2010 - A Year In Review

So 2010 is at an end and it’s been quite a year. It’s had it’s up’s and it’s fair share of very rapid downs, but something’s have been great.

Here are some of my highlights of the year in film and music.

Film

 I didn’t get to the cinema as such as I would have liked this year but when I did it was to see something I was really looking forward to seeing.

My film of the year was without doubt Edgar Wright’s fantastic adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It was the perfect combination of visuals and music. If you have not seen this film I recommend you go out now and pick up the Blu Ray or DVD and treat yourself to one of the best films of 2010.

I also enjoyed How to Train Your Dragon, which while not a direct adaptation of Cressida Cowell’s wonderful children’s stories, proved that CGI animation by studios other than Pixar could have heart and didn’t need to be filled with pop culture references and terrible pop soundtrack.

And speaking of Pixar they continued to raise the bar for animated features with Toy Story 3. This was a film that reduced me to near tears in places and cements Pixar’s place as the most creative studio in Hollywood.

Comic book adaptations have been doing well at the box office in recent years and one of the best has been Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman’s take on Mark Millar’s Kick-Ass. A great film, which also saw Nicholas Cage produce a pitch perfect performance as Big Daddy.

Two films, which were only around on limited release this year but I recommend you track down on Blu Ray or DVD, are A Town Called Panic and Exit Through the Gift Show.

The only other films I managed to see at the cinema this year were Despicable Me, Iron Man 2, The A Team and Tron: Legacy. A disappointingly short list but I now have a stack of Blu Rays and DVD’s to catch up on all the films I missed.

 

Music

I didn’t really pick up on much new music this year but there have been a couple of album’s that have really stuck with me.

First Aid Kit’s The Big Black and The Blue was the first must hear album of the year for me and as a result I saw them live twice this year. A magnificent debut album and certainly a band to watch in 2011.

As well as being my stand out film Scott Pilgrim also produced two awesome albums. The score by Nigel Godrich is superb and feature the amazing 8-bit Universal Theme. The album of songs that was also released had some great classic songs from the Rolling Stones and T-Rex as well as song by Metric, Plumtree, Blood Red Shoes and new material from Beck.

Another film soundtrack that I have played a lot since it’s release is Daft Punk’s score to Tron: Legacy. The perfect aural version of the Grid, it is a score that really did enhance the film. I wasn’t a big fan of Daft Punk before but I may revisit some of their older material now.

The Gorillaz also returned this year with their album Plastic Beach. A fantastic album featuring guest appearances by De La Soul, Gruff Rhys, Lou Reed, Mos Def, Bobby Womack and Mark E. Smith.

The Manic Street Preachers also returned this year with their album Postcards From a Young Man that they have referred to as their “one last shot at mass communication”. A great album I played a lot this year.

But my stand out album of 2010 was Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs. This album is nothing short of brilliance. From the opening track this album is Arcade Fire’s finest work. The Spike Jonze directed video for the title track is one of the best videos of the year and I was luck enough to see them perform live in December in Birmingham. One of the years highlights without a shadow of a doubt.

 

So that was 2010 and these are just a few of its good and bad points –

The Good -

• Starting out as a freelance Film Maker, Photographer and Community Artist.
• Seeing First Aid Kit and Arcade Fire live.
• Having my short film ‘Trees’ screened at the Electric Cinema and Hello Digital.
• Having my photographs being used on the web and in print.
• Being featured on the Guardian website as part of Douglas Adam's Towel Day celebrations.
• Having my artwork exhibited in The Birmingham Zine Festival Postcard Exhibition.
• Being part of the Beyond Bricks Programme.
• Having Jonathan Ross follow me on Twitter.
• Becoming an Associate Producer on AD Lane’s fan financed film ‘Invasion of the Not Quite Dead’.

 

The Bad -

• Being made redundant at the start of the year.
• Having my dream project stolen and receiving no recognition for it.
• The current Government and its actions since gaining power.

 

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read by post, follows me on twitter and looks at my photographs, films and artworks on Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo and my own website.

Let’s hope 2011 will be a good year.

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The Beauty of Pixar by Leandro Copperfield

Pixar is without doubt one of the greatest movie making studios of all time. No other film maker can touch them for story, character and execution. In fact each of their films could be regarded as works of art.

This incredible mash-up film of all eleven Pixar full length features by Leandro Copperfield takes their best moments and condenses them into six minutes and fifty nine seconds of pure emotional joy. 

The Beauty of Pixar from Leandro Copperfield on Vimeo.

This is why I love film.

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Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III

I'm a big fan of the Robot Chicken Show and their Star Wars Special episodes are one of the highlights of the year.

Here is the latest Episode III.

 

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Olly Moss - Thor and Star Wars Posters

I've been following the work of illustrator and designer Olly Moss for a while now. Olly's work is simply stunning and he has drawn some incredible alternative posters for some of my favourite films and video games.

This week it emerged that Olly had been commissioned by Marvel Pictures to produce an exclusive poster for the cast and crew of the upcoming Thor film. The design is simply breathtaking. The poster has been posted on several other movie sites but I wanted to present it here for you to see.

Olly has also done posters for the original Star Wars Trilogy that are amongst the best I have ever seen. 

You can see more of his work over on his blog and Flickr page.

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Thor Trailer

Always one of my favourite Marvel Comics characters - Thor is the latest to make the leap to the big screen. 

Directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Chris Hemsworth as the God of Thunder, the film looks to continue Marvels big screen success. Thor will be followed by Captain America: First Avenger and then all of Marvels Heroes (Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow and Nick Fury) will assemble in The Avengers in 2012.

This first official trailer hits all the right notes for me and I'm looking forward to seeing this film next year.

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The Green Hornet and Source Code

I posted Spike Jonze's latest here the other day and referred to him as one of my favourite and most influential directors. Two other people who also fall into that category are Duncan Jones and Michel Gondry. Both of whom have new films on the way.

Duncan Jones, director of one of my picks of last year 'Moon', is returning with 'Source Code' starring Jake Gyllenhaal. This first trailer appeared online this week and has me counting the days until release.

Then there is Michel Gondry and 'The Green Hornet'. I've loved all of Michel's previous film and television work, but 'The Green Hornet' has not had an easy journey to the screen. Hopefully this trailer will put people's mind at rest in the knowledge that Michel is going to deliver the goods with what looks to a great opener to the year of the superhero. 

Both films look fantastic and I can wait to see both on the big screen next year.

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Arcade Fire: The Suburbs

Arcade Fire and Spike Jonze, two of my favourite artists in their respective fields have been working together on a sci-fi themed short film.

The first fruits of this collaboration can be seen in this new music video for Arcade Fire's latest release The Suburbs.

Jonze's work continues to impress, I loved 'Where The Wild Things Are' and the internet short 'I'm Here' and this music video cements his place amongst the most influential filmmakers working in the industry today. 

Meanwhile Arcade Fire also continue to produce some of the finest music around and I cannot wait to see them live in Birmingham early next month.

 

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TRON: LEGACY Trailer 3

I was lucky enough to see 23 minutes of TRON:LEGACY at my local IMAX just over a week ago. I was impressed by what I saw and this latest trailer continues to build the excitement. 

I only hope that the story will deliver the goods as the visuals and music look and sound amazing, and I hope that having Jeff Bridges onboard will mean we are getting a worthy sequel.

December can't come soon enough.

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Space: 1999 Revisted

Back in the 70s when I was just 7 years old one of my absolute favourite TV shows was Gerry Anderson's Space: 1999. It was pre Star Wars so for a sci-fi obsessed kid this was a weekly dose of heaven. One of my all time favourite Christmas Day's was the one that saw Father Christmas deliver not one but two Dinky Eagle Transporters to the bottom of my bed. Many happy hours were spent reenacting space battles over Moonbase Alpha.

Although the show only lasted two series, with the second much inferior to the first, I've always had a soft spot for the show and have often considered picking it up on DVD. But now Network DVD are releasing a digitally restored version with crisp new High Definition transfers on Blu Ray. Along with a host of special features this could well be the home edition I've been waiting for.

If you've never seen the show before here's a taste - a trailer for the Blu Ray edition.

And did I forget to mention the series also featured one of the best opening themes of all time.

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The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain at The Belgrade

The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain

By Chris Hannan, Directed by Dominic Hill & Designed by Colin Richmond. Belgrade Theatre Coventry 23^rd October 2010

It’s been a long time since I’ve been back to Coventry, having spent time at the Polytechnic back in the 80s. I’d never been to the Belgrade Theatre but after seeing the promotional artwork for The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain, my family and I took the train to Coventry to see the final matinee.

Based loosely on the characters created by Alexandre Dumas, this is an inspired surreal retelling of the adventures of the Musketeers. In what can only be described as a cross between Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge and Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, this production is a triumph of performance and design. The relatively small cast take on multiple roles and provide the musical accompaniment to the play, and each one acquits themselves marvellously. From a beautifully relaxed opening where minstrels roam the audience we are quickly drawn into a world where monsters lurk and heroes are waiting to return and save the day.

The story races along with fights, frights and the occasional kiss, keeping both the children and adults entranced. The design of the production is wonderful, with great use of sets and costume. One of the highlights for me was the use of puppets for both minor and major roles, again performed by members of the main cast. The way these characters came to life on stage was incredible, never lifting you out of the world that has been created.

The script and direction of the play was tight and energetic, never slowing and containing the perfect balance of comedy and tension, keeping the family entertained throughout it’s running time.

My children had this to say of the play –

It was really funny, lots of action and a tiny bit rude!

Ezekiel 10 yrs old.

I like how they used the puppets with people and I thought the monster was very gigantic.

Eloise 6 yrs old.

It’s a pity that we saw the show on its final day, as we would recommend it to everyone, both young of age and of heart. We had a fantastic time and if this is the quality of performances we can expect from the Belgrade, we shall be returning again soon.

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The Hobbit - Peter Jackson Speaks

The Hobbit is having a difficult birth. Problems seem to dog the production at every turn. With a major announcement this week regarding the cast, the film is hitting the headlines again.

One of the main questions is will the film still film in New Zealand - this rather interesting clip from New Zealand TV show Close Up let's Peter Jackson set the record straight.

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Misfits Series 2 Trailer

One of the television highlights of last year was E4's superb superhero series Misfits. It's the story of group of young offenders doing community service who get endowed with superpowers after being caught in an unusual storm. But these are not your run of the mill superheroes and the show was a breath of fresh air in a world of glossy US TV drama's.

Thankfully the series proved to be a success for E4 and we are due to get a second series starting in November. This is the just released trailer to promote the new series and gives you a quick catch up of events from series one. Interestingly the trailer opens with a shot of of a pivotal character who so far only appeared in the last episode of series one. If you've not seen the show go out now and pick up the DVD Boxset - Misfits - Series 1 - Complete [DVD] [2009] - and prepare yourself for one of the best British shows in ages.

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2010 Back To The Future Trailer - Shot For Shot

Specially produced to promote the Scream Awards and the 25th Anniversary of one of cinema's greatest trilogy's is this Spike TV shot for shot remake of the original Back To The Future Trailer.

It's good to see Michael J Fox back as Marty.

 

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Banksy Simpson Intro

It's possible that everyone in the world has seen this Banksy storyboarded and directed intro to the latest episode of The Simpsons. I still wanted to post it here as it is a great piece of animation. The score and content works perfectly and at just over a minute long this is an incredibly emotive piece of film.

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Going West - New Zealand Book Council Short

This short animated film for the New Zealand Book Council is beautiful. Animated by Andersen M Studio and produced by Colenso BBDO it's a lovely evocative piece of work that fits Maurice Gee's Going West perfectly.

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Trollhunter Trailer

Released yesterday is the new trailer for Norwegian film - Trollhunter. It's the story of a documentary film crew trying to uncover the truth about trolls and that the Government has been covering up their existence for years.

The trailer features some great looking effects work and I wonder if we will ever see a release here in the UK.

Click here to see trailer.

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The Walking Dead Fan-Made Title Sequence

Due to start screening on TV at the end of October in the US and here on FX shortly after is the Frank Darabont (of The Shawshank Redemption fame) adaption of the Image comic by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Tony Moore, The Walking Dead. 

The Walking Dead is the story of small town police officer Rick Grimes, who survives a Zombie apocalypse.  A trailer was shown at the San Diego Comic-Con recently which revealed a series that looked astounding and is on my must see TV list for the autumn.

A few days ago Daniel Kanemoto posted his version of an opening title sequence for the show, and to be honest I can't see the official version surpassing it. It is a truly inspired piece of work that fits the comic and hopefully the show that follows perfectly. 

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Madhouse's Red Line Trailer

Who said 2D animation is dead? Anime studio Madhouse's new film Red Line is getting an American screening at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas this weekend.

The trailer looks great and I wonder how long it will be before we see a release here in the UK.

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And so it begins - The End of Harry Potter

The first of the two films bringing the Harry Potter story to a close is almost upon us. Machinima has posted the latest trailer and it looks astounding. I'm so pleased they are releasing this around the Christmas period as I much prefer seeing the Harry Potter films in the winter, it just seems to suit the magical nature of the films.

Anyway if you haven't seen it already - feast your eyes on this, I for one am excited about seeing this film.

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Space Battleship Yamato Trailer

Space Battleship Yamato may be better know to western anime and manga fans as Star Blazers, a little seen, in the UK at least, series from 1974. I remember seeing images from the series in imported magazines and was always impressed by the battleship in space designs. It's an idea that Battlestar Galactica would use to great effect a few years later, but we won't mention that.

Takashi Yamazaki is now bringing a live action version to Japanese screens in December and after seeing this trailer I hope it's not long before be see a DVD release in the UK.

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Making Empire

Next month sees the release of a new book showing an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at one of my favourite films - Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Full of never-before-published photos, design sketches, paintings, production notes, interviews, anecdotes and scripts this looks to be the perfect companion to already available The Making of "Star Wars": The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film.

To promote the launch of the new book a trailer has been made available and just seeing those images and hearing one of the greatest film scores of all time has sent a massive shiver down my spine. This is the definitive Star Wars film for me. It got nearly every aspect perfect; story, music and one of the best film endings ever, this book is going straight on the Amazon wishlist.

The Making of the "Empire Strikes Back": The Definitive Story Behind the Film by J.W. Rinzler will be released by Aurum Press Ltd on October 12th, 2010.

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The 3 Musketeers & The Princess of Spain

I was introduced today to a production coming up at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain, is a three way production between the Belgrade Theatre, English Touring Theatre and Traverse Theatre Company. Written by Chris Hannan, directed by Dominic Hill and designed by Colin Richmond this production is looking to be a must see. 

Please have a look at the plays blog - The Three Musketeers & The Princess of Spain - to see some of Colin's superb set designs and artist Kev Harpers illustrations, of which I hope there will be at least a T-Shirt produced. The designs are looking very burtonesque and I'm loving the interviews and other materials available on the blog, great work Belgrade!

The play will run on the Belgrade Theatre Coventry's Main Stage from 9 - 23 Oct 2010 and I urge you to go see it if you can.

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Les Magasin Des Suicides (The Suicide Shop)

I'm still not convinced 3D works that well for live action films, but I'm pleased to see more animations using the technology. This is Patrice Leconte's adaptation of Jean Teule's novel 'Les Magasin Des Suicides' (The Suicide Shop). It's not slated for release until 2012, but this short trailer already has me counting the days.

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Gotta Get Back in Time...

One of my favourite film series from the 80's is heading back to the big screen (in the UK at least). If you've only seen Back To The Future on TV then do yourself a favour and catch it at your local flea pit from 1st October.

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Chuck Presents: Jeffster Vs Halo

Jeffster from the TV show Chuck are the stars of this spin-off film as a promotion tool for Halo: Reach.

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Scott Airbender?

Edgar Wright tweeted about this last night. I love Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. I love Avatar: The Last Airbender. So it was obvious I'd love this great little mashup.

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Daisy

A few people have put me on to this little film by Ro Rao who has worked with Curious Pictures  producing shorts for Amnesty International and music videos.

This short is a little on the gruesome side so be warned.

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Scott Pilgrim vs. Keanu Reeves

It's time for yet another Scott Pilgrim related post and it's all thanks to the incredible work of AEmovieguy. By splicing the soundtrack to the Scott Pilgrim trailer with clips from the Matrix trilogy AEmovieguy has created something incredible - a short film that makes the Matrix sequels look okay.

Do check out all of AEmovieguys other trailer mashups - my personal favourite is the Toy Story 3 / Clash of the Titans - pure genius.

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I am an idiom

jump the gun

- to do something too soon, especially without thinking carefully about it

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Ode to Royal Mail

This time last week I posted, by 'First Class' mail, my entry to the Birmingham Zine Festival Mail Art Exhibition. It has so far failed to arrive at it's destination.

I am somewhat unhappy.

 

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Scott Pilgrim vs. The Animation

Well folks, it's time for another of my seemingly endless Scott Pilgrim related posts.

This time round I want to show you a short animation produced by Adult Swim that fills in some of Scott Pilgrims back story.

It's a really nice piece of animation so I hope you enjoy.

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Scott Pilgrim vs. Me

Scott Pilgrim the comic book has been a master class in storytelling. Bryan Lee O'Malley created an incredibly believable world. It is a world that reflects the dreams and ideas I had when I was a 22 year old, finding my way through life and love.

Edgar Wright began bringing his Scott Pilgrim vision to the screen before the comic version had been given it's ending. And although the two diverge slightly when it comes to wrapping up the story, Edgar and his team have managed to bring the snowy world of Scott's Toronto to the big screen just as it appears in the comic. Some scenes are perfect matches for their black and white counterparts. Edgar has also transferred the sounds of the comic to the screen, by taking some of O'Malley’s soundtrack suggestions (in each volume of the comic Bryan Lee O'Malley recommends a set of music tracks to accompany that volume) along with some of his own. It all works flawlessly, the perfect melding of sight and sound.

I'm not going to give you a full synopsis of the film, you can find that in most other reviews, but in essence the film is about finding the girl of your dreams and overcoming not only the physical barriers to making that relationship work but the mental ones we all put in the way of our true happiness. As an added bonus we get high octane video game/anime style fight scenes, fantastic acting, great music and a director at the top of his game, who understands his source material and his audience.

In fact, Scott Pilgrim has a lot in common with Spaced, the Channel 4 show Edgar directed over 10 years ago (it was written by and starred Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes). Much like in Spaced there is a character somewhere in this film we can all wholly identify with. And as in Spaced, the film understands the complexity of relationships and how we deal with them.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World may seem like an all out fantasy action film with all the pop culture bells and whistles, but the film, like the comic that inspired it, is really about people. It’s about how we deal with growing up, taking responsibility for our actions and dealing with the consequences. It’s about life and that is something that Edgar Wright has placed at the heart of his film.

I cannot recommend this film enough, its charm and wit shine. It wears its heart on its sleeve and it certainly walked away with mine. Go see it as soon as it opens in the UK on 25th August.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Directed by Edgar Wright

Produced by Edgar Wright, Marc Platt, Eric Gitter & Nira Park Written by Edgar Wright (Screenplay), Michael Bacall (Screenplay)

Based on the comic by Bryan Lee O’Malley

Narrated by Bill Hader

Starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Alison Pill, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman

Music by Nigel Godrich

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Scott Pilgrim vs The World iTrailer

It's almost here - the cinema event of the year - Scott Pilgrim vs The World. If your not already convinced this will be the greatest film of all time then let me introduce you to the wonder that is the 8-bit interactive trailer. Introduced by director Edgar Wright the trailer takes you behind-the-scenes of the movie. Filled with easter egg, video game references and more, this is all the over excited geek fans of the film could want.

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The Mighty Thor!

Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of

THOR

 

 

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Sucker Punch

Following a showing at this years San Diego Comic-Con, Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch trailer has now appeared on-line, albeit in a slightly different form.

I've been impressed with Snyder's previous work, especially Watchmen and Sucker Punch is looking great, just check out that giant Samurai and dragons.

Sucker Punch is due for release, in the US, on March 25th 2011 and stars Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Jamie Chung, Jena Malone, Carla Gugino, John Hamm, Oscar Isaac and Scott Glenn.

 

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Joaquin Phoenix's Spinal Rap?

Joaquin Phoenix has hit the news this week with rumours of him being in the running to take over the roll of Bruce Banner from Ed Norton in the upcoming Avengers movie. This all seemed to go against the fact that the actor had recently given up acting for a new career as a rap singer. But EW.com is reporting that all may not be as it seems.

Phoenix's friend and brother-in-law Casey Affleck has been documenting his sudden career change, which may turn out to be a ruse all along. Magnolia Pictures has picked up the rights to Affleck's directorial debut - I'm Still Here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix. The film reportedly shows Phoenix involved in a number of outrageous situations, including snorting coke off a prostitute, full-frontal nudity and apparently Phoenix being defecated on while he sleeps.  It's all beginning to sound like a hip-hop Spinal Tap but are Phoenix and Affleck really creating a film commenting on the absurdity of celebrity culture or has Phoenix really lost the plot. 

Check out this video of Phoenix's appearance on The David Letterman Show last year and see if you think it's likely to be hoax or not -

Magnolia Pictures are insisting its not a mockumentary but with a limited release scheduled for September in the US we'll know that truth soon enough.

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Betty White is God

Well that's not entirely true but if producer Jerry Weintraub has his way she could well be. Deadline is reporting that Weintraub is pitching the idea of a remake of the 1977 George Burns comedy Oh, God with the Golden Girls star is in line to take over the role of God.

Weintraub was producer on the Carl Reiner directed original and has been looking to get a remake out of development hell for a number of years and with Betty White currently a hot property in the US having recently hosted Saturday Night Live and with a starring role in the new comedy Hot in Cleveland, it looks like the timing could be right.

With Hollywoods current obsession with remakes, this pitch may just have that divine spark to get the green light.

Photograph - David Shankbone

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Despicable Me Boosts Universal

Universal's new animation division Illumination Entertainment seems to be doing the business. It's recently been reported that they are looking at Tim Burton to direct a new animated take on Charles Addams 'Addams Family' and in the wake of the box office takings of 'Despicable Me' (a $56 million opening weekend) they look on the brink of challenging Dreamworks and Disney/Pixar for a slice of the oh so profitable family film market.

As a result the studio is said to be pushing forward plans to cash in on the success of 'Despicable Me' and get several new animated films on the slate. A sequel is most likely for 'Despicable' with adaptions of Dr. Seuss' 'The Lorax' and Ricky Gervais 'Flannimals' also in development.

'Despicable Me' featuring the voice talent of Steve Carell and Russel Brand doesn't hit UK screens until 15th October 2010 but here's a taste of what  we can look forward to come the autumn- 

I think this could be the sleeper hit of the year and possibly the strongest challenger for Pixar come next year's animated Oscar race.

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The Wind in The Willows - Nightmare Trailer?

Well it looks like it time for yet another update of a classic children's story and this time it's Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in The Willows. Developed by RG Entertainment, directed by Ray Griggs with effects work by Peter Jackson's visual gurus Weta Workshop, this modestly budgeted adaptation is not looking like the cosy versions of old.

Bleeding Cool has this week revealed the first poster and trailer for this new 'Willows' and it looks like Badger, Mole and Mr Toad have been pulled into Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas Universe. This first dark and moody looking trailer even appears to use the font from Nightmare and has a very Danny Elfman sounding score.

The film itself is sounding interesting with 'man in suit' performances coupled with facial animation done in CGI, similar to how Spike Jonze rendered the WIld Things in Where The Wild Things Are. But is what appears to be a darker, more grim looking take on the tale the way to go - I must admit I'm intrigued to see how this one turns out.

Not much else is known at this point but there will be some presence for the film at San Diego Comic Con so hopefully we'll see more soon.

Thanks again to Bleeding Cool for signposting the YouTube version of the trailer -

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Bloggers of Sandwell Assemble!

Birmingham has a very active blogging and tweeting community. Jon Bounds excellent site BiNS has a blogroll that features a multitude of sites about Brum and the stuff that goes on in it along with links to blogs that are by people in Brum.

But here in Sandwell it would appear that we're just not that much into celebrating and shouting out about all the great stuff that is happening in our neck of the woods.

Search Google for 'Sandwell' and you'll be presented with a lot of links to very official looking websites, for the Council, the Primary Care Trust or other sanctioned groups. Look at the wikipedia page for Sandwell and you'll be overwhelmed by the amount of information available there (at this point I am being somewhat sarcastic).

Why are the people of Sandwell so shy about what we do? I know there are people out there with twitter accounts. I know there are people out there with blogs. I know there are people out there with Flickr accounts. But it seems that we (and I'm as guilty as anyone) just don't say that much about Sandwell.

Sandwell mostly seems to get talked about in a negative light, just look at what the media usually says about us - it's always deprived this and derelict that, but I know that this isn't the full picture. There are great things happening in Sandwell, just look at what has been happening with the recent 'Be Proud of Sandwell' campaign. People have been taking the time to post comments about what makes them proud of Sandwell and it's all great stuff. It's all stuff that our colleagues in Birmingham and Wolverhampton should sit up and take notice of.

The Public building in West Bromwich has taken some stick in the past for reasons I won't go into here, but we should be embracing it and make it work for us - the people of Sandwell. It should be our mac, our Lighthouse or even our Ikon. A place where people and culture come together without division, sharing experiences and using it for our benefit.

I'd like to see more people standing up and celebrating Sandwell - telling people about the good and great things that are happening here. Isn't it about time we had our own version of BiNS? If such a thing already exists I'm having a hard time finding it - but I'd like to see it happen soon because I believe the people of Sandwell have a lot to offer and should be recognised and applauded.

So I put out the call 'Bloggers of Sandwell Assemble!'

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International Pilgrim

Excitement for Edgar Wright's adaptation of Scott Pilgrim continues to mount and this week has seen the release of the new international poster for the film.

But better than that is The Playlists track by track review of the album that will accompany the release of the film. The album is produced by Godrich (Radiohead, Air, Beck) and feature songs from Beck, Broken Social Scene and Metric. Best of all where there is an audio link The Playlist has included the audio for that track. Many of the tracks are those suggested by original creator/writer/illustrator of the Scott Pilgrim saga Bryan Lee O'Malley (check out the back of the Pilgrim books for his suggested soundtrack for each volume).

My favourites so far are the Metric and Rolling Stones tracks - but I can't wait to see how these songs will play out in the film. It's looking like this album will be my new Singles and really capture the feel of the film.

Anyway go have a read of what The Playlist thinks and listen to a few really great songs - take me to the track by track review.

 

 

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The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec

Now you may not have heard about this particular comic book adaptation, but French director Luc Beeson, best known for Leon and The Fifth Element, is bringing Jacques Tardi's heroine Adèle Blanc-Sec to the big screen.

Featuring a gorgeous heroine, action, adventure, pterodactyls, Mummy's and more the film is due to hit UK screens in September.

Take a look at the official trailer (with English subtitles) to get a taste of what's in store.

I also recommend you take a trip over to the official Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec website.

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River Tam and The Fireflies

Earlier today on Twitter, I posed a question about album artwork and if people would by it again with a digital download code replacing the actual vinyl. I have since stumbled across this blog post by Joebot who is producing a version of the 'Firefly' soundtrack on vinyl as part of the Crazy 4 Cult exhibition in Los Angeles. 

The reason I was thinking about album artwork is that since the takeover of CD and digital record sales, we are missing out on what is, for me, one of the joys of collecting music - album cover artwork. This is the beautiful album artwork Joebot has created for his 'Firefly' album.

You can see the back cover artwork plus the actual vinyl itself over at Joebot's blog.

I hope that one day we get back to having a large format music delivery system just so I can look at gorgeous cover artwork like this whilst listening to the music, just like a did with all those old vinyl records.

 

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Scott Pilgrim Avatar Creator!

In the run up to the release of what is set to be one of the biggest films of the year, the official Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World movie website is offering you the change to create your own Scott Pilgrim styled avatar.

This is me - Scott Pilgrim Style.

If you want to make your own head over to the Scott Pilgrim Avatar Creator! and get your Scott Pilgrim makeover. Then post it to Twitter and Facebook, I want to see Scott Pilgrim avatars take over!

This post was brought to you by the words Scott and Pilgrim.

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Avatar 1.5?

Here's the teaser trailer for a new film due summer 2011 that is taking the mix of 3D and realistic blue lifeforms of Avatar one step further.

 

 

 

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Toy Story 3 Internet Trailers

Having loved both the previous Toy Story films, I can't wait to see
the third adventure for Woody, Buzz and the gang.

These exclusive internet trailers give us a taste of what to expect
when Toy Story 3 hits cinemas later this year.

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Piranha 3D

I love both the original Joe Dante film and the James Cameron directed
sequel so this 3D entry into the franchise looks in keeping with it's
B-Movie siblings. A great cast including Richard Dreyfuss, Christopher
Lloyd, Ving Rhames and Eli Rioththis could be the sleeper horror hit
of the year. It's not due to hit screens until August but here to wet
your appetite is the recently released trailer, unfortunately not in
3D.

If you haven't seen the original films do yourself a favour and order
the DVD's of these classic movies from Amazon right now, it'll be the
best £8 you'll spend today.

Piranha [DVD] [1978]

Piranha 2: The Spawning [DVD] [1981]

Mixtape Wednesday

Hit the play button to listen.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

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Marvel vs. Capcom 3

I still play Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on the PS2 now - this is the first teaser trailer for the next game in the series. Hope it is a worthy successor.

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Paladin: Trailer (Directors Cut)

This is looking interesting, the info on the Presentation Cut (Client
Version) of this trailer says 'This will be the centerpiece of the
Adobe CS5 software launch At NAB and IBC'

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A Town Called Panic

Just stumbled across this gem - I hope somewhere in Birmingham will be showing it.

Check out the website A Town Called Panic.

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Iron Man 2 Interactive Trailer

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We All Need Heroes - Live Acoustic Session for Eskemo Radio

On March 7th 2010, three members of We All Need Heroes performed four songs in a live acoustic session on Eskemo Radio.

This is the first of the four songs and is entitled 'Never'.

You can see the rest of the songs including a cover of 'Modern Myth' by 30 Seconds to Mars over at my main site Hardluck Hotel.

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'Kick-Ass' Cast Take on The Soft Pack

New Video of The Soft Pack's 'Answer To Yourself.', directed by Kashy Khaledi, featuring Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Clark Duke from Kick-Ass.

MTV Shows

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Something For The Weekend I With HypnoBones

Scott Pilgrim Fever

Like many today has been the day I've been looking forward to for some
time. The official trailer for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World has finally
arrived.

Based on the comic by Bryan Lee O'Malley and brought to the screen by
the directorial genius behind Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz,
Edgar Wright, the buzz for this film has been building for a while,
with Wright giving us an insight into the making of the film with his
video blogs and teasing us via his twitter feed.

Now finally we get to see what it's all about and like Kick-Ass and
The Losers this looks to be another comic based must see this year.
And I'm not the only one who seems to be very pleased with how this
one is looking, judging by the reaction across the web just minutes
after this trailer went online.

Still clueless as to who Scott Pilgrim is and why this film is set to
be one of the biggest hits of 2010 - when watch this awesome trailer
and start counting the days until the film arrives here in the UK in
August.

Now that looks to be An Epic of Epic Epicness. Now go tell your
friends about this film and get them to tell their friends and then go
buy the books on Amazon and then watch the trailer again...

Oh, and judging by this and his performance in The Losers, it's
looking like Chris Evans is going to make a fine Captain America.

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I'M HERE

There are few directors who beguile and inspire me, but Spike Jonze is definitely one of them.

I am lucky enough of have been part of the preview of his new online short film 'I'm Here'. The whole experience is astonishing - the integration with Facebook, the use of music from Aska Matsumiya and the beautiful, heartfelt film itself made feel something unlike any other web experience to date. I'm not really a fan of viewing films online, I'm still way too attached to the sofa/TV ways of old, but this film has been presented in such a way as to make me think there may be something in this whole online film thing.

I'm not going to tell you anything more about the film as I feel it'll take some of the magic away from your first viewing, I only hope your as blown away by this as I was.

I dream of being someone who can make films and 'I'm Here' is an inspiring masterpiece, I recommend you get yourself in the line to see this as soon as possible.

I'M HERE

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Predators - First Trailer

I posted about the upcoming Predators movie a few days ago, where we were given a sneak peak of footage from the film.

Today the first official trailer was released - and things are looking good. From the opening starfield fade to jungle canopy, this is feeling closer to the original two Predator films than either of the Vs. versions.

I have high hope for this film, but with Kick-Ass, Iron Man 2, Scott Pilgrim vs The World and The Losers looking like the benchmarks for this seasons blockbusters it's going to have to be one hell of a ride to win back fans of the franchise.

Anyway, here's our first look at Predators -

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How To Train Your Dragon

I was lucky enough to see a preview of the upcoming DreamWorks Animation film 'How To Train Your Dragon' this weekend. Based on the books by author Cressida Cowell, the film is a loose reworking of the adventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and his dragon Toothless.

Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois of Lilo & Stitch co-directing and writing fame are in charge and create a exciting and beliveable world of Vikings and Dragons. There are some great set pieces including a fantastic opening battle sequence and the animation is top notch throughout.

The voice talent includes Jay Baruchel as Hiccup with notable turns from America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson and even David Tennant in the supporting roles. It's being released in 3D at the end of March in the UK and I recommend you find an excuse to see it if you have any love for either Vikings or Dragons.

Still not convinced then have a look at the trailer and see for yourself.

Now I only need to find a dragon to train.

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Predators

I've been a fan of Robert Rodriguez for some time and I'm quite interested in his take on Predator. This latest venture for the Predator is directed by Nimrod Antal, written by Rodriguez, Michael Finch and Alex Litvak. The cast is pretty heavyweight and includes Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo, Adrien Brody and Topher Grace. It's all looking good but we've been burned before.

With this and Ridley Scott's Alien prequel in pre-production can two of the greatest screen aliens be looking at a return to form?

You can catch a sneak peek of Predators over at the official website - let's hope the final film lives up to expectations.

Predators

http://predators-movie.com/

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Silence is Virus

Some of you may have noticed I've been a bit quiet over the last few days on Twitter and the like. A couple of automated bits and bobs went out but nothing new from me.

This is all down to one of natures most amazing organisms - the virus.

It never ceases to amaze me how something so small can render the human body unusable in so short a time. From fully functioning member of society to bed ridden zombie creature from the depths of hell in under 24 hours - astonishing!

Anyway I'm now no longer a zombie, just a shell of a man - on the road to recovery, with my trusty bottle of Lucozade by my side (other brands of energy drinks are available).

Hope I didn't miss anything exciting.

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TREES | A FILM DASH 2010 ENTRY

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Iron Man 2 - Latest Trailer

Could Iron Man 2 be better than Iron Man?

By the looks of this latest trailer the answer is a definite yes. Jon Favreau and Oscar® nominee Robert Downey Jr. look set to deliver a killer blow when the mighty armored avenger returns to our screens this May.

If Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger are as good as this looks I can't wait for the full on Avengers movie.

With Iron Man and War Machine (Don Cheadle takes on the James Rhodes role this time out) together plus Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson and the awesome Sam Rockwell in supporting roles this looks set to be the bench mark for this summers blockbusters.

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President Obama: Replace Rahm with Me ...an open letter from Michael Moore

Just wanted to share this -

President Obama: Replace Rahm with Me ...an open letter from Michael Moore

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Dear President Obama,

I understand you may be looking to replace Rahm Emanuel as your chief of staff.

I would like to humbly offer myself, yours truly, as his replacement.

I will come to D.C. and clean up the mess that's been created around you. I will work for $1 a year. I will help the Dems on Capitol Hill find their spines and I will teach them how to nonviolently beat the Republicans to a pulp.

And I will help you get done what the American people sent you there to do. I don't need much, just a cot in the White House basement will do.

Now, don't get too giddy with excitement over my offer, because you and I are going to be up at 5 in the morning, 7 days a week and I am going to get you pumped up for battle every single day (see photo). Each morning you and I will do 100 jumping jacks and you will repeat after me:

"THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ELECTED ME, NOT THE REPUBLICANS, TO RUN THE COUNTRY! I AM IN CHARGE! I WILL ORDER ALL OBSTRUCTIONISTS OUTTA MY WAY! IF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DON'T LIKE WHAT I'M DOING THEY CAN THROW MY ASS OUT IN 2012. IN THE MEANTIME, I CALL THE SHOTS ON THEIR BEHALF! NOW, CONGRESS, DROP AND GIVE ME 50!!"

Then we will put on our jogging sweats and run up to Capitol Hill. We will take names, kick butts, and then take some more names. If we have to give a few noogies or half-nelson's, then so be it. In our pockets we will have a piece of paper to show the pansy Dems just how much they won by in 2008 -- and the poll results that show the majority of Americans oppose the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and want the bankers punished. Like drill sergeants, we will get right up in their faces and ask them, "WHAT PART OF THE PUBLIC MANDATE DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND, SOLDIER?!! DROP AND GIVE ME 50!"

I know this is the job Rahm Emanuel was supposed to be doing.

Now, don't get me wrong. I have always admired Rahm Emanuel (if you don't count his getting NAFTA pushed through Congress in the '90s which destroyed towns like Flint, Michigan. I know, picky-picky.). He is what we needed for a long time -- a no-apologies, take-no-prisoners fighting machine. Someone who is not afraid to get his hands dirty and pound the right wing into submission. Far from being the foul-mouthed bully he has been portrayed as, Rahm is the one who BEAT UP the bullies to protect us from them.

That's certainly what he did in 2006. After six long, miserable years of the middle-class getting slaughtered and the poor being flushed down the toilet, Rahm Emanuel took on the job of returning Congress to the Democrats. No one believed it could be done.

But he did it. Big time. He put the fear of God into the party of Rush and Newt. They had never been so scared. More importantly, though, he instilled a sense of hope in the Democrats that they could actually score the mother of all hat tricks in 2008 -- and with you, an African American no less, in the pole position!

It worked. The Darkness ended. The vast majority of nation wept with joy on the night of the election (those who weren't weeping went out and bought a record number of guns and ammo). Unlike the last president, you didn't "win" by 537 votes in Florida (although Gore won the popular vote by a half-million), you beat McCain nationally by 9,522,083 votes! The House Democrats got a walloping 79-vote margin. The Senate Dems would caucus with a supermajority of 60 votes unheard of in over 30 years. The wars would now end. America would have universal health care. Wall Street and the banks would, at the very least, be reined in. Hardworking citizens would not be thrown out of their homes. It was supposed to be the dawning of a new age.

But the Republicans were not going to go quietly into the night. You see, instead of having just one Rahm Emanuel, they are ALL Rahm Emanuels. That's why they usually win. Unlike most Democrats, they are relentless and unstoppable. When they believe in something (which is usually themselves and the K Street job they hope to be rewarded with someday), they'll fight for it till the death. They are loyal to a fault to each other (they were never able to denounce Bush, even though they knew he was destroying the party). They dig their heels in deep no matter what. If you exiled them to a lone chunk of melting polar ice cap, they would keep insisting that it was just a normal "January thaw," even as the frigid Arctic waters rose above their God-fearing necks ("See what I mean -- this water is COLD! What 'global *warming*'?! Adam and Eve rode dinos...aagghh!!... gulp gulp gulp").

We thought we were all done with this craziness, but we were mistaken. Like a beast that you just can't cage, the Republicans convinced not only the media, but YOU and your fellow Dems, that 59 votes was a *minority*! Precious time was lost trying to reach a "consensus" and trying to be "bipartisan."

Well, you and the Democrats have been in charge now for over a year and not one banking regulation has been reinstated. We don't have universal health care. The war in Afghanistan has escalated. And tens of thousands of Americans continue to lose their jobs and be thrown out of their homes. For most of us, it's just simply no longer good enough that Bush is gone. Woo hoo. Bush is gone. Yippee. That hasn't created one new friggin' job.

You're such a good guy, Mr. President. You came to Washington with your hand extended to the Republicans and they just chopped it off. You wanted to be respectful and they decided that they were going to say "no" to everything you suggested. Yet, you kept on saying you still believed in bipartisanship.

Well, if you really want bipartisanship, just go ahead and let the Republicans win in November. Then you'll get all the bipartisanship you want.

Let me be clear about one thing: The Democrats on Election Day 2010 are going to get an ass-whoopin' of biblical proportions if things don't change right now. And after the new Republican majority takes over, they, along with a few conservative Democrats in Congress, will get to bipartisanly impeach you for being a socialist and a citizen of Kenya. How nice to see both sides of the aisle working together again!

And the brief window we had to fix this country will be gone.

Gone.

Gone, baby, gone.

I don't know what your team has been up to, but they haven't served you well. And Rahm, poor Rahm, has turned into a fighter -- not of Republicans, but of the left. He called those of us who want universal health care "f***ing retarded." Look, I don't know if Rahm is the problem or if it's Gibbs or Axelrod or any of the other great people we owe a debt of thanks to for getting you elected. All I know is that whatever is fueling your White House it's now running on fumes. Time to shake things up! Time to bring me in to get you pumped up every morning! Go Barack! Yay Obama! Fight, Team, Fight!

I'm packed and ready to come to D.C. tomorrow. If it helps, you won't really be losing Rahm entirely because I'll be bringing his brother with me -- my agent, Ari Emanuel. Man, you should see HIM negotiate a deal! Have you ever wanted to see Mitch McConnell walking around Capitol Hill carrying his own head in his hands after it's just been handed to him by the infamous Ari? Oh, baby, it won't be pretty -- but boy will it be sweet!

What say you, Barack? Me and you against the world! Yes we can! It'll be fun -- and we may just get something done. Whaddaya got to lose? Hope?

Retardedly yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

P.S. Just to give you an idea of the new style I'll be bringing with me, when a cornhole like Sen. Ben Nelson tries to hold you up next time, this is what I will tell him in order to get his vote: "You've got exactly 30 seconds to rescind your demand or I will personally make sure that Nebraska doesn't get one more federal dollar for the rest of Obama's term. And then I will let everyone in your state know that you wear Sooner panties, backwards. NOW DROP AND GIVE ME 50!" 

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