Incense candles

Louis tells me my room isn't smelling particularly peachy this morning, so I got the bright idea to light an incense candle, problem was this thing was probably expired as of 2 years ago as it smelt like an ashtray cooked on a barbecue and seriously stunk up the place; damn you Louis for telling me the bitter truth about my room and thus making the situation a whole lot worse.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Untouchables as it had some interesting characters with a good paced story. There was tension in the action scenes (Battleship Potemkin reference!) and the comedy relief from Sean Connery was a nice touch. Just generally a well directed and acted film which gets extra points for smartly adapting a true story.

Oversleeping sucks

I woke up at quarter to 10 this morning which really annoyed me because I like waking up early so I can actually do things in the morning, guess I just got to get to bed earlier.

Saw an Indie film called Brick today which was basically a noir film brought into the modern era, a bit like Chinatown if it were in high school, although it played the genre conventions well, that was exactly what bugged me, I couldn't keep up with the film's lingo or jargon and it moved a little too fast for me. The acting and story was decent but I wouldn't call it essential viewing. I also watched United 93 which was very moving since it's based on a true story about the 4th 9/11 plane that didn't hit it's target. Greengrass returns here with his shaky camera but here it fitted perfectly unlike with the Bourne films as it gave it a genuine sense of realism and tension during the later scenes. Although we know none of the characters by name we ultimately respect and feared for the people on that plane, listening to their final phonecalls to their loved ones and prayers for salvation, it was genuinely very powerful and got me thinking deeply about the lives of the real victims; now that is a sign of a good movie!

Bayer 10K

After a really good nights sleep I got myself a bowl of cereal and a slice of bread and honey and headed off for the race that wasn't a race. There were about 1000 people running this year which was a big leap from last time so funneling through the checkpoint was quite difficult to start with but after the crowds dispersed I found my stride. What really helped was the markers informing us how far we had run, at the '3K ran' marker I thought 'Hell Yeah! I got this run under control' and it was that positive attitude that saw me through. For the last 200 meters or so I absolutely sprinted to the end which is an amazing feeling because your legs have already gone numb at that point so you don't feel the extra pain and you get a faster end time, mine was around 1 hour and 6 minutes which is awesome for me. Going to get a well earned rest now, a victory sleep if you will but I think I certainly deserve it.

I got an eye shade... thing

According to Google they are eye masks, but I got one from work so that I may fianlly be able to sleep anywhere I desire!

Don't Look Now was hailed by my Dad as one of the best horror films ever, that 'sent chills up his spine' but frankly it did not have that kind of effect on me whatsoever and is very dated in some respects although some of the shots were creative. And it's not like I didn't get it, it just didn't seem like the conclusion I was expecting... little bit let down in all honesty. However, like Rosemary's Baby it did genuenly make you feel tension despite the lack of scares throughout the film which I acctually prefer in a horror film because it makes you feel uncomfertable without simply 'jump scaring' you, the environment was good too, but overall I didn't think it was that good a film.

Holy... gravy... cucumber!

Received my revolver bb gun today, and man is it awesome! It's quite similar to the real thing in design, with the cylinder release and loading, of course I had to get the biggest model possible, the 8", and it's bloody massive!

Critical thinking exam went ok today although it started off really badly, I left home with one pen think that it'd do me for the whole day, sitting down to write my name and it suddenly stops working and is visibly leaking. Mildly panicking at this point I asked for a new one and the invigilator politely handed me another, few seconds later that one broke too! I got a third and final pen before I could start writing clearly and continued as normal. Boring exam though, kinda felt like a waste of an hour and a half.

Disney... You have redeemed yourself

After of few years of animated crap coming from Disney it is great to see them finally getting back on their feet, Tangled was a lovely film which felt like they went back to basics. Hero, Princess, Step Mother, songs has been a good formula... So why the hell did they decide to make Chicken Little? Some scenes were very beautiful, those who have seen it will know what I mean and the humour was pleasant without trying too hard although it may come off that way to some viewers. See it if you want a short animated treat.

Another Hitchcock

I saw another simple Hitch film today which was Rope, very impressed with the film mainly due to the fact that you could probably count the number of shots in this film on 2 hands, the acting was good and the story was decent with some great dark humour, a great (and short) watch if your looking for a very basic film.

I also completed Metal Gear Solid 2 this morning, had to kill about 7 large and repetitive bosses only to sit through a very tedious hour and a half cut scene, while the game wasn't great I am certainly impressed with MGS 3. 2 felt like it was trying to play it safe by literally sticking to the same formula of the first game, even down to some of the little features. Snake Eater on the other hand is a completely different beast which is more cinematic, humorous and more bad ass than 2 by a long shot, and you get to eat forest animals; YAY!

Little more editing today

Worked a bit on our latest film, progress was a little slow as there were very few decent takes for many of our shots, but we will endure.

On the Waterfront tonight, I just couldn't find myself paying attention to any of the film, my eyes were fixed on it but my brain didn't take in any of the words and I have no idea why. The ending was good but I don't understand as to how it is so highly rated...

Raiden... RAIDEN!

My copies of MGS 2/3 arrived today and I slogged through a lot of Sons of Liberty today so I could quickly get into the third which is supposed to be outstanding. Can't wait for that.

I was in a Hitchcock mood today so I hit up on Dial M for Murder which was quite fun, it was simple, again I like, as it was pretty much only set in one apartment room as time goes by as a man attempts to conduct the perfect murder, truly it is very clever but when the anti hero begins spinning more and more lies it becomes more apparent that he will eventually be found out, which is why it is so delicious to watch as our protagonist finally gets his come-uppance. Great, simple film which even had an intermission which I took full advantage of by taking a necessary toilet break.

A long run today

I think I have got back into the knack of long distance running as I was able to do a 10K this morning in the lovely British countryside along the canals which made me really want to go on a canal boat holiday, but maybe next year, the important thing is that I accomplished a good distance.

A very interesting film is Do the Right Thing, my second Spike Lee film, however the first was Four Little Girls which is a documentary so it doesn't really count, this had a very interesting visual style with the whole day in a life thing which I really appreciate, especially here as we really got to know all of the characters whom we soon find out that none of them are perfect. The tension builds until it eventually erupts towards the end, as satisfying and emotional sequence I thought which contrasted well with the first hour of the film, I also appreciated the 'Love Hate' reference from The Night of the Hunter which I saw as a huge coincidence.

Finally, I got paid

Doing my thing at my volunteer job today, finally after 55 Weeks of working there every Saturday it finally pays off. I earned £3 in total and it never felt better!

Ok, in fairness I don't expect payment, however we got a small tip from a family after we delivered their sofa to their house after closing hours, I felt like a hero.

I watched The Night of the Hunter tonight, not sure why, it was short and I felt like a bit of film noir. Although it wasn't groundbreaking it was enjoyable but just a little bit dated. The villain is just amazing in this film though, I would only recommend it because of his performance as a really warped yet suave priest, his presence was certainly felt in each of his scenes and he was actually a little bit frightening at times. Overall it is not essential viewing, but it different, I'll give it that.

Downed all 16

I finally beat Shadow of the Colossus this evening, after an infuriating hour against the final foe I realized just how much I enjoyed the overall game, the ending didn't disappoint either although it was very cryptic. Similarly I watched Pan's Labyrinth in the morning which was pretty good, I enjoyed Sergi Lopez's character because he is just so evil, there is no good in him whatsoever but I thought he was a very interesting character to watch, especially after his mouth gets cut open, except that was because it was just so toe curling gross that I had to watch. The visual style was also great and the acting was impressive too.

Walked home in shame

Exam today was not a good as the first History paper I sat, in retrospect I think it went quite well but I felt a bit crumby while I was writing it. That is not why I walked home ashamed however, I betted a chum a shoelace that Gamestation did not do pre-owned PS2 games, I walked with an untied right shoe and a hole in my heart as they didn't have either Metal Gear Solid, so I got 2 and 3 online for £10!

Although I wasn't completely sure what I was going to get with To Kill a Mockingbird I was pleasantly impressed and ended up really liking it. I knew it had a court scene in it, which is by far the best moment of the film but there was also so much more to it from the perspective of the children and the like. The opening credits were also phenomenally good in my humble opinion. Now I just gotta read the book...

Tough one tomorrow

Bit nervous about tomorrow's exam as I have been typically weak at answering this paper. Recently I have been improving but if the wrong questions come up I will be seriously screwed... unlikely but possible. Back to revision!

Do I feel lucky?

History test went pretty well today in my opinion, the right questions came up and I felt that I answered them well. I have a free day tomorrow for the second History revision session I will undergo for paper 2, fun.

The Third Man was a very interesting film, I enjoyed the setting and the character's especially Orson Welles' character and some scenes really stood out from the rest. The narrative flowed well and kept me enguaged for the most part with a plot that continues unwinding until the very end. I also watched Dirty Harry which I throughly enjoyed, the killer was amazingly phycotic in some scenes and the subject matter was clearly revolutionary for it's time. It was Clint Eastwood who understandably steals the picture however with his cool and prestigious apperence in each shot, you know he's there for buisness and that buisness will kick ass.

Nailed it?

I think I did pretty well in my film exam, some decent questions came up which was encouraging and then I just did my best, which is all I really could do but it felt good at the same time. Spent the rest of this afternoon revising for my British History exam which I am feeling mildly prepared for, I'll get some more stuff in my brain between now and bed just to fully prepare myself. Until then, good luck if anyone else is also sitting exams, I hope it goes well!

Azerbaijan? How the hell did that happen?

I voted for Moldova, the ones with the great big Christmas tree hats but how Azerbaijan won we will never know...

Blogger refused to log me in yesterday by the way so again, angry but doing my best to blog daily!

Watched an animation called '5 Centimetres as Second,' most irregular layout as it was presented in 3 sections, almost similar to Pulp Fiction however it was chronologically ordered. It was an absolutely beautiful film during some moments and can be neatly interpreted in many ways, basically its a metaphor for how flower petals (specifically cherry blossom) begin all together and how they slowly drift apart as they fall. Very short and insightful so it's ideal for a quick and thoughtful viewing.

Uber revision today as I have my film studies exam tomorrow, feeling reasonably confident with it and it means getting the longest test out of the way first, happy days. As such I will be going to bed shortly to get plenty of sleep for the big day.

Triple chocolate... I think you mean QUADRUPLE CHOCOLATE!

Sorry I couldn't do a blog entry yesterday as Blogger was offline or something, big disappointment for me and you although not much happened anyways.

Being a small fan of Woody Allen I decided to watch his acclaimed Manhattan which I thought was excellent. Some lines of dialogue are just priceless, I loved the brown water gags and the indecisive nature of Isaac and the city of New York simply sparkled with beauty in shots, a highlight was a small sequence where the central park tree lines overlapped, creating a frame full of shimmering stars. A smart film about pretentious people without being so itself and essential and classy piece of cinema.

Meh Wednesday

Didn't watch a film today as I didn't  have time, revision is slowly starting to dominate my actions and I had little time an my hands. Also, nothing of interest happened, got up late and did homework but I'm sure that no one wants to hear about that, so have a good day, I'll have some better stuff for you tomorrow!

I feel pretty mighty

Jamie lent me Shadow of the Colossus and it is pretty damn good, great feeling in climbing mountainous bad guys and landing a killer blow to the head, then I ride off on my trusty steed to fight another. Also I just trapped the biggest moth I have ever seen under a mug just now, seriously, this thing had a visible body and was making thumping noises when it hit stuff rather than simple brushes as it goes past things; just plain eww.

Went to the cinema to see Source Code this evening as I was a big fan of Moon, suffice to say that I was left very satisfied. An interesting and surprisingly 'deep' plot makes it a simple and complex film that had a few real 'wow' moments which I won't spoil. If I could have a single niggle it would be some of the special effects, they wern't great and looked a little dated, fortunatly these moments were few and didn't hinder the overall enjoyment of the film; great film, great actor, here's to a good future for Duncan Jones.

Little bit dizzy from the Brasso fumes

The game disc still isn't working, I tried the toothpaste again, a silver polisher and finally the mother of the all: Brasso, I am looking at the results now and they are still not good; guess I'll just have to find another copy instead :(

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was a decent western with some very pretty moments, I liked the characters lines and the general feel of the film. Not much else to say but: 'Who were those guys?'

My game isn't working

I was playing Metal Gear Solid 2 on the new Playstation, it has been chugging along due to a faulty disc but it just about worked, hit a point where I couldn't go any further due to the scratches so I got royally miffed. According to a search online, smearing toothpaste onto the disc buffers out the scratches, 20 minuets later I was left with a unchanged game and a very minty smelling CD. Bit of a shame because I really wanted to play that.

Watched Chinatown today and I didn't see what all the fuss is about. 8.5 on IMDB is a bit generous in my opinion, it just didn't move at a decent pace and left me a little bored at times, it got better as it went on but I just felt a little let down by it I guess.

Damn you Rain!

I was woken up at 2:30 by the second loudest clap of thunder I have ever heard, I sat up and though 'damn, that was loud' and proptly fell back to sleep. It had been raining continuiously until I got out of bed in the morning and had a large downpour while I was walking to work. 'This is nice,' thought I as I was holding an umbrella, 'I quite like the rain and it's good to see we are finally getting some.' Had to jump a few puddles but otherwise it wasn't so bad.

Work was fine today, had to dismantle a double bed and walk it to someones appartment, good deed of the day methinks. I stupidly thought I could out-do last times toasie by having a ridiculous amount of meat filling in it, so much I couldn't count, nor could we toastie it effectivly as it was too big for the machine we were using, bearing in mind this was my 3rd toastie of the day I was in for a beast. 20 minute later I sat there chewing by my lonesome and spiraled into an odd period of self loatheing. 'Oh God I hate myself, I alwasy do dumb stuff like this, a combined total of 1150 calories?! How the Hell am I gonna burn this off?' I finally finished the thing and my stomuch didn't settle for a couple of hours when assisted by 4 pints of water. At least it was sunny on the way home and I bought a PS2 with 6 games (not great ones), 2 memory cards and 3 controllers for just £8, bloody good deal!

Getting home it turned out that all of the controllers were 3rd party weird ones, only one was a wired one which had the cable almost chewed through so the analoge is permanatly set to 'down' which makes games unplayable. One of the memory cards was acctually a wireless reciever for one of the two wireless controllers, opening them up I discoved, to my horror, that they require 4 triple A batteries to work. Sod that.

Finally I was invited to a friends house who lives 2.5 miles away. 'I got this!' I told myself bravely, grabbing my bike so it wouldn't take too long. Stepping out the door Mum tells me to bring a coat. I pause. look outside. Sunny. 'Lol, it won't rain!'

Arriving at my friend's house he ttells me we were going to watch a film, of course that didn't happen but I had a fun time either way. By 8pm it starts raining but I tell mysle fthat it will soon pass as it was just light drizzle, I would leave when it died down a bit; seat will be a bit wet but whatever. 10:30 and it is still raining and I am feeling particulary stupid for not taking a coat, I decide to brave the weather, cramming my new hoodie into a water proof bag so as not to be harmed I set outside and into the horrible weather. Splat! 'Oh crap, the seat was wet, now I've got a wet bum.'

It felt like a monsoon as I rapidly peddled my way home, I couldn't see a thing in the unlit street areas and there was really bad grip for the bike tires, I felt really unsafe and swore to myself for the first 5 minutes, worst of all, some right moose properly drenched me in their car; didn't really matter because I was at that point where I couldn't get any wetter. Approching home was like finding the Holy Grail, it felt so good when I finally got in and out of the soaked clothes (the hoodies was fine.) Now I am going to bed as it has felt like a long day and hopefully that cycle ride burnt off most of that toastie.    

Filming for our short

After school we finished the filming for a new short which should be coming out about the same time as the website update of we are lucky. Filming went well, despite me accidentally Head-butting Louis' nose and many takes as we occasionally forgot our lines, otherwise you will hopefully be treated to s humorous little video.

Die Hard 3 today, I liked the relationship between Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson as it gave way for some good lines. We timed that it officially take 1:30 minutes to officially kick the audiences ass, that is a pretty good figure and it doesn't let up either! If I could complain at one thing, the ending was generally lacking, I would rather have a much bigger showdown with the bad guy, about 100 armed guys all swarmed out in jeeps, but we never saw them, at least it looked quite cool; still doesn't top the original though!

New website infomation

After being slated for my previous blog post by Mark as the the details of the update I can hopefully elaborate a little bit on the future of Cafe Studios. The website will be changed from an odd red, maroon, burgundy? to a more royal blue to suit the hoodies we got and we think looks better. Generally there will be a better menu system with some flashy effects that are sure to impress your Nan. Overall the site will be tweaked and added to, should be ready in about a week Mark tells me so look forward to that.

Ocean's 11 was a fun little movie with a great cast, I was impressed with some of the methods designed for the heist, particularly at the end with the vault, nothing spectacular but certainly a pleasing film to a wide audience. Confessions was next, kinda like another insight on the human nature, although not as OTT as Battle Royale it was more thought provoking and was actually a better film. Some great slow motion effects with a chilling plot and character, goooooooood stuff.

We want the finest wines avalible to humanity...

While I was watching Sideways it really wetted my appetite for good food and nice wines, figures that we have jacket potatoes that evening instead. In all honest I thought it was a great film that was witty and thought provoking, a neat little film.

Mark has promised me a possible website update soon, basically a layout and colour change, something to look forward to!

Curb Stomp Carnage

American History X, a film about contemporary America and a reminder as to why Edward Norton is an acting stallion. A very powerful and ironically beautiful film about the easily manipulated youth and middle aged citizens of the USA who are fighting for what they believe their country should be. A little bit of Shawshank and a bit of This Is England mixed with some shocking images (Put your teeth on the curb), it's a damn fine good one. I also saw the Killing today, it must have been very impressive in the early 50's when little films were done with the whole non linear story telling thing but ultimately it wasn't the best Kubrick but still had some memorable moments, I liked the clown mask and the final 5 minutes, but there are now better crime/heist movies.

Woke up today, convinced I needed a shave, as I approached the mirror I convinced myself that I could wait one more day, I then had 10 extra minutes on my hands, so I made myself a morning coffee for a change, felt like a boss as I sat there sipping away reading my cereal box. May repeat the trick tomorrow!

Extended weekend end

Royal Wedding and a terrorist assassination, I should give this weekend a 10, but I'll rate it later.

3 films today so I will give quick little reviewy type things as I rank them in order of favorites starting from the lowest: Badlands, a good film, still don't understand Terrence Malick films but it was enjoyable despite feeling way longer than 90 minutes. Close at number 2, Some Like It Hot, I have now decided that Billy Wilder is one of my favorite writer/directors, I will probably watch Double Indemnity tomorrow as that is also supposed to be great. Oldboy was last, amazing cinematography and plot with some pretty tense scenes, throw in some suggestive violence and we have a winner.

Long weekend gets an 8, double the lounge time and something new everyday. Back tomorrow on a Tuesday which is my English subjects day, creative thinking and film watching ensue, have a good one.

Another late blog

Just got back from a late social gathering similar to the camping trip of 2 weeks ago, It was good to see the gang again over the long weekend. Otherwise very little happened, we cleaned out the garage and I had very little time to watch a film; I'll make up for that tomorrow!