I have been archiving recently, and so I thought I would un-archive some of my more mad photos!
Following on from my recent chat with Gareth and Lindsay, here is photographic proof of the best shirt I ever owned, taken from my (1st) leaving do from NAL in January 2002. The location in the ex-Pitcher and Piano in Glasgow.
Jane - pre-babies!
Generally pissed people (except Heather)!
Well we are all sworn to secrecy about the debauchery, but here is an edited set of photos for you to browse…
Three free tools to use before you explode!
1/ FastStone - Best Photo Gallery I have found (courtesy of Gareth) – Does Bulk renaming and resizing extremely well!
2/ MP3Tag – Fixes/Set MP3 Tags en-masse with ease and also renames the files if you choose.
3/ ReNamer – Generic File Renaming Tool – Outstanding flexibility for a bulk renaming tool where you can’t use the above two.
Just a quick note to wish you all a Merry Christmas.
Here is a news article about an old friend of mine. I have known him since I was 4! Puts life into perspective.
How good a film is Transformers!
Serena and I watched it last night on BluRay and we were both shocked as to how good it was.
The effects of course dominate, but do not feel overdone or out of place.
Neither Serena nor I knew much about the plot (despite my Kids cartoon background) and we felt that the pacing of the plot and the characters were excellent.
I think the biggest thing that surprised us though was the amount of humour that was in the film. We were expecting a gritty action-fest, but this really was aimed at kids as well, and hence humour was used very well to lower the tension.
A big thumbs up for Michael Bay!
Life has been so hectic recently I think I blogged about something only to find I didn't!
Anyway, I just want to add something extra to my post "Slipping..." below.
The best thing for me about Mamma Mia is that it "De-Gays" Abba, bringing it back to being acceptable. I was pleased to see that the 16 year old lad on X-Factor also admitted that Abba was his favourite group and was happy to sing one of their songs.
All in all, I hope this allows me to dispute Gareth's comment on my last post!
I have been trying hard recently to not allow my terrible taste in music to dominate my life.
e.g. I have not been watching the X-Factor at all. I have not been listening to Abba, Meatloaf, Kylie or Britney in the car!!!
However this last week has seen me slipping back to form...
1/ Mamma Mia! Oh Boy! I can't help myself! It has been watched twice since Tuesday (the second time with the Sing Along Lyrics on screen)!!!!!!!!!!!!
2/ I recorded the X-Factor results show last night just to watch Britney. Very disappointing! Plus her arse was definitely too large for those shorts - not pretty!
Ho Hum! Time for some Bat Out of Hell!
Two words that are so emotive, and generally (in my experience) give such a negative connotation to something brilliant.
Well DND is continuing to evolve. We have had some terrible films; a pretty average MMORPG version; some excellent PC Games (Neverwinter Nights and Baldur's Gate being the pinnacles for me) and finally DND Insider.
Here is a good intro-video on the BBC web-site.
And here is the real web-site.
I like the look of the dungeon builder tool (coming soon) and at $5 a month it looks a steal to me compared to something like World of Warcraft or Everquest!
Well I have taken a good few days before sitting down to write this review of Quantum of Solace. This has been a very deliberate choice as I wanted to ruminate on the experience a bit before I rushed to any conclusions.
Now that I have you all worried, let me state that this is a good film, I am just not convinced that it ticks all the boxes as a "Bond Film".
Lets see...
Action - most definitely Yes, with the biggest BUT attached... the director and cinematographer have produced action sequences so frenetic it is all but impossible to absorb them, which results in the impressive stunts being difficult to appreciate. The pre-title sequence is heart-breaking (in it's treatment of a gorgeous DB-S), and I am certain the driving skills are magnificent, but it is over in the blink of an eye and you are left feeling "WTF just happened there?". Next we have some more free running that pales in comparison to Casino Royale's stomach churning first big chase. Skipping forward to the end we have the "usual" destruction of the Bad Guy's lair, and again the only real enemy on show is "fire".
Bad Guy - I miss Elliot Carver! Our modern Bad Guy could almost be my Boss on a bad day! Sure he is "nasty" but you never really get a sense of the motivations or madness that is driving him. In the end is just comes down to scary eyes!
Girls - We have two token Bond Girls here, of which only Gemma Arterton is true "Bond Girl" with the ridiculous name of Strawberry Fields! Not that this is a bad thing as Olga Kurylenko's character is more about plot and character than sex.
M - Dame Judi is excellent as always, although I would like to have seen her snatch up a gun at one point and shoot one of the baddies who double-crossed her!
Gadgets - None, beyond Sony product placements.
Pithy One Liners - Hmmm, if they were there (and I am sure they were), then I can't remember a single one.
In fact I think that last one summarises the film for me as a whole. There is so little memorable about it. If you had cast Matt Damon and called it "The Bourne Explosion", then I think it would have worked just as well.
Perhaps I am being harsh? Don't get me wrong in general the cast are all outstanding, with special nods going to Giancarlo Giannini reprising the role of Mathis from Casino Royale and Olga Kurylenko as the seriously damaged Camille. It is just that it didn't work for me as a Bond Film. I didn't care about the plot and I didn't really hate the Bad Guys. What I did care about was Bond, Mathis, Agent Fields, M and Camille.
Overall this is a Bond Film, but only just. It is a good follow on from Casino Royale, in as much as it ties up the loose ends and gives Bond some measure of solace (if not revenge) and will hopefully allow him to move forward, now that we have seen his character grow.
So my score.... I think 6/10 is fair. More "Licence to Kill" than "Goldfinger"!
Alex and I finally managed to sort out our "diary issues" and met up in Kingston for dinner last night.
I can't believe how long it had been since we last met up... Anyway it was really good to catch-up and to here all the gossip about his trip to Cornwall with Julian!
For 1 Point - What film uses this as it's central image?
For 6 Points - What is significant about this intersection?
For 3 Points - Who recently had a car crash here?
For 10 Points - Who claimed to have spent time here?
(Had to borrow the photo - mine didn't come out)
