emma chittenden

Finally got around to watching the film… I even splurged slightly and went for the big comfy leather seats. Which would have been great had I not had what seemed like girls aloud sitting in the same row (a whole empty gallery area and they had to sit in my row… and the smart arse that’s going to respond with “why didn’t you move” will get slapped so don’t).

Anyway if you can get over Kirsten Dunst being irritating at the start, and Orlando Bloom’s really bad american accent, then you may like the film. It dragged a bit in places, and it did have a similar heart warming feel that Jerry McGuire had. An interesting sound track. However a lot of bits of film didn’t sit that well, there appeared to be lots of bits you were waiting for closure on, that never come. However I guess that’s what the films about, a dad dying, a son missing it, and realising he’s missed out on a lot of his dad’s life in the last 8 years because he’s been busy failing spectacularly. Another one of those “live every day as if it were your last and enjoy what you’ve got”…

Whoever made that film a 12a was intent on giving kids nightmares. Raw is a word I’d use to describe it. The noticable difference was the lack of the theatrics and harshness of the other films, especially towards the end. The cheesiness was gone. Well cast I’ll add though.

Violent and using tricks of the mind that I felt would have made it better suited to a 15 minimum. A few scenes that made everyone jump. I guess it’s important to realise it’s not from the same franchise as the others and I was glad. As much as I liked the other films (yes for a while I was addicted to one of them, but I’m not saying which one thank you, close friends will know and take the piss), I thought this was actually well done.

Michael Caine as a butler? seemed slightly out of place, and he seemed to make for the cringeworthy scenes, otherwise it was good.

Just one thing spoiled it, ok two. The air con was broken and it was like a bloody sauna in there, I was thankful of the walk back to Canary Wharf station to cool down. And the mad woman laughing… oh ok three things… I think the mad woman laughing had her mobile phone on as I kept catching the screen from like 10 rows away… annoying.

I also walked past someone who looked very much like Jenson Button… but it can’t have been, I mean isn’t he supposed to be at Goodwood? I’ve met him before which is why I thought it was him… nah can’t have been… ah well a girl can dream, I did get a nice smile off of whoever it was (rich bastard, carrying a load of todd’s bags).

Right now, do I go watch Sin City or Kung Fu Hustle tomorrow… decisions decisions…

NB Almost forgot to mention the trailer for Madagascar…. damn that film looks funny, I want to watch the penguins who, if you ask me, will probably walk away with the film… word of warning, NEVER trust a penguin they’re sneaky little bastards.

Well I finally got to see it, all be it on my own. Funny film but what happened to the end. Just when you thought it was going ot get on further it didn’t go anywhere at all. Good though.

In the mean time I’m fucking off oop north for a week. oh happy happy joy joy. Not that I want to go, but never mind eh?

Birthday weekend was ok, Camden market was cool, got the glass ring I wanted, and I bought a corset as well. Looks pretty cool. Anyway, gonna have to go to bed soon as I’ve got to get up at stupid o’clock tomorrow.

I’ve just had one of those moments. I was looking for a track on a CD, now I’ve got all my CD’s stacked neatly. So I found a couple of cheap cheesy clubbing CD’s that have some real gems on them, tracks that I probably just bought the CD’s for. (I’m getting to something, keep reading). Anyway one of my favourite films is 51st State, I just love the bit where Samuel L Jackson is standing on top of the stage in the club and shouts something to the effect of “tonight you’re going to kiss the sun and taste the mother fucking rainbow” before tossing a ton of pills into the crowd. Anyway right before he does that there’s a track playing called Synaesthesia by the Thrillseekers. I’ve got a great mix of it on a Gatecrasher album, but not the one that’s in the film… or so I thought.

The track is as rare as hens teeth to find. You just cannot find it for love nor money. It’s a mix featuring Sheryl Deane. Anyway, not only did I find this track on the CD but I also found the track that’s played right after it in the film, Warrior by Warrior. Very fast tracks, but uplifting and if you love to dance like me, then you can’t sit still. I have a goofy grin on my face and I’m going to have to go and put it on again.

Some of the old tracks are the best, things like Insomnia by Faithless, Saltwater Feat Maria Brennan by Chicane, 1998 by Binary Finary, Everytime by Lustral (the Mike Koglin one), Liberation (fly like an Angel) by Mat Darey etc. I’m sure that I’ve harped on about these tracks before, but when you find an excellent track, it’s like reaching a certain Nirvana, your shoulders loose their pinch, your body just can’t stop mooving, you want to stop what you are doing and dance around like a nutter. How could I forget these cheap CD’s that I bought?!? well they’re on the pod now so no chance of loosing them. Now there’s a whole new generation of dance tracks to absorbe and come back here in a few years and do the same thing, I think Stonebridge & Hed Kandi are going to be on that list, but you’ll never take the old favourites away I think.

Sorry… Daniel Craig… pwhoar!! oh, right, layer cake. As good as the book, only what happened at the end was a bit of a pisser. Never mind, worth watching. Very well shot, I don’t think that anyone can compare his directing talent to Guy Ritchie, although they appear to be from the same stock. Layer Cake was written by JJ Connolly, where as Snatch and Lock Stock were both written by Ritchie so it kind of makes the point a tad moot. However it was very well put together.

The way the book was written had lots of bitty things going on all over the place, like someone had thrown a pack of cards in the air, as you went through you had to put it all back together again. The film kept up with it in the way that the book did which was quite impressive… If you liked Lock Stock or Snatch then you’ll probably like Layer Cake, but I’d reccomend watching it as a new experience. If we can continue to put out films like this then I think the British Film industry is worth saving.

Anyway… Daniel Craig… pwhoar!!

My dad kindly gave me a copy of Man on Fire at the weekend as he doesn’t own a region free DVD player. I watched it last night, and I can’t possbily understand why it didn’t do so well at the box office. The film was gritty, and reminded me a lot of Denzel Washington’s performance in Training Day.

Good plot with excellent cinematography.

You know the market for films has gone down hill when you fancy renting The Day After Tomorrow. “Contains Extended Scenes of Peril”… should read “Contains Extended Scenes of Cheese, American Patirotic BS and Schmaltz”… I thought it would be good, it was predictable. Funny and very cringe worthy. Damn I’m feeling old when a good film has to be something arty with a good plot.

Also talk about product placement, it was everywhere, I spotted:
Oakley
Bole
Dell
Burger King
Mountain Gear (which is good to know as my duck down coat is Mountain Gear… ARGH! what am I saying… I’ve been brain washed!).

The bigger mistake was watching Top Gun after it, I had to ask why was there a Navy recruiting poster on the wall of the mens locker rooms at Top Gun? it was like “If you’re reading this you’ve already joined”. Nice.

Also note to self number 1 for this week – must not say live long and prosper to the guy who works at the mexican restaurant, I managed to not say it, but it’s only a matter of time before I do, he really looks like Tuvok from Voyager, its so freaky. Yes I have watched Star Trek Voyager, No I don’t speak klingon, and no I don’t go to Sc-fi conventions (although I have been caught wandering around Forbidden Planet).

As I mentioned yesterday I was off to see Hero last night. I’ve already seen the film, twice. Last night was the first time I had seen it on the big screen and on a copy intended for the European market.

The first time I saw this film, I knew it was the best film I’d ever seen. OK yes it’s chinese but I don’t really care, it was such a beautiful film. The plot was interesting and not implausible like the junk Hollywood pumps out.

If anyone tells you “it’s like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” only listen to them in as much as it’s Chinese, and it has sword fighting in it. The similarities stop there. The film doesn’t drag, it’s easy to understand, and it’ll leave you stunned. That is unless you are one of the muppets that sat and laughed at various bits that, well just weren’t funny and showed you just how much of a muppet you really are.

Yes it has wire work but the emphasis wasn’t put on doing implausible flying work, it was on the way the body moves, on the external factors like water, leaves and colour.

There is one bit near the end however that they didn’t translate correctly, I won’t tell you as you’ll probably go “you spoiled it for me” so anyone wanting to know, mail me and I’ll tell you.

If you only see one film for the rest of this year, make it Hero, you won’t be disappointed.

I’ll readily put my hand up and admit that I am wrong about something. That something would be the remake of the Italian Job. When it was announced I thought, Oh no, more so because it was to be set in America. I thought it would be pants.

I saw it at the cinema, and my first thought was that it was a good film, then a couple of weeks later I got it on Region 1 DVD, and with the extra quality I thought it was brilliant. I guess the point they made was that it wasn’t a sequel, more a homage to and remake of the Michael Caine classic. The film was well cast, even if it did have the remake king Mark Whalberg in Michael Caine’s role. The plot was pretty well thought out and the car chase was one of the better ones of the films that were out last year. I’d totaly reccomend this film to watch.