Alex Wilson’s Blog

2011-02-18T10:46:00.003Z

TV Reviews:

Off Centre: Dud

Skins: A show about kids—not realistic, in the slightest! **

2011-02-08T17:12:00.006Z

I have, recently, been compiling a 50-track house-party playlist and, after many hours of arduous study, I have come up with this (I would ask ‘thoughts’ but I know nobody reads this?!):

1. Al Green: Jesus is Waiting
2. The Indestructible Beat of Soweto: Indoda Yejazi Elimnyama
3. Lil Wayne: Kush
4. The Roots: How I Got Over
5. Kanye West: Through the Wire
6. Drive-By Truckers: Outfit
7. Wussy: Conversation Lags
8. Al Green: Call Me (Come Back Home)
9. Kanye West: Two Words
10. Ghostface Killah: All That I Got is You
11. Rod Stewart: Every Picture Tells a Story
12. Michael Hurley/Unholy Modal Rounders/Jeffrey Fredericks & the Clamtones: Sweet Lucy
13. Elizabeth Cook: El Camino
14. Die Antwoord: Enter the Ninja
15. Kanye West: Hell of a Life
16. Nicki Minaj: Did it on’em
17. Madonna: Borderline
18. Sonic Youth: Sunday
19. Sly & the Family Stone: Dance to the Music
20. Fleetwood Mac: The Chain
21. LL Cool J: Mama Said Knock You Out
22. Ghostface Killah: The Champ
23. Sly & the Family Stone: Everyday People
24. Van Morrison: Everyone
25. The Clash: White Riot
26. Gogol Bordello: Mishto!
27. DJ Shadow: Mutual Slump
28. Culture: I’m Alone in the Wilderness
29. LL Cool J: Around the Way Girl
30. Lil Wayne: 3 Peat
31. M.I.A.: Paper Planes
32. DJ Shadow: Building Steam with a Grain of Salt
33. Latin Playboys: If
34. The Clash: Hate & War
35. Derek and the Dominos: Layla
36. X: The Once Over Twice
37. The Replacements: Favorite Thing
38. Drive-By Truckers: Marry Me
39. Wussy: Airborne
40. Paul Simon: Mother and Child Reunion
41. Television: See No Evil
42. Public Enemy: Bring the Noise
43. Sonic Youth: The Ineffable Me
44. X: I’m Coming Over
45. The Indestructible Beat of Soweto: Awungilobolele
46. Culture: Two Sevens Clash
47. Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
48. Michael Jackson: Beat It
49. Eminem: Stan
50. James McMurtry: We Can’t Make it Here Anymore

There are two juxtapositions I, particularly, like—Nicki Minaj’s ‘Did it on’em’ leading into Madonna’s ‘Borderline’ and LL Cool J’s ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ leading into Ghostface Killah’s ‘The Champ’—even, if I do say so myself!

2011-01-23T15:04:00.004Z

Possibly, the greatest shuffle that’s ever happened to me..?!

1. Rolling Stones: ‘Rocks Off’
2. Michael Hurley (& gang): ‘Driving Wheel’
3. Randy Newman: ‘Uncle Bob’s Midnight Blues’ (it’s funny, these tracks use the words ‘go down’ to different themes! ;p)
4. The Roots: ‘Dear God 2.0’
5. Wussy: ‘Mayflies’
6. Al Green: ‘Here I am (Come and Take Me)’
7. DJ Shadow: ‘** Transmission 1’
8. The Indestructible Beat of Soweto: ‘Indoda Yejazi Elimnyama’
9. Lil Wayne: ‘A Milli’
10. Elizabeth Cook: ‘Mama’s Funeral’

As I carried on through, it went through a lot more good songs—including, Kanye West’s ‘Monster’—I should use shuffle more often!

2011-01-22T22:19:00.004Z

TV Reviews:

Ben 10: My girlfriend’s son is hooked on this show—basically, a couple of young children and (for moral grounding) their grandpa are on a never-ending quest to kill every alien (which all seem to be evil) that, coincidently, happens to cross their path. The animation is good enough and is neither too hyperactive nor blasé. If you can get over the irritating constant action-over-semantics you may just appreciate this show for what it does well—holds kids attention! ***

2011-01-16T09:37:00.004Z

Robert Christgau’s best-of-year list is, finally, out!

2011-01-03T21:27:00.006Z

Greatest games of 2010 list:

1. Demon’s Souls
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2
3. Red Dead Redemption
4. Sid Meier’s Civilization V
5. Minecraft Alpha
6. Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty
7. Call of Duty: Black Ops
8. Battlefield Bad Company 2
9. Mass Effect 2
10. Halo: Reach

Best expansion packs:

1. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
2. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II—Chaos Rising
3. Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare

This year has been particularly crap for games (aside from, perhaps, the top five).

2010-12-23T11:54:00.002Z

2010-12-15T12:44:00.005Z

2010-12-07T16:15:00.004Z

2010-11-29T23:19:00.006Z

2010-11-29T22:09:00.002Z

My perfect home cinema setup:

TV: Sony KDL-40EX503
Speakers: B&W 685 Theatre (+ B&W ASW610 subwoofer)
Amplifier: Onkyo TX-SR608
CD Player: Audiolab 8200CD
Blu-ray Player: Sony BDP-S570
HDMI Cables: QED Profile HDMI
Remote Control: Logitech Harmony One
Speaker Stands: Partington ANSA 60
Speaker Cables: Chord Company Carnival Silver
Mains Cable: Merlin Tarantula MK6
Conditioner: Lindy 6-way
Equipment Rack: Hi Fi Racks Podium
Subwoofer Isolator: Auralex SubDude(HD)
Cable TV: Virgin Media V+

2010-11-28T11:18:00.007Z

2010-11-24T21:33:00.021Z

The only thing I like about the second to last image are those shoes! The outfit—not so much…

2010-11-23T18:39:00.020Z

Album Reviews:

AWWBLOT: And What Will be Left of Them?:

I saw this young indie band at ‘The Railway’—a small pub near my old university. They instantly caught my interest and I found myself grinning throughout the set. I spoke to the two lead singers after the show and they said that they knew Los Campesinos!—or, at least, that one of them was related to them? That was, coincidently, the first band they reminded me of—the second Blink-182. The same youth-energy, the male and female lead singers voices play off each other (I think enjoying male and female duo’s is becoming a habit for me—X, Wussy, the xx and, now that I’m mentioning it, Los Campesinos!). I think the lyrics (and the song-writing) could be a bit more focused/tight. A−

Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy:

Not as soulful as ‘The College Dropout’, not as meticulous as ‘Late Registration’—but certainly hard as nails. I love the flow of the album—I like the melodies and the rhymes are clever and descriptive—most of all, though, I’m glad West is finally standing up to his ego. He’s taken some time off and he’s learning that intelligence and narcissism don’t necessarily go hand in hand. He’s also decided to focus on songform (even if it’s still too stylistic)—more so than on his previous two efforts. My favourite tracks are the final five, starting from ‘Runaway’ (although I love the riff on ‘Devil in a New Dress’). I’m just glad he’s back. A

2010-11-22T00:28:00.048Z

Like my end-of-year film list I’m going to attempt a best of album list and fill it in as I go along (this is only in the name of fun, for me—it’s mostly how they will appear on the list, successively, not the exact scores):

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. The Roots: How I Got Over
7. Elizabeth Cook: Welder
8. Vampire Weekend: Contra
9. Johnny Cash: American VI: Ain’t No Grave
10. M.I.A.: Maya

11.
12. Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Fantasy
13.
14. Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday
15. Girl Talk: All Day
…
22. Arcade Fire: The Suburbs

2010-11-17T15:04:00.011Z

Jesus Christ I think I’m gonna shit my pants when the deluxe version of this CD comes out..! :p

2010-11-16T21:19:00.004Z

TV Reviews:

The Royle Family: What makes this so hilarious is the great situation acting. Just now—while watching the show to critique—Ricky Tomlinson, removing wallpaper, wipes the sweat from his armpit, smells it, and then uses it to wipe his face. All seemingly natural. All seamlessly hilarious. How could watching people in a room be so entertaining? A

2010-10-24T17:02:00.017+01:00

So, technically, I fall into this because I blog?

2010-10-24T14:53:00.010+01:00

TV Reviews:

The Middle: Malcolm in the Middle, duh. **

Reaper: Some great back-and-forths between the three protagonists—as the character interactions are where the show shines. The plot, on the otherhand, is where the show falls apart. Ray Wise almost makes me want to give this an A−. Worth a good watch if you like sit-on-the-sofa-and-eat-crisps TV shows. B+

Modern Family: New generation of awkward humour—not funny. *

2010-10-23T14:11:00.004+01:00

Game Reviews:

Minecraft: I haven’t played a game this addictive in a while. Such a simple concept—the sun goes up,the sun goes down and you build things in between. Almost like Dungeon Keeper in the way that you become emphatically pleased with what you create (you should Youtube some of the videos people have made). If only there was a little more substance to the game—somehow it seems a little bit frivolous. There’s sure as hell enough style. A−

2010-10-19T23:55:00.008+01:00

God—I’m so angry with these dolts panning the Sennheiser CX 300-II’s. They are some of the best headphones you can buy—price a non factor. The bass isn’t too loud—you just have been listening to bad headphones so long you don’t even know what accurate sounding headphones sound like! When tested, they are far superior to the in-ear iPod headphones—almost better than the Klipsch Image X10i’s (and they are £230-ish!). God—it’s like people liking Radiohead. They have listened to shit for so long when they hear something like the Beatles they feel angry at themselves for not realising Radiohead are shit sooner—but won’t admit it… *phew rant over! :p

2010-10-14T23:40:00.006+01:00

Vlogger Reviews:

spricket24: Mad, but not obnoxious, fun but not dumb—spricket actually has some very interesting topics which she infuses with stoner-like (funnier because she’s a girl—and not actually a stoner) goof-ball antics. A−

SpoonyOne (The Spoony Experiment): A very likable, intelligent person who—although has some disagreeable reviews—conjures some interesting insights. He is always ranting but they are so coherent that they become active thought. He definitely deserved that award. A−

JamesNintendoNerd (AVGN): I like this guy so much I want to give him an A+ for just being an all-round awesome guy. Smart—but never too smart—his maturity helps him to think about his movies with detail. The scripted, faux-plot movies are never cringe-worthy and always immensely fun to watch. His familiarity on camera is a natural-born gift. A

2010-09-08T19:49:00.009+01:00

TV Reviews:

This Is England ‘86: I’m so glad to see this again—even though the plot may be a bit sketchy—it translates onto TV as well as I’d hoped. Same as before, it encapsulates the raw emotion and under-dramatic moments of British kids. A four part series? What?! A−

2010-09-07T22:39:00.014+01:00

I think I will start my movie end-of-year list, now, and fill it in as I go along:

1. The Social Network
2. Last Train Home
3.
4. Inception
5.
6.
7.
8. The American
9. Salt
10.

11.
12. Monsters
13. Exit Through the Gift Shop
14.
15.
16. Easy A

I still have yet to watch ‘Putty Hill’, ‘Restrepo’, ‘I am Love’ and a few others—including ‘Vengeance’.

2010-08-22T21:09:00.004+01:00

Film Reviews:

Toy Story 3: As always, the animation and characters are superb but the plot is where the film lacks a little. It feels like we’re just going through the motions—in the first two films there are more genuine moments (especially the first) but here they seem a little tried. I wish they had made the film a little more serious—like the first—it seems too obviously targeted to kids. One moment I liked was when the baby turned on the bear and pushed him in the dumpster. There was some character emotion. The rest of the film feels a bit flimsy on this level. Oh—I like when Mr. Potato Head was a taco :p. 3 Stars

2010-08-18T22:36:00.016+01:00

TV Reviews:

The Dudesons: Dud

Samurai Champloo: Nice animation—that has some great characterizations. If I’m nit-picking, it is plagued by bad timing—I would much prefer the animators to attempt a more mature output rather than trying to stylize cliche anime techniques (though they do the cliches well). A−

2010-08-18T21:24:00.005+01:00

I just tried the B&W Zeppelin in the Salisbury Waitrose. The Zeppelin got 5 out 5 stars and a Best Buy from WhatHi-Fi? so I thought it nessesary to test it! I have to admit I enjoyed the sound. It was a nice, clean, smooth soundstage that was obviously of professional standards. One thing I didn’t like was the over-bearing bass. It was not, just, that it was over-bearing but that it didn’t sound very good. The bass was flat, muffled and dumb-sounding. I have read online that there is a bass setting you can fiddle with—and that changing the location of the Zeppelin can affect the sound dramatically. I really want to try this out—to see if I can create a better sound—as the treble and mids were outstanding for an iPod dock (even if it is £400).

Note: The Zeppelin’s rating (from WhatHi-Fi?) has now decreased to 4 stars. I find 4 stars a more precise rating—it is a well crafted piece of hardware but it lacks in reach. The bass is too strong, the treble and mids are not as dynamic and as smart as I thought they would be and it sounds dumb at high volumes. Not something I would like to spend 400 pounds on, at any rate.

2010-08-13T16:26:00.006+01:00

TV Reviews:

Samurai Jack: Impressive animation that focuses more on style (of which it consumes everything else) than on substance. ***

Mystery Science Theatre 3000: An idea that sounds as if it shouldn’t work—but it does. The simplest of shows—hillarious and true. The guys comedy is not stonerish and doesn’t become monotonous but encapsulates the style of the films they mock. A−

2010-08-09T21:22:00.001+01:00

Film Reviews:

Inception: I know I’m a bit late on this one. What a movie! I was actually surprised how much I appreciated this movie. I haven’t seen a film this genuinely interesting since, perhaps, the Dark Knight. Nolan produces an original and intelligent plot—twisted with great cinematography and direction. The actors and actresses produce a smart action movie and keep the movie rolling through—rather than, say, the Matrix which incessantly tries to focus on every piece of ingenuity it had to offer. A brilliant movie I will certainly be excited to own on DVD (or is that Blu-Ray now?). 4 Stars

2010-08-07T10:54:00.003+01:00

TV Reviews:

Samantha Who: Who (I had to do that)? Bad acting, in combination with, poor direction and a dreary, uninteresting plot leads to one of the worst popular shows on air. They somehow find an array of stars to perform cameos—do these people really watch this show? I can understand the women—women have a tendency to dismiss poor quality if it focuses on the lives of women. That is sexiest, I know, but it’s true. Hay—I like Sex and the City (not the films). B−

2010-08-06T18:01:00.005+01:00

I know I can’t speak about the new Kanye West album (as I haven’t heard it)—but from the single ‘Power’ I don’t think it’s gonna be all that good. It seems he hasn’t learnt that his fist two cd’s were great and the second two a little wack. He’s still arrogant as shit—which I wouldn’t ordinarily have a problem with (at least he knows he’s a star—most are dumb enough to assume they are)—but it affects his music tremendously. I’m so dissapointed in Kanye—the only good thing about the song is the bass line which runs, intermittently, for about 10 seconds of the song. :/ I’m sure the album will still make an A−.

2010-08-04T16:59:00.003+01:00

TV Reviews:

Phineas and Ferb: A less hyper-active, slightly more entertaining, TV show for kids. **

2010-07-30T16:21:00.001+01:00

TV Reviews:

TNA iMPACT!: I don’t have to tell you how stupid wrestling is. I do, mildly, enjoy the action though. *

2010-07-30T13:21:00.001+01:00

2010-07-30T11:27:00.010+01:00

My Sennheiser CX 300-II in-ear headphones, I’ve just bought, have just arrived. My first impressions are that they are uncomfortable. I am definitely biased in saying that in-ear headphones are irritating as hell. The problem isn’t the three different sized earcups they give you—it’s the fact that they go right into your ear and you can often hear earwax squishing around, which is horrible. I am a very clean person—against advice, I clean my ears with earbuds everyday. The fact that these headphones remind me of earwax freaks me out. I guess they are more comfortable that over-ear headphones.

Right, now for the audio quality. I’ve been told to let them ‘run in’ i.e. by turning the volume up to full and letting them run overnight—with some heavy ass bass from Lil Wayne’s ‘Tha Carter III’. On first listen the bass in nice—focused but not over-powering (I hate that). Problem is, I have had several ear grommets in my lifetime so my right ear is all but at 50% volume so the bass is wasted on that ear. That being said, the headphones do a remarkable job of creating an immersive atmosphere—bass is omni-directional but I was surprised how these headphones created that effect (whether that’s to do with the headphones or the human brain—I don’t know). The treble and mids are effective enough—one thing I can say is that these blow the iPod headphones out of the water!

I’m letting them run in for a while and I’ll report back with the results.

RESULTS: I realised the reason why i was having comfort-ability issues was because I had odd sized earcups on! Oops! ;p Well, as far as they stand now—I would still say they need some getting used to but, like anything new, I’m sure this will happen with time. The bass is incredible! I think they, even, sound better than my on-ear Pioneer headphones (which were roughly the same price). The trebles are loud enough and never too sharp—almost—but perfectly leveled. The bass is independent from the treble and middle but deep, loud and driving. Another thing I love about these headphones is the noise cancellation. If I open a cupboard, say, and close it again I can hardly hear it! I mean, I can hear it—but it’s muffled and I can see how easily this will transcend to a noisy bus or high-street (my two biggest problems). One minor annoyance is the noise that comes from speaker wire interference. When the wire rubs against my clothes it causes an in-ear ruffle that kinda sucks—but I’m getting used to it. I am thoroughly excited by these headphones and can’t wait to try them out in the real world. Also, the ‘running in’ seemed to help calm the trebles and mellow the bass—which is nice.

2010-07-24T21:24:00.002+01:00

2010-07-21T19:34:00.050+01:00

My greatest TV shows of the decade list:

1. The Sopranos
2. 60 Minutes
3. Late Show with David Letterman
4. The Simpsons
5. Saturday Night Live
6. Today
7. Friends
8. ER
9. Nightline
10. Law & Order

11. Sesame Street
12. Fraiser
13. The X-Files
14. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
15. The Oprah Winfrey Show
16. The Wire
17. Mad Men
18. The Royle Family
19. Freaks and Geeks
20. The West Wing
21. Desperate Housewives
22. The Office (UK)
23. Arrested Development
24. Six Feet Under
25. Lost
26. Sex and the City
27. Scrubs
28. Breaking Bad
29. The Daily Show
30. 30 Rock
31. Curb Your Enthusiasm
32. Southpark
33. Rome
34. Harry Hill’s TV Burp
35. Malcolm in the Middle
36. True Blood
37. Futurama
38. The OC
39. Misfits
40. This is England ‘86
41. Top Gear
42. Peep Show
43. My Name is Earl
44. Survivor
45. 24
46. The Big Bang Theory
47. Pop/American Idol
48. Spongebob Squarepants
49. The Jeremy Kyle Show
50. QI
51. MythBusters
52. Spaced
53. Glenn Martin, DDS
54. Little Britain
55. The Shield
56. Doctor Who
57. Samurai Champloo
58. Wonder Showzen

Need to wiggle some around!

2010-07-21T17:52:00.004+01:00

Just a quick video to show the effects of a raw food diet (this guy seems a bit of a perv :p):

2010-07-21T14:56:00.006+01:00

TV Shows:

The Jeremy Kyle Show: I don’t know how they find so many idiots for this show. Jeremy Kyle holds just the right amount of ‘chav’ about him, and talks in the right way, to harness the grateast cocktail of enterainment and solution. It makes me cringe—but it’s always interesting to see the tension between each relationship. Oh, and I hate that goddamn fox sponser advert. A−

2010-07-19T17:54:00.005+01:00

2010-07-19T12:33:00.005+01:00

Film Reviews:

Cat Woman: Gyurgh, Halle Berry is so bad in this film! There’s a scene where two armed guards chase her through some, very exspensive looking, pipes and they start shooting at her—hitting all the pipes, obviously. I really don’t think I can say more about this movie, without laughing. 1 Star

2010-07-19T12:03:00.007+01:00

So looking forward to this!

2010-07-18T22:17:00.007+01:00

TV Reviews:

Monk: Not very interesting at all—but at least it doesn't fall into the trap of over-dramatic acting like so many shows of recent memory. **

Heartbeat: Though the show has changed cast too many times that I care to remember—the basis of the show remains the same. A midly enjoyable post prime-time slot-filler that always make me smile. A−

Ghost Whispserer: Man, she's got big boobs. Dud

Banzai: Hilarious—a great show to watch, late at night, with a beer. It's one of those shows, like Takeshi's Castle (funny how they're both Japanese), that you need to be in the right mood for—but boy, when you are, it's heaven! My favourite game is the hand-shaking guy—or it that too cliche? A−

2010-07-15T12:02:00.001+01:00

God-damnit, when is there going to be a flac version of Maya (M.I.A.) online?! :S :( :p

2010-07-11T08:45:00.015+01:00

2010-07-09T22:10:00.005+01:00

TV Reviews:

Midsomer Murders: A staple of summer broadcasting (how appropriate)—Midsomer Murders is genuinely good at consistently making interesting plots. John Nettles is cast well and so is his side-kick Jason Hughes. The direction could be a little more direct/exciting—but it has created a nice little niche for itself and I think it's quite happy staying there. A−

Dexter's Laboratory: Haha, I watched this with my brother—it's actually quite good (at least, the characterizations). I almost want to call this and A− (or am I drunk? :p) ***

2010-07-08T21:42:00.006+01:00

2010-07-07T00:06:00.001+01:00

Game Reviews:

International Cricket 2010: This game has good game mechanics but some prior knowledge of the sport is required. The graphics are nice and clean with the poorly rendered crowd being the only flaw. If you enjoy cricket and/or can play long enough to learn how to use the different aspects of the game—you will enjoy this. A−

2010-07-07T00:02:00.002+01:00

TV Reviews:

Accidentally on Purpose: Fails on an acting level where ‘How I Met Your mother’ succeeded. B−

2010-07-06T21:28:00.010+01:00

2010-07-04T17:08:00.006+01:00

Album Reviews:

LCD Soundsystem: This Is Happening:

I never really liked LCD Soundsystem all that much—Murphy has swapped hipster allocations with tuneful expression here—he just doesn't take it that far. You can hear this, especially, on the track ‘All I Want’— the main riff could be slightly catchier—reminiscent of The Strokes ‘Is This It’. I can't decide whether I like the longer songs or would have preferred more of shorter length (definitely quicker paced). I do like the general sonics though—they're not too douchey (although, they could have been smarter). A−

Elizabeth Cook: Welder:

Great songwriting here—some great lyrics too. Intelligent subjects matters, which—in my opinion—are hindered only by her voice. She has a great voice—don't get me wrong—it just seems a little bit childish. But hay—I'm nit-picking. A

2010-07-04T00:46:00.008+01:00

2010-07-01T00:15:00.006+01:00

2010-06-30T23:45:00.010+01:00

2010-06-30T23:20:00.007+01:00

2010-06-29T22:09:00.001+01:00

TV Reviews:

Smallville: When it first aired it had some impact, but after character additions it has become over-dramatic and droll. Too much camera panning and scene hogging. I'd rather have intelligent story-lines and a faster tempo, thanks. B

Spartacus: Blood and Sand: Dud

2010-06-26T23:16:00.003+01:00

TV Reviews:

The I.T. Crowd: I want this show to be better than it is—but it lacks that spark of intelligence. Some of the jokes are funny but most of them leave me feeling they could have done more with the characters. I still like this show—if only for what could be. A−

2010-06-26T20:22:00.003+01:00

Album Reviews:

Dixie Chicks: Wide Open Spaces:

I like the musical and instrumental talent that is obvious here. What annoys me is the haste to create catchy hooks over intelligent songs—I wish they had taken more time—a slightly slower, more serious endeavor. Like I said, I do like the general vibe and they have great voices and some great talent too—if only they were brave enough to roll with it. ** (‘Wide Open Spaces’, ‘Give It Up or Let Me Go’)

Paolo Nutini: These Streets:

Dud

2010-06-25T13:41:00.010+01:00

Holy shit—this guy is good! :p

2010-06-25T12:44:00.007+01:00

Album Reviews:

Eminem: Recovery:

After the abysmal ‘Relapse’ I had serious doubts whether Eminem could pull himself back to form. It may not be the smartest of his CD's but he's back with a vengeance—keeping the beats simple and hard—it has allowed him to gain his confidence back. Often, with his older work, he doesn't seem to face some of his issues head-on—here, at least, he admits them (if only for himself) and wants to change. A−

2010-06-21T22:00:00.000+01:00

TV Reviews:

The Hills: Dud

2010-06-19T20:54:00.006+01:00

Film Reviews:

Johnny English: A complete waste of time—this movie is poor in every-which-way. 1.5 Stars

Murder on the Orient Express: I hate this Poaro—his timing is so bad! The plot is too obvious and dull. Some of the character interactions are quite nice, though, and the cast is quite impressive too (shit Poaros aside). 3 Stars

2010-06-18T20:59:00.009+01:00

Gotta love Seinfeld/guess what I'm doing tonight…?

2010-06-18T20:25:00.010+01:00

2010-06-18T20:09:00.001+01:00

I just bought the Anime version of Metropolis on DVD from Amazon—it's going to take two days—I can't wait!

Metropolis (Anime): This is the kind of animation that just doesn't feel like an animation when you watch it. A beautifully told story—which has great character development. I always feel so upset for the robot girl I'm almost embarrassed—as it's an animation—although saying that I also cared about the girl in Spirited Away and that didn't bother me? 4 Stars

2010-06-18T16:55:00.020+01:00

My ‘greatest horror movies of all time’ list:

1. King Kong
2. Repulsion
3. The Bride of Frankenstein
4. Alien
5. Psycho
6. Frankenstein
7. Jaws
8. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
9. Nosferatu
10. Peeping Tom

11. Rosemary's Baby
12. Exotica
13. Dracula
14. Halloween
15. The Evil Dead
16. Dawn of the Dead
17. The Shining
18. The Exorcist
19. The Blair Witch Project
20. Silence of the Lambs
21. Carrie
22. The Descent
23. Aliens
24. The Wicker Man
25. The Night of the Living Dead
26. The Devil's Rejects

I need to get ‘Don't Look Now’, ‘The Last House on the Left’ and ‘Let the Right One In’ in here—‘Devil's Rejects’ should be 27th…

2010-06-18T14:03:00.006+01:00

Game Reviews:

Mappy: What I love about this game is it's infuriating addictiveness. I can seriously play this game for hours at a time and get so annoyed when I die—it is such a well paced game—it's a personal favourite of mine. A lot of people say the music gets tiring but I love it. It is a simple game, though. A−

2010-06-18T13:55:00.003+01:00

2010-06-18T09:24:00.008+01:00

Film Reviews:

Crash: The characters are so beautifully created they transcend all hatred and cliches when in the face of racism, sexism and ignorance. The way the story unfolds itself is also pretty good—subtle—playing on the emotions of each character rather than the suspense. Smart, but doesn't outreach itself ever. 4 Stars

Fargo: I don't know why it has taken me so long to see this movie. It's probably one of the best films I have ever seen—definitely one of the best of the 90's. Hilarious and tragic at the same time—the film kind of creeps up on you and then, suddenly, you're sucked in. I need to get this on DVD… 4 Stars

2010-06-17T11:06:00.004+01:00

TV Reviews:

Everybody Loves Raymond: An impressive cast—each member of the family has a strong role in the show. What lacks here are the jokes—they're usually pretty immature and short—leaving me feeling like this isn't very good as a comedy. What I do like is the interaction between the characters—this is where the show shines. A−

2010-06-11T22:17:00.023+01:00

Film Reviews:

Starship Troopers: I, admittedly, liked this as a teen. God knows why. The intended humour behind the film is, probably, the best aspect of the film. The characters are lazy, the plot almost irrelevant (it could have easily been a pure action film) and the dialogue dumb as hell. One word I will never forget: ‘MEDIIIIC!!!’. 2 Stars

Spiderman 2: This movie is so much better than it's predecessor it's almost blinding. Finally the saga decides to follow the man behind the mask rather than creating a pure action flick. There is also less emotional overkill than the first and the film flows in a real and intelligent manor. 4 Stars

The Bourne Identity: It's filmed well for an action movie. Matt Damon plays his part well and the movie does what it needs to do. It could be a little more mature though—have a more intelligent back-story—but, as I said, it is enough. 3 Stars

2010-06-10T20:27:00.005+01:00

The most disappointing film series series: Back to the Future

Back to the Future. 3.5 Stars

Back to the Future II. 3 Stars

Back to the Future III. 2 Stars

2010-06-10T19:43:00.004+01:00

I think I should do an update on my raw food diet (plus I haven't done a regular post in a while). I have been doing a raw food diet now for almost 3 months. I have had the occasional cooked meal (plus the occasional slip-up!). What I have learned, so far, from eating raw foods is that they make you feel happier. A lot happier. You know that feeling you had as a child—that feeling of free-rolling happiness with some background apprehension? That's how I feel—all the time! Every time I have a cooked meal, processed chocolate or junk food I feel lethargic, I often get a headache (which I never used to and I rarely get headaches anyway), my mood becomes more unstable and I generally feel unwell. I have also lost almost 6 and a half kilograms. I'm not so bothered about the weight—it's the realization that most of the fat on my body is made up of deposits of starchy carbohydrates and processed fats. I can imagine people thinking that I am too skinny (I am now 63.7 kg/10.03 stone/140.4 lbs) but in reality they are too fat! I don't mean this in any superior or malevolent way—remember I don't care about my weight. I believe that people are meant to be a lot thinner than they are—only carrying a small amount of (natural) fat—not all these left-over carbohydrates. My veins stick out more, my ribs protrude and my skin is becoming tighter to my muscles, but also, my skin is becoming clearer, my breath fresher, I sweat less, I have more energy, i am less stressed and I come home after a 12 hour shift feeling full of energy—now who can say that?

2010-06-10T17:36:00.009+01:00

Film Reviews:

The Simpsons Movie: Like everyone who saw the trailer, I was a little apprehensive at first. I thought the plot would be stale and I have it ingrained in my mind that TV series rarely transcend well onto the big screen. Surprisingly, it actually turned out to be a pretty good movie—a lot of the jokes were obvious but a lot of them were fresh and funny too. The animation kept the story running smoothly and helped the show transcend to film. I thought the story was a little uninspired. But hay, it was still pretty good. 3 Stars

Salem's Lot: I always remember that scene where the kid floats up to the window and asks to come in—it is terrifying! I quite like this adaptation, though it is a little dull—there hardly seems to be any atmospheric terror during the day (some of the direction could have been better) but then isn't this a vampire movie? 2.5 Stars

2010-06-10T16:22:00.008+01:00

Album Reviews:

The Rolling Stones: Exile on Main Street (Deluxe Edition):

I was really excited when I heard about this re-issue but I also had a nagging sense of apprehension—what if they remastered it and it sounded worse, lost it's atmosphere or they changed the tracks from the originals? I can safely say that the re-issue has been superbly re-mastered and the bonus tracks (of which, I was also apprehensive of) are some of the best tracks I have heard in years. How many of them were performed by the artists now and how much it has been professionally produced I don't know. A+

2010-06-10T09:19:00.005+01:00

I feel bad for posting three Youtube videos in a row—but fuck it.

2010-06-10T09:10:00.002+01:00

TV Reviews:

Everwood: Based on some common mining-town cliches, Everwood is not a bad show. It's not a great show either. While having a good cast they never seem to act anything more than appropriately. The plot seems good on paper but lack of intelligent direction renders the show a little futile. ***

2010-06-09T21:48:00.003+01:00

2010-06-08T19:47:00.004+01:00

2010-06-07T10:47:00.007+01:00

TV Reviews:

Gilmore Girls: The characters always seem to talk as if they are in a novel—unnaturally. There is a nice connection between the characters but the plot never really goes anywhere beyond their basic day-to-day lives and it's boring. Probably a show women would prefer over men. B+

Fraiser: Clever and funny at the same time? Seinfeld springs to mind and then there's Frasier. There seems to be a love hate relationship from the general public—some people call it dull. I think they're out of their minds. Sometimes the cast focus too much on character development rather than the individual scenes or jokes. A+

Bones: I hate to say it (well, no, he was underrated in Buffy) but David Boreanaz is quite the lead. Emily Deschanel, on the other-hand, is a bad actress. Just another high contrast, flashing images, slow-mo CSI rip-off. *

2010-06-06T21:36:00.004+01:00

Film Reviews:

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King: While I thoroughly enjoyed the first installment to the series the second and, especially, the third are a little trite. Return of the King is more action-sequence based leaving the other scenes seeming necessary only for the completion of the plot. It's almost as if they ran out of steam and are just going with the flow. It's still fun to watch though. 3.5 Stars

Kindergarten Cop: I am always surprised by this movie as it should be a lot worse then it is. The film is actually enjoyable, for the most part, due to the impressive scene arrangement. Surprisingly, Schwarzenegger is not too bad either. 3 Stars

2010-06-04T21:52:00.009+01:00

This is one thing I miss about Japan so much—clean streets! :p

2010-06-03T23:01:00.005+01:00

TV Reviews:

Burn Notice: Bad acting (especially Jeffrey Donovan), poor plot, poor direction—you get the picture. It's dumb and it's loud but it's still no fun. B−

The King of Queens: I don't know why but I really dislike Kevin James (it may be that he seems so lazy). There are some funny jokes but they seem half baked. B+

2010-06-03T11:01:00.004+01:00

Album Reviews:

Nas & Damian Marley: Distant Relatives:

What I like about this album is that the music is mostly reggae which allows a refreshing take on rap. Damian seems to give most of the melodies (taking inspirational verses every so often) leaving Nas to juxtapose his street-poet flow over the top. I heard about this collaboration last year (I assumed it, even, before that) and I was thoroughly excited as I like both artists. I think they could have been smarter with this—Marley with his melodies and Nas with his rhymes—they seem a little lazy. I do like the general vibe though. A−

2010-06-02T23:12:00.004+01:00

Film Reviews:

After Hours: I first saw this movie when I was in my early teens and I was so frustrated because I forgot the name of the film. One of the most well crafted and experimental comedies I have ever seen. The film almost plays like an exaggerated twilight episode and some of the scenes are really visually exciting. It does feel a little hodge-podge though—there are a lot of ideas floating around and I don't think they knew how to tie it all together. 4 Stars

2010-06-01T22:29:00.038+01:00

I need to find the first part—but here's the second part to Terry Pratchett's Going Postal:

2010-06-01T21:54:00.002+01:00

TV Reviews:

NCIS: Dud

2010-05-30T21:14:00.013+01:00

Film Reviews:

Spiderman: Enjoyable and a good cast but lacks in dynamics. The story is faithfully told, which is a plus, but seems a little unfocused at times. 2.5 Stars

Terry Pratchett's Going Postal: I really enjoy the Pratchett adaptations and I am excited each time a new one is released. This Sky funded installment to the series has a fluid tempo and the characters are beautifully cast. Nice CGI effects help to fluff out the action sequences. One of the best TV adaptations I have seen in a long time. It could be a little bit more serious though. 3.5 Stars

The Mask: The moments where Jim Carrey is the Mask are often funny, and more-than-often entertaining. Once the mask has been taken off, though, you are watching a really bad movie. 3 Stars

Gladiator: While this film has a high-end production value (although it's pretty murky looking) it lacks a little on the character side—there's too much focus on the interactions between characters and it overloads on emotional overkill (is the love story really necessary?).The acting is often poor and I feel the movie lacks any real social or political messages—which it craves. The fight scenes are impressive (probably the most worth-while parts of the movie) but the rest of the film drawls on and feels kind of pointless. Worst of all—the film panders to idiots. 2 Stars

2010-05-29T19:00:00.006+01:00

TV Reviews:

Doctor Who: This show tends to keep itself lighthearted to avoid being over-dramatic. I like the to-the-point plots and the acting ability of the cast is impressive enough (especially David Tennant—who shines). A−

2010-05-25T13:45:00.002+01:00

Film Reviews:

American Movie: What can I say? Every single second is funny and it's not boring like most documentaries. 4 Stars

2010-05-24T22:51:00.005+01:00

TV Reviews:

Freddy's Nightmares: Although the series pertains a level of cheesiness—it only carries across from the movies. The amount of effort that goes into each episode is surprising—although Freddy rarely attacks his victim there are some good plots and atmospheric pressure. There are parts which may just be too camp for the good of anyone. A−

2010-05-23T19:39:00.006+01:00

Film Reviews:

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure: I like the characters the two play but I dislike the story-line. Or, at least, how it pans out. A large portion of the film drags on—are all these scenes necessary? Just to hear them play air guitar is enough for me though. 3 Stars

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Everything about this film sucks. The characters are lazy, the plot menial and (above all) it has bad pacing which makes it difficult to understand. 2 Stars

2010-05-20T14:39:00.038+01:00

2010-05-20T11:42:00.009+01:00

Game Reviews:

Final Fantasy XIII: The graphics are the only thing keeping this above sea level—they're very impressive. The game-play systems they employ are just a new take on old systems which stray from usability. The story and characters are trite and the camera is irritating—the designers are clearly focused on the girls of the game (as all Japanese game designers are, nowadays). Oh yeah, did I mention the soundtrack sucks? ***

PaRappa the Rapper: The only rhythm based game I enjoy, it is very hard and always fun. Even now the drawings still enthrall me and the tunes aren't half that bad either (for a game). I find most rhythm based games dull (Guitar Hero included) so it's nice to have, at least, one that I like. A−

2010-05-18T16:12:00.027+01:00

2010-05-17T21:56:00.005+01:00

Film Reviews:

The 40-Year-Old Virgin: This is the only film with Steve Carell that I actually like. I usually find his characters overly obnoxious and irritating—but I like the character he plays here (he is believable). A film which focuses more on the story-line than the one-liners (a lot like There's Something About Mary). It's still a little too immature for my tastes. 3.5 Stars

2010-05-16T09:50:00.001+01:00

LOL—funny!

How to Spot a Neckbeard

2010-05-15T21:47:00.007+01:00

Film Reviews:

Spaceballs: I'll admit—this movie is a guilty pleasure of mine. I find a lot of it funny—but it's too slow and unoriginal. It is one of those films you can enjoy with a beer, even though it's bad—like Die Hard. 2.5 Stars

Let the Right One In: Beautifully shot, a great cast of unknowns, deep characters and a truly horrifying atmosphere make this one of the best vampire movies around. There's just something so weird about a blonde, Swedish kid (who's friends with a vampire). 3.5 Stars

2010-05-14T20:44:00.003+01:00

Album Reviews:

MGMT: Congratulations:

I actually liked there first CD—well, at least, a couple of tracks. They encompass everything I hate about hipsters and indie music. Oracular Spectacular (***) did have an atmosphere; which was actually quite nice. This EP is really, really bad. Period. It's grinding too which only adds to the excruciating pain. Not catchy in anyway, poor melodies, lyrics and riffs all round. DO NOT BUY! C+

2010-05-10T23:10:00.004+01:00

Film Reviews:

Silent Hill: I watched this movie, before bed, because I wasn't tired. Anyone who watches this film will know how poor it is. Everything about it is so obviously bad. There are so many times I want to punch Radha Mitchell you could make a drinking game out of it. You know, if the actors could act as if they were real human beings it might not have been so bad. But then again, the direction lets it down too. 1.5 Stars