Entertainment

Footy Funnies

Had to share this with you as it made me laugh, it is a couple of videos featuring pretty inept stretcher bearers. First up is one where the guy seems to have a problem getting hold of the stretcher. The look on the footballers face is pure magic, as in "WHAT THE *@!*"

The next one is just as funny, unless you happen to be on the stretcher that is!

Hope you enjoyed them, I will be on the lookout for some more, so keep those eyes peeled.

Entertainment

Heroes just gets better and better



The only problem with a show like Heroes is that is always ends on a cliffhanger, and here in the UK we can watch the next episode, almost straight away rather than wait a week. I haven't done so yet (what else would I do on a Wednesday night?) but I have been sorely tempted.

But the good thing is we are now starting to get a few answers like the meaning of the sign below;

This is the way up we always seemed to see this sign, but we now discover that it forms part of the logo for Pinhearst Industries - Arthur Petrelli's company - and Uber-villan.

If all this is no making much sense to you then I suggest you watch the first series to get you aquainted with it. I am going to try and put up a character breakdown over the next few weeks, to give my opinion to what the main characters are about.

I may even have to start a new blog on it if I have the time, in the meantime for all Heroes virgins check out Heroes at NBC to view episodes and get some stuff, or Heroeswiki for a load of info on the show.

Good to be back

Heroes and Villans

Yes they are back, Hiro, Ando, Claire, Peter and the rest and thankfully we have Sylar back again.

As I write this I am waiting with bated breath for episode 2 season 3, of one of the best shows on TV. Heroes is back, with a bang!

From all the excerpts I have seen this looks to be the best series yet, and already there are a ton of questions to be answered.

Why all of a sudden has Peter gone bad?

How has Sylar got back his powers?

How did Bennett wind up in the company's jail?

What does the formula do?

Where has Parkman been sent to?

What did Syler mean by "You can't die Claire your special"?

How is Linderman back???????

Syler Ubervillan or Saviour of the world???

So many more questions that are unanswered it is looking like this could be the best one yet.

Would love to hear anyones plot lines and thoughts for the new series.

Entertainment

Can you beat the Classics?

This is a question that is going to form part of my poll, it stems from my daughter watching "Willy Wonka and his Chocolate Factory" before going to bed, that is the original one with Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. She thinks(and she is 8) that it is the best one, because it is funnier and the songs are better. I have to agree, what's more it got me to thinking about these classic films that never lose their appeal whatever the decade they are seen in.

So how about these two;

I would say half the world must have seen these two films at one point or another and an awful lot of people remember the songs. Why? Because they actually meant something, were easy to follow and they were geniunely catchy tunes.

Can ANY film house improve on these or remake them? I doubt it.

Johnny Depp was a brilliant Willy Wonka, but the film relied to heavily on special effects, something the original had very little of, it relied more on the human factor.

Nanny Mcphee I suppose is a try at doing a Mary Poppins, but the 'magic' is just not there.

I geniunely believe that these are two films that could NEVER be remade, they simply cannot be improved upon, even with the actors of today.

I'd be very interested to know if you out there in the internet world wide web can think of any other truely classic films that can never again be repeated.

The Godfather 2 probably can, ET yep that can be done too, Star Wars? Compare the new films with the original trilogy = PANTS!

There are probably so many out there that I haven't covered, but these two really are timeless classics, that will never see the like again. Just don't forget to let your kids watch it, and then when they misbehave, threaten them with this;

Movie Review

I am Legend

Starring: Will Smith & a Dog

Rating: 15

Firstly let me say that I am a big fan of Will Smith,and think that he is a very adapable actor, so I was really looking forward to watching it.

How wrong I was! This has to be the most boring wrung out film recently made. It was just SOOOOOOOOOOOO SLOW!!!!

I can sum up the film and rewrite the script very easily.

Man and dog walk about an empty city in the daytime, but not in the dark because of dangerous things. He thinks he is the only sane person on the planet and is searching for a cure for the dangerous things. He then walks about and drives about some more, with his dog. Something else happens, so he walks and drives about a bit more. Then something else happens and the film ends.

Will and his dog sitting down after walking for a bit

There is some action in the film, but the CGI is so poor that it really is not believable one jot. Honestly it is that bad.

The film is based on the Omega Man, which was far, far better, more atmospheric and frankly better acted. Will Smith does his best, but if I was supposedly the last man on earth I don't think I'd be as sane as he was.

Example- he still had the nonce about him to work on an antidote to the virus that wiped out the human race! Yet next minute he was talking to mannequins, sorry but how unreal and unbelievable can you get?

I cannot express how disappointed I was with this film, if you want to see a film with someone driving about or walking around get a bad road movie.

Sorry Will, but you've made a right turkey here

Star Rating : *****

Entertainment

Is CGI what makes a Blockbuster?

The answers to the director's quiz are below this posting, but lets get on with the question in hand. Whilst coming back from Ecuador I managed to watch on the plane "Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End". Now I really enjoyed the film, but couldn't help thinking, strip away the special effects and what have you got?? A film that is thinly plotted, and overlong. So do the special effects make the film or does the story??



Have a look at this photo below;

Now would Davey Jones look as good with a mask of rubber like they used to have, with the tentacles only moving when the actor moved his head??? No of course not.

"Sky Captain and the World of Tommorrow" is a film that highlights just where films are going, it was shot almost entirely in front of a green/blue screen, with the only real action being a few of the air scenes. Yet when you see the film, you can't really tell that much, yes granted some of it is a bit ropey, but on the whole it knits together quite well. The storyline isn't too bad either, but the thing is the film didn't do that well. Doe's this mean that special effects aren't everything??

Now look at the new release of "Transformers", that is just one big special effects and CGI ride, and it is a blockbuster, so does this mean that special effects ARE everything?? Difficult to tell isn't it?

One of the all time classic films is "Psycho", and that had zero special effects in, it was good because it played on peoples fears and was one hell of a good storyline, if a little simple. Which may go to prove that special effects aren't everything, but then you take into account all the times you have said, wouldn't it be good if they remade that film with better effects?

Sometimes though that doesn't work, "Star Wars" was way ahead of it's time for special effects, but now they look a bit 'modelly', yet I think that the original trilogy is far in a way better than the new up to date films. So again we are questioning whether or not special effects are the most important thing in a film.

Just how many of the so-called blockbusters would have been blockbusters without special effects and CGI?? Not too many that is for sure! I though have to say that for low CGI related films that have been blockbusters, and that have had that adventure/action/comedy appeal, one comes top of the list in my view and that is "Raiders of the Lost Ark", a great film that relied more on story than effects.

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Entertainment

RIP Bernard Manning





One of the UK's most controversial comics died yesterday, at the age of 76. For some Bernard Manning represented a racist pig who loved the attention of the controversy he caused with his Politcally Incorrect jokes. For others he was a comic genius who did tireless work for charity, and was just misunderstood. In my mind both are true, but why should anyone be bothered he made us laugh, and that is all that mattered.



The reason I have put the photo up I have is not to try to be offensive, it is to prove a point. Bernard Manning stuck a finger up to those in authority, and those that called him racist, he didn't care what people thought of him, he just wanted to make people laugh. But when are jokes not funny, should we really be worried about causing offence, and why do we now rather than years ago worry about what comics say?



Read on please...



When I was a lad I used to love watching Jim Davidson, another of the UK's controversial comics. He used to have is own show, and had a character called Chalkie on it, now chalkie was Jim Davidson's take of a coloured man of West Indian origin. Indeed he released a record using the voice called "White Chrissy mass". Did people care then? No we all had a good laugh, and I suspect so did 80% of West Indians.


But if he was to do the same today, there would be an outcry, in my huble opinion Political Correctness, has gone mad, and is ruining the country and yes OK the world.

Now have a look at this joke;

"There was an Englishman, a Cuban, a Japanese man and a Pakistani on a train. The Cuban throws a cigar out of the window, saying they are "ten-a-penny" in his country. The Japanese man throws a Nikon camera out, saying they are ten-a-penny in his country. Then the Englishman throws the Pakistani out the window. "

That was NOT a Manning joke, it was said at an after dinner speech by Ann Winterton, an MP in the cabinet, she had to resign after that.

There is no getting away from the fact that jokes are designed to be funny, they are not a means to be offensive toward certain races, they just reflect a way of life, and life in general. In the above example substitute "Swiss" for Pakistani, and the joke doesn't have the same impact.

OFFENSIVE WARNING!!

Some people may find the following jokes offensive, they are from Bernard Manning, and I think it shows how we stereotype people, which is what Manning played on.

"A Jewish doctor gave a man six months to live. The patient couldn't pay his bills so the doctor gave him another six months."

To an elderly man making his way back to his seat: "Was it cold in the ground this morning?"

"I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying, toys not included."

Yorkshire couple go to Majorca for their first holiday abroad. Being typical Brits abroad, they don't trust the local food, and as it's a Sunday they start cooking a roast dinner.

Unfortunately they've forgotten the gravy granules, so Maureen says to Geoffrey:"I'm sure the couple next door are English, go and ask them if they've got some"

So off he goes, knocks on the door, and sure enough a bloke in Union Jack shorts opens the door

Geoffrey asks politely: "Hast thou any Bisto??"

The bloke says: "F*!k off you Spanish t*!t"

Little pakistani bloke goes to heaven & knocks on the pearly gates

St Peter answers & calls out "Name?"

Mohammed

St Peter shouts out "Anyone up here call a taxi?"

I would say there is enough material there to offend a few people, but there is far far worse, and I don't want to be banned for putting up things that are more offensive. I have added a warning which I think should cover things.

The truth is though, no matter where you go there will ALWAYS be jokes that are offensive to SOMEONE, whether they are black, white, hispanic, jewish, gay, handicapped, whatever, but the comedien Frank Carson summed it up. "A joke is what it is a joke, made to make people laugh and people will always laugh beacause it's the way I tell em"