Today is my last day of work before the holidays. Indeed, it's my last day of work for the entirety of 2008.
As such, since I actually post these blogs while I'm at work, updates are going to become a bit erratic.
I'm sure I'll post occasionally - probably as I watch films and TV and anime and stuff, but it won't be regular updates. Although if things go to plan and I watch all the stuff I'm intending too, it may actually mean more bloggage.
Anyway, the point is yay - no more work for two whole weeks!
Friday, 19 December 2008
Thursday, 18 December 2008
ultraviolet
So the third film I watched this last weekend was called Ultraviolet.
It had Milla Jovovich in it and she looked pretty hot, but the movie itself was pretty awful.
It was written and directed by the same guy who did Equilibrium, which was a film I enjoyed, although it was somewhat flawed and it's these same flaws that have unfortunately been magnified here - the main one being that the plot was quite poor.
Now in Equilibrium it sort of worked. There were enough good bits to counteract the bits that didn't quite make sense and so overall it held together. However, in Ultraviolet the balance was the other way - there were just too many bits that didn't make sense to hold the whole film together.
What's worse is that at the very beginning it started off with this naff voiceover that almost underlined how clichéd everything was. Not that I have fundamental problems with cliché or genre-pieces, but it was contradictory: if you're going to leave stuff out or not explain it properly to make it seem more mysterious/complex, then don't have a narration that says "here's the plot, it's really simple."
The two just don't mesh together and all it does is highlight the fact your plot is a big mess.
It was also very confusing, partly as a result of the plot, but there were other problems too. One of the strangest was that at the very beginning the opening titles played over a series of shots of comics and manga. The music that played was also very reminiscent of the music that's used over the marvel credits for their films.
But here's the thing - it's not based on a marvel comic book. It's not actually based on any comic - it's an original work.
My guess was that the aim was to make it seem like that was the theme of the film and how to take it, but for me it was just confusing. If it's not based on a comic, don't have a load of pictures of comic books at the beginning.
Plus, for me the film owed way more to video games than it did comic-books. The action scenes were all way more like something you'd see if you were looking over the shoulder of someone playing a game than reading a comic.
Which is a fascination I myself don't quite understand - playing video games is fun and entertaining. Sitting and watching somebody else play a game (which is what films like this end up being) is not fun. So why do they keep making movies like that?
And yet, despite the drubbing I've given there's part of me that felt there were some interesting ideas kicking about here. It's like the world that was created and the character of Ultraviolet are kinda intriguing, it's just this film wasn't very good.
And I'm guessing that's why the film has spawned an anime (Ultraviolet: Code 044), although it does also help to explain why that anime is a bit rubbish :/.
It had Milla Jovovich in it and she looked pretty hot, but the movie itself was pretty awful.
It was written and directed by the same guy who did Equilibrium, which was a film I enjoyed, although it was somewhat flawed and it's these same flaws that have unfortunately been magnified here - the main one being that the plot was quite poor.
Now in Equilibrium it sort of worked. There were enough good bits to counteract the bits that didn't quite make sense and so overall it held together. However, in Ultraviolet the balance was the other way - there were just too many bits that didn't make sense to hold the whole film together.
What's worse is that at the very beginning it started off with this naff voiceover that almost underlined how clichéd everything was. Not that I have fundamental problems with cliché or genre-pieces, but it was contradictory: if you're going to leave stuff out or not explain it properly to make it seem more mysterious/complex, then don't have a narration that says "here's the plot, it's really simple."
The two just don't mesh together and all it does is highlight the fact your plot is a big mess.
It was also very confusing, partly as a result of the plot, but there were other problems too. One of the strangest was that at the very beginning the opening titles played over a series of shots of comics and manga. The music that played was also very reminiscent of the music that's used over the marvel credits for their films.
But here's the thing - it's not based on a marvel comic book. It's not actually based on any comic - it's an original work.
My guess was that the aim was to make it seem like that was the theme of the film and how to take it, but for me it was just confusing. If it's not based on a comic, don't have a load of pictures of comic books at the beginning.
Plus, for me the film owed way more to video games than it did comic-books. The action scenes were all way more like something you'd see if you were looking over the shoulder of someone playing a game than reading a comic.
Which is a fascination I myself don't quite understand - playing video games is fun and entertaining. Sitting and watching somebody else play a game (which is what films like this end up being) is not fun. So why do they keep making movies like that?
And yet, despite the drubbing I've given there's part of me that felt there were some interesting ideas kicking about here. It's like the world that was created and the character of Ultraviolet are kinda intriguing, it's just this film wasn't very good.
And I'm guessing that's why the film has spawned an anime (Ultraviolet: Code 044), although it does also help to explain why that anime is a bit rubbish :/.
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
lucky number slevin
It was quite the film watching weekend this last weekend.
I kinda got to Sunday afternoon and sort of knew I should do some things (like scan megami, etc) but that thing I was talking about last week about how I'm sort of treading water until the holidays really kicked into overdrive. So instead I basically just watched a bunch of films and TV I've recorded. Which isn't a bad thing - it cleared up some stuff I've had on my to do list.
Anyway, one of the films was Lucky Number Slevin.
I had almost no idea what this was going to be about, and was kinda surprised at how good it actually was.
However, I did kinda guess the end. I mean, there were a couple of little twists I didn't see, but I'd figured out the big reveals some way before they actually happened. Although to some extent I wasn't sure if they were really meant to be hidden that deeply anyway. It was a bit like a twist movie that didn't try too hard to hide its twists so that it was a bit fairer on the audience, if that makes sense.
Also, I have to say that Bruce Willis's performance was very poor. I think to some extent it was supposed to be aloof and distant, but the trouble was it was too far that way. It kinda came off as him just going through the motions, rather than making the character interesting on any level.
However, I think partly that was because the other characters were all really top-notch and interesting. In fact they really pulled the movie through, which was why the whole twist thing seemed less important. It was more about the characters than the plot, if you see what I mean.
Which is a good thing, don't get me wrong, it just meant Willis's detached and cold character stuck out like a soar thumb, because everybody else had a wit as sharp as a razor.
Although saying that it did seem a bit odd on that front, especially when you see Morgan Freeman and Ben Kinglsey's characters. Freeman especially seems rather too jovial for a man who's just been through what he's been through (I'm trying to avoid any spoilers), but I guess it sort of makes sense when you see the twist.
Anyway, the point is it's a film well worth checking out.
I kinda got to Sunday afternoon and sort of knew I should do some things (like scan megami, etc) but that thing I was talking about last week about how I'm sort of treading water until the holidays really kicked into overdrive. So instead I basically just watched a bunch of films and TV I've recorded. Which isn't a bad thing - it cleared up some stuff I've had on my to do list.
Anyway, one of the films was Lucky Number Slevin.
I had almost no idea what this was going to be about, and was kinda surprised at how good it actually was.
However, I did kinda guess the end. I mean, there were a couple of little twists I didn't see, but I'd figured out the big reveals some way before they actually happened. Although to some extent I wasn't sure if they were really meant to be hidden that deeply anyway. It was a bit like a twist movie that didn't try too hard to hide its twists so that it was a bit fairer on the audience, if that makes sense.
Also, I have to say that Bruce Willis's performance was very poor. I think to some extent it was supposed to be aloof and distant, but the trouble was it was too far that way. It kinda came off as him just going through the motions, rather than making the character interesting on any level.
However, I think partly that was because the other characters were all really top-notch and interesting. In fact they really pulled the movie through, which was why the whole twist thing seemed less important. It was more about the characters than the plot, if you see what I mean.
Which is a good thing, don't get me wrong, it just meant Willis's detached and cold character stuck out like a soar thumb, because everybody else had a wit as sharp as a razor.
Although saying that it did seem a bit odd on that front, especially when you see Morgan Freeman and Ben Kinglsey's characters. Freeman especially seems rather too jovial for a man who's just been through what he's been through (I'm trying to avoid any spoilers), but I guess it sort of makes sense when you see the twist.
Anyway, the point is it's a film well worth checking out.
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
the last king of scotland
This last weekend's rental DVD was the excellent The Last King of Scotland, starring Forest Whittaker.
I've almost not got much to say about this that isn't summed up by the praise that's already been heaped upon it. It's a very good film, based on what I'm guessing is probably a very good book.
There was one slight thing that niggled at me, though, and this is more of a general point than specifically about this film - it isn't real... but it is.
Basically, the main character in it (apart from Idi Amin) is entirely fictional - he's basically been inserted into the story to give it a narrative structure and to allow us viewers a way in. But because it's a film about this fictional character there's a distinct blurring between fact and reality.
This invented character is not some dispassionate observer, he's intimately locked up in a story with Amin and it's that story that we really follow - the fictional one. But we're also tracking along with real events. Things that actually happened are in the story too, but again, lines become blurred.
The problem with this is there's a part in it towards the end that's very shocking but that didn't actually happen. It was a malicious rumour that was there at the time, but the problem is that when you see it in the film it seems like it was real. But because the film is fictional it can put that stuff in.
I dunno if that makes much sense - what I'm getting at is that I'm a little uncomfortable with the whole blurring the lines of reality and fiction like that. And as I say, that's a general thing, rather than just specifically a problem with Last King.
Anyway, you can certainly see why Whittaker won an Oscar for his portrayal of Amin. It's a truly fascinating portrayal of a fascinating man.
Which is where the film really excels. Amin was clearly a monster, being responsible for the deaths of around 300,000 Ugandans (and it's not exactly a densely populated country) and yet that's not all we're shown.
He's not shown simply as some slavering psychotic, but instead as just a man (albeit a very charismatic one). And it's that which made him truly scary.
I've almost not got much to say about this that isn't summed up by the praise that's already been heaped upon it. It's a very good film, based on what I'm guessing is probably a very good book.
There was one slight thing that niggled at me, though, and this is more of a general point than specifically about this film - it isn't real... but it is.
Basically, the main character in it (apart from Idi Amin) is entirely fictional - he's basically been inserted into the story to give it a narrative structure and to allow us viewers a way in. But because it's a film about this fictional character there's a distinct blurring between fact and reality.
This invented character is not some dispassionate observer, he's intimately locked up in a story with Amin and it's that story that we really follow - the fictional one. But we're also tracking along with real events. Things that actually happened are in the story too, but again, lines become blurred.
The problem with this is there's a part in it towards the end that's very shocking but that didn't actually happen. It was a malicious rumour that was there at the time, but the problem is that when you see it in the film it seems like it was real. But because the film is fictional it can put that stuff in.
I dunno if that makes much sense - what I'm getting at is that I'm a little uncomfortable with the whole blurring the lines of reality and fiction like that. And as I say, that's a general thing, rather than just specifically a problem with Last King.
Anyway, you can certainly see why Whittaker won an Oscar for his portrayal of Amin. It's a truly fascinating portrayal of a fascinating man.
Which is where the film really excels. Amin was clearly a monster, being responsible for the deaths of around 300,000 Ugandans (and it's not exactly a densely populated country) and yet that's not all we're shown.
He's not shown simply as some slavering psychotic, but instead as just a man (albeit a very charismatic one). And it's that which made him truly scary.
Monday, 15 December 2008
break out the winter warming
I bought some additional heating this weekend.
It's an oil filled radiator - basically it's a bit like a normal radiator, but it plugs into the mains and is filled with oil. I've heard these are quite an efficient type of heaters but I really bought it because where I set when I'm on my PC is the coldest part of where I live.
I won't go into the details why, but it basically I can be sat at my PC with loads of jumpers on still shivering and then I'll get up to make a cup of tea and the rest of the room is sweltering hot. I bought the radiator so that I can plug it in and get some direct heat.
I went for the oil filled partly because of the efficiency, but also because fan heaters and convectors tend to blow hot air about and it can dry my eyes and throat out.
Anyway, we'll have to see if the £60 it cost is worth it. I'm hoping it works out cheaper than just spending £60 on more electricity and using my other convector heater. Signs seemed to be good following my testing over the weekend.
The other good news from the weekend is that I have finally finished scanning all of my artbooks. I'm a fair way off of finishing all scanning, but it's something of a landmark, I think.
While I was scanning the last book I also watched the following shows:
It's an oil filled radiator - basically it's a bit like a normal radiator, but it plugs into the mains and is filled with oil. I've heard these are quite an efficient type of heaters but I really bought it because where I set when I'm on my PC is the coldest part of where I live.
I won't go into the details why, but it basically I can be sat at my PC with loads of jumpers on still shivering and then I'll get up to make a cup of tea and the rest of the room is sweltering hot. I bought the radiator so that I can plug it in and get some direct heat.
I went for the oil filled partly because of the efficiency, but also because fan heaters and convectors tend to blow hot air about and it can dry my eyes and throat out.
Anyway, we'll have to see if the £60 it cost is worth it. I'm hoping it works out cheaper than just spending £60 on more electricity and using my other convector heater. Signs seemed to be good following my testing over the weekend.
The other good news from the weekend is that I have finally finished scanning all of my artbooks. I'm a fair way off of finishing all scanning, but it's something of a landmark, I think.
While I was scanning the last book I also watched the following shows:
- Kemeko DX was distinctly "meh". To be honest I can't really be bothered to explain any more about it - let's just say it was nothing special and leave it at that.
- Ga-Rei -Zero- was okay. It unfortunately started really flatly - the first two episodes seemed to be too much action and not enough plot and the characters seemed very lightly defined. But then, in episode three there was a sudden change when it wall all bout two of the characters and suddenly it was interesting. I've no idea how the show would develop, but I'm urging on the side of it not being all that good given the first 2 eps.
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