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I’ve recently seen the film Dredd 3D at the cinema and I have to admit I quite liked it for the fact that it’s an 18 certificated film so you don’t expect to get the run of the mill family type of muted down blood shed/violence but actually you get quite the opposite albeit too far fetched to be true

But after the enjoyment of seeing blood and guts spill on the silver screen I realised that it’s quite similar to another film I’ve seen a few months back which goes by the name of The Raid: Redemption. Know the one?

If you have seen it then you know that its an action film on steroids set in a tower block where the hero of the story has to navigate through ample of trecherous floors ravaged by psychopathic violent thugs and fight for his life in order to reach the head honcho and take him out. Well, Dredd 3D is more or less the same… but the hero wears a 3/4 mask on his face.

Now I don’t know if Alex Garland the writer of Dredd was familiar with the story of Raid redemption but it seems to me that sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways.

Allow me to explain: Over the last couple of decades every now and again we’ve seen Hollywood release a double whammy of films which are alike but still different. Examples like Armageddon and Deep Impact come to mind, as well as Mission to Mars and Red Planet; Dantes Peak and Volcano; the animations of A Bugs Life and Ants and even independent films like Capote and Infamous. All these films where either released on the same summer or within the close proximity of one another.

Coincidence?

Again, I don’t know. Stories abound about scripts which get shopped around from studio to studio and perhaps every now and again the studios decide to pick on a script that’s relatively similar to another studio since they don’t want to be left behind if the other studio has a hit on their hands.

But at the same time could there be a bigger force at play here?

Bear with me on this one since I know it might sound a bit loopy to some of you.

Napoleon Hill, in his book Think and Grow rich, said that every human brain is both a broadcasting and receiving station for the vibration of thought.

He went on to say that our brain is similar to a radio broadcasting station capable of picking up vibrations of thought which are being released by other brains.

Now if Mr Hill is even partially right in what he’s saying and mind you he came up with this theory over 80 year ago then that means that every idea/thought we ever had or are having, someone else (could be plural) in the world is thinking that same thought as well! Which means that if we ever think of a damn good idea for a film and keep thinking about it over a certain period of time sooner or later someone else will think that same thought or have already thought of it and it will just be the case of who will be the first to put it into effect.

I ask you, have you ever thought of something whether it was an idea, a story, a plan and sooner or later you found out that that same idea you had has been manifested into a cover of a book or even on the big screen? How gutting is that?

That is why it’s not enough to not want to share your ideas with others from the fear of someone stealing it but just the thought of it is enough to broadcast that message out into the ether and have someone else pick up the signal and Bam! They go off and do something about it.

So the lesson for today is if you have a great idea don’t sit on your laurels and wait for something to happen, go out there and make it happen or else the universe will bite back and shove it in your face. Unless, of course, you work for the big wigs in Hollywood and you can afford to sue the hell out of whoever it is that stole your idea. Or just make a similar movie

Yes, the summer is over and Oscar season is upon us and while the americans are prepping their films as Oscar contenders over here in Blighty the film industry is still releasing the same old low budget proverbial gangster crap we tend to see year in year out ever since Lock Stock made its mark.

This week sees the release of ‘St. George’s Day’ a British Crime Thriller with a huge English cockney cast.

Do we need another British gangster flick? Depends.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against this genre of films and I’m all for watching some  cockney-fide geezer prancing around shooting expletives and some bullets to match. One of my favourites is ‘Sexy Beast’. A film I can watch over and over again and not tire from seeing Ben Kingsley giving Ray Winstone the willies plus how can you not chuckle at Ray parading in them Speedos?!

But with the glut of low budget Brit gangster flicks we’ve been handed with in the recent years and after seeing the trailer online I’m not sure I’m convinced that ‘St. George’s Day’ can pull it off but I’m more then happy to be proven wrong.

I tend to find that most type of these films have a common thread: there’s no soul to them. Most tend to sink into cockneyed cliches while oozing guts, and it seems that the writers do a Tin Mans job and don’t deliver with punch to the heart but a punch to the face instead.

Isn’t it about time writers invested more time & energy into detailing their characters rather then adding more expletives just to try and get another high?

No matter the genre, films should find the core emotion of each story if they want to transcend beyond pure entertainment. Yes, pile on the violence and swearing if you so wish but give it some humanity and dignity.

Movies we tend to remember all have a human element that crawls into our hearts and minds and sets up residence there. ‘Scarface’ is a film that comes to mind – even though Tony Montana is an Anti Hero scumbag of a drug dealer you can not help but love the guy.

A great example of a low budget British gangster film I’ve recently seen which ticks the right boxes is ‘Wild Bill’ which I have to admit I enjoyed immensely and which took me by surprise. Dexter Fletcher, who comes from an acting background, made a brilliant job of directing this small, humble yet inspiring film about an ex con trying to make amends with his kids and his past but finds the pressures of the environment and his old habits gradually closing in on him.

I know, it sounds depressing as hell but in fact it’s quite light hearted.

Dexter’s directorial debut does a magnificent job of portraying heartfelt characters that you want to care about. This East End western yarn tugs at your heart strings and makes you appreciate that even though its kitchen sinkish its brighter then most films out there with an affecting story wrenched with bouts of good humour.

So tell me why can’t British crime/gangster films be so well written and well acted and have a splash of comedy as confident as this?

I say bring on the Don (Logan) to sort it out!!!

With the upcoming release of cockneys vs zombies which is due out in Blighty this weekend I ask the question ‘do we need another film with the title This Vs That in it or is there room for more?’

Film makers understand that film titles do hold a key to either making or breaking a film and it seems that in the last few years we’ve seen a spate of this vs that films coming out from either ends of the film industry’s orifice, from the big budget fair type a la monsters VS aliens to cowboys and aliens (albeit without the VS in the title) and the lower end scale of the budget with the likes of strippers VS werewolves to mega shark VS giant octopus (well worth checking out at an aqua world near you).

But can a title of a film really hold its own?

Blake Snyder says that the key ingredient in a good title is that it must be the headline of the story in other words – it says what it is! – and I guess with the VS films it definitely says whats on the box but can a VS title ridicule a film to such an extent that it can deter an audience from wanting to see it in the first place?

My two pennies worth is that as long as the film doesn’t take itself too seriously then the VS title can have an impact on the audience attendance which brings me to the conclusion that Horror/Comedy and Thriller genres can get away with VS titles and still rake in a decent sum of mulla at the box office. Just ask Freddy and Jason to prove the point – the bastards made a killing! (pardon the pun)

Will there ever be a dramatic film with a VS title in it? Kramer Vs Kramer is such an example of a film which went on to win 5 Oscars but I guess the title for that stems from the legal action both parents had to go through for the custody of their child. But one thing’s certain – if they were ever going to rename the Shawshank Redemption to Dufresene Vs the System then I don’t think the outcome would’ve been as successful.

So to all the horror/Thriller film makers out there keep making your Versus films and I will gladly await the bold dude who comes up with a film which begs for the title ‘vampires vs zombies vs werewolves vs aliens vs serial killers and a little old lady with a muff tea pot!

Nuff said.

Hi guys,

This article is short, sweet and packs a punch.

It’s the type of article that will perhaps allow you to make your life that little bit more interesting.

The idea is so simple yet it is almost always over looked and is so profound that if we took the time to consider it seriously, well maybe not too seriously, it would make a change in our lives, for the better.

I’m talking about the paradox of life.

I truly believe that if each and every one of us did things differently, going against the grain, or thought the opposite way to how we are accustomed to think then we’d probably be very surprised with the results of what we discover.
read more…

Hi guys,

So, what is the best job in the world?

Is it being an A list actor in Hollywoood?

Singing under the tutelage of Simon Cowell?

Djing to a crowd of thousands in the best club in Ibiza?

Photographing landmarks all over the world?

Or working as a caretaker on an island?

Who knows, the list is endless but I guess it’s up to you – the individual – to decide what’s best.

If I were to write down every job I’ve worked at from the age of 16 I’d say it was probably around 50 different jobs. From catering to canvassing and from mini cab driving to chocolate making. Mmmmm, yes that was a yummy job but didn’t last long.
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Hi guys,

Picasso once said ‘you only need to see an uninhibited child to see a genius.’

I remember reading that quote quite a few years back and it never really made sense to me back then. But now, in retrospect, I think I get the gist of what Picasso meant.

As grown ups most of us don’t remember or recollect those moments of joy and happiness back when we were kids. Having no worries or concerns, getting away with mischief, crying when we felt like it, laughing just for the hell of it. All these moments in life were just perfect bliss compared to how we see life today – through adult’s eyes.

The beauty of being a kid back then was our enthusiasm for life. Being enthusiastic for us was something wonderful. We just needed to see another kid do something wild and crazy and we would soon follow in tow and do the same thing. Enthusiasm was infectious, we inhaled every moment of it and enjoyed the pleasure and excitement that it brought.
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Hi guys,

And then there was the Marathon.
For those of you who weren’t aware, yesterday took place the London Marathon.

36,000 people ran it. 36,000 people who were up for the challenge.

Some do it every year, some did it for the first time and others, who are the athletes, do it constantly all over the world.

The name Marathon, for those who aren’t in the know, came to be known because of a bloke who ran from the town called Marathon to Athens in order to announce the Persians defeat. He ran the entire distance without stopping and upon arriving at his destination managed to exclaim that they have won and then collapsed and died.
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Hi guys,

Here in Great Britain we do like to do things differently compared to the rest of the world. One thing that comes to mind includes driving on the wrong side of the road for instance.

But I guess this is where us Brits like to stick to our ideals and at the same stick it to our foreign friends across the channel just to prove how wrong they are. So, here are several and amusing customs that us British like to do differently, whether it pleases you or not:
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Hi guys,

Easter is just round the corner and the chocolate egg sales are in full swing. And as we get ready to gorge ourselves silly with lots of cream eggs there will be those of us who who will be stuffing ourselves with something other than Chocolaty eggs, something much drier and tasteless to the palate, something called Matzos. That’s right, for all the Jewish contingency out there the next seven days we will be celebrating the festival which is called Passover.

Passover for those who are not in the know is when Jewish families gather for a meal, normally around the month of April, and recount the days of being slaves to the Pharaoh in Egypt some 3500 years ago. It tells the story of how Moses the dude, was sent on a mission by God (a bit like the Blues Brothers but on a bigger scale) to free the Jews from the tyranny of the Egyptians and lead them on a detour through the red sea, Via the desert, stopping at Mount Sinai for a date with destiny and continue onto the promised land.

But like any good story things never turn out according to plan. At Mount Sinai just as the Jews were about to receive the word of God they turned back on God and Moses and started whinging and complaining about this that and the other. Some if not most were so fed up with being dragged along the desert heat on their liberation tour that they were willing to give up and go back from whence they came.

Even though they tasted freedom for the first time in their lives they wanted to reclaim their slavery back in Egypt.
So the question goes Was life in the desert worse than slavery in Egypt?
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Hi guys,

Spring is in the air here in the UK and its that time of year that every once in a while (and yes I mean once in a while) the sun will cast its yellowy rays upon the British Isle and the brits will decend upon the shores & parks of England to bask in its sunny glow.
So I decided yesterday, on Sun-day, to spend the day in London town and go down to the south Bank and see what the tourists get up to when it aint raining cats and doggies.

The South bank, which for those who don’t know, is a long pedestrianised path situated south of the river Thames and stretchs 2 miles. It overlooks some of the traditional London landmarks and boasts plenty of tourist attractions including the Millenium Wheel.
But I’m not here to talk about the attractions on the South Bank, on the contrary, I want to talk about something more interesting like the street performers who were showing their stuff at the bank.

For those who are not familiar street performers come in all shapes and sizes, and colours for that matter. They flock where the tourists go and try and dazzle their audience with light entertainment which can include anything from circus performance, street dancing, bongo playing to just plain standing still.
Yes, you heard me right, just standing still, which is kinda odd but there you go.
read more…