politics, as well as a couple of other subjects. However, I think I chose the best one so don't get too excited, chimpettes.

And that's a rap! But I'm sure I'll put off all the work I have to do for real things again with another post real soon! YESSIR.

-Tubs