No, Mr Blog. I expect you to die.

I don't know if anyone has noticed this, but I rarely ever talk about the story of a film or show when i'm posting about them. Why? I don't know, maybe I just assume everyone has seen them, or maybe you're just more interested in my opinion than the story...it's at least a possibility.

Im constantly thinking of new things to add to the blog, one new idea you'll notice at the bottom of this post.

If you want to check out something interesting have a look at this music video, I REALLY want to know how that look was accomplished, oh and it's directed by Michel Gondry's brother Olivier. You may remember OKGO from that treadmill music video. Though this band are much more than a novelty.

OKGO - Do What You Want Music Video

TV

Lost - Ok, i'm progressing through these episodes of Season 4, but the show is getting better almost every episode, no dead episodes like Season 2 (why we ever needed to see the now almost all dead "tailies" 48 days on the island is beyond me). Without spoiling anything for anyone, more is revealed about the monster and possibly the greatest monster scene ever happens in an episode, one shot is implanted into my brain for whenever someone mentions the monster. It's fair to say, I'm beginning to see the show approaching an ending something that looked very far off two years ago, I can almost guarantee that when it's all said and done that there will be a few people trekking back onto the island to experience what all us hardcore have been experiencing for years.


Supernatural - So far I've not met anyone who watches this show, let alone loves it like I do though I did finally finish watching Season 1 and I have to say I can't wait until I order Season 2. It may not be the most original show on the planet but there is more than enough there to grab even the casual viewer, from the scares, to the dynamic of the brothers or whether it just reminds you of those actually good early X-Files episodes. Season 1 ends on a pretty great cliffhanger, capping a great arc which ran throughout the last 6 or 7 episodes. I guess the show might be enjoyed much more by those who haven't watched a lot X-Files episodes before (or are maybe too young to even remember The X-Files), maybe because you were put off by the whole alien storyline and really I don't blame you but so far, there has been no aliens in sight in Supernatural and no sister's going missing either. If you're looking for a new TV show that no-one except me is talking about then look no further, test it out with the first couple of episodes which you MAY be able to download through those illegal sites, though you'll get no help from me.

FILM

Goldfinger - I finished watching Episode 3 in the James Bond saga and realised how accessable and watchable these films are. While parts of the film such as the "gas" scene with some very silly extras falling over as well as the very poor dubbing may lift you out of the film, never once did I find myself looking at the timer (something I hate about my dvd player, a timer display on the screen at the front, it often is covered by a dvd case). This to me, is an example of an all time classic film, 44 years on and it can still hold your attention and entertain you more than some films that are released today.

You should know the story by now and if you don't go look it up or watch the film and really, the story is almost as ludicrous as a man having a bullet lodged in his brain yet somehow it's believable , even when they bust through the doors of Fort Knox and even more so in the now famous scene of a laser being aimed at Bond's crotch, almost makes you wince on a Hard Candy sort of level.

What I noticed about the film was that there are lots of flaws, in terms of effects. The first post-titles scene, with Goldfinger using a young woman (notice all of the women in Goldfinger have blonde hair, coincidence?) to spy on his opposition at a card game, has a rather awful rear-projection effect where the character is clearly not in the pool side location he is supposed to be. Several other times throughout the film, this crops up again, mostly with Sean Connery who, according to the liner notes, never set foot on American soil, despite some of the film's key scenes being set and filmed there. Interesting. Other interesting facts can be found on IMDB such as the fact that Honor Blackman (who plays Pussy Galore, yes how they got away with that name is beyond me) is the oldest Bond girl there has ever been, she was 38 at the time of filming. Another interesting fact is that Ian Fleming named the title character after a Hungarian architect called Erno Goldfinger. (The real) Mr Goldfinger, sought legal advice against Fleming and Ian Fleming was close to changing the original characters name to Goldprick, that would have made an interesting title theme. It almost makes Austin Powers Goldmember seem a little bit funny doesn't it.

Anyway, if you are ever interested in seeing what the so-called classic Bond movies were like then you need look no further than this one, constantly named as one of the best Bond movies and if my memory serves me right, Connery's best.

Goldfinger - 8/10

Rec - Since it's theatrical release in this country, I've been pretty desperate to see this film and I missed it at the cinema, I THINK due to college work but I can't be too sure. Anyway, it's a Spanish horror movie about a reporter and her cameraman who end up in a building that is eventually sealed off by the authorities due to a viral outbreak inside. Not exactly the most exciting premise in the world and when I tell you that it's a film shot through the cameraman's camera you may start having nightmares about the atrocity that was Diary Of The Dead and possibly, depending on your opinion, Cloverfield. This year has somehow become clogged with these kind of movies (the forthcoming Rec remake Quarantine adds to this tally) and the question of "why not just turn the camera off" makes the most sense in Rec, though if I was in Manhattan and a monster was attacking the city I'd definetly be filming that, just so I could write it into a short film.

In my opinion, even though i loved Cloverfield, The Blair Witch Project still held the top spot in my mind for these 'shaky-cam' films, yes i know, Blair Witch was a rip-off of Cannibal Holocaust but the people that consider Deodato's film a 'masterpiece' really need to be considered for psychic evaluation, turtles having their throats slit open isn't entertaining, sadly, I have seen the uncut version of that film. Back to the point, Rec is a possible contender for greatest 'shaky-cam' movie of all time, why? Well a slim running time and what I like to think of as 'genuine' scares such as something happening suddenly rather than horror movie scares which are often predicatble thanks to score or lack of at certain points.

The film isn't perfect however, there is one point where the footage is rewound, which lifted me out of the film for a few minutes and we are never told whether the film is 'found footage' or not, this makes the rewound sequence an odd choice for inclusion by the director's.

Besides that minor flaw, as well as some obvious script and staging flaws, I loved the film, possibly one of the best horror movie's i've seen in a long time and it also feels kind of classic, not relying on lots of gore or big breasted women to sell the film. The final 20 minutes alone are perhaps the best the horror genre has shown in a long while and while I'm not easily scared, the closing of the film almost had me jumping behind the sofa and will probably forever be burned into my memory. There's not much else I can say, but if you're at all interested in horror films I suggest you check this one out, it's good to be scared sometimes.

Rec - 8/10

I'll be posting more soon since there are loads more I feel I have to blog about such as W. and Network, as well as a couple more which we'll be watching tomorrow.

"War will not come again. We have a more profound impression than any others of the evil that war causes. Germany's problems cannot be settled by war."

Adolf Hitler, speaking in 1934.