The link is to a studio tape of series two of Fist of Fun*1, with unedited footage of Rich and Stew discussing Pancake Tuesday. Here it is:
So why am I boring you with this? I was there when they filmed that, me.
In the final broadcast version, I appear (very briefly) on the telly. I'm in this clip, too, at around 4m50s.
Okay, it's my long hair in the corner of the picture, and the back of my sister's head. She's on the telly more than I am there. But I'M ON THE TELLY!
There's a longer tale about pushing in the queue at BBC Television Centre, but this isn't really the time or place. Ask me when you see me, yeah?
Huge thanks go to Andy McH for locating this, as well as Paul Dullson for originally uploading it.
Fist of Fun Series One*2 will be available on DVD soon from the awesome Go Faster Stripe. It's going to be excellent, and you should buy it.
*1 Or, as all the cool kids are calling it: FOF (fof). *2 That's the one without me in it, I'm afraid. Sorry. Series Two next year, so I'm told.
DISCLAIMERS: • ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organizations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Normally, I'd think twice about seeing this, or at least give it a hard time for its not inconsiderable faults. However, after the SeptemberI'vehad trying to watch "film", this movie is more than welcome.
If you've seen the trailer, you'll be thinking it's a fairly empty action/thriller, with The Other One Off Of Twilight™ leaping around and getting shot at and shit blowing up and that. You'd be right there, as well; but let's break it down...
The Plot: Taylor Lautner (The Other One Off Of Twilight™) is an ordinary 'should be happy' high-school jock, smug, borderline-bully dickhead, until he discovers a bizarre secret from his past which turns his life upside-down! Grinding familiarity ensues...
The Good: In terms of blowing shit up and jumping out of trains and cars, this is a perfectly servicable thriller. A little slow at the start (with a presumably deliberate "Twilight" opening shot), but after the first set-piece, the action sequences are fairly evenly paced. It's all very much by-the-numbers, but what the hell were you expecting? It's got The Other One Off Of Twilight™ in it. AndHim Off Of Harry Potter™ as well. Somehow, the film's producers managed to bat way above their average and also secure Sigourney Weaver and Alfred Molina, but they didn't really give them that much to do, so I figure it's easy-money in downtime for those two.
The Bad: Being a 12A, and starring TOOooT™, there are a couple of scenes aimed directly at 15yr old girls. Embarassingly so. And around these areas, the dialogue is almost painful. The rest of the time, it's merely "standard". But I don't think any of us were there tonight for the scripting. Oh, and Heroine™ needs to do something about those eyebrows. Jeez...
The Ugly: A few massive lapses in logic here and there. Example; The assassin on the train waits until Heroine™ goes to the buffet car, then follows her almost back to the compartment that she and TOOooT™ are hidden in... but then waylays her into another carriage, knocks her around and asks her at gunpoint which compartment number they're in. Almost as if the dumb fuck couldn't have just waited 30 seconds, when she would've led him there anyway.
Also, despite having heavy product placement from Apple, each of the computers in the film has that dummy operating system that only exists in movies, where massive windows take up the whole screen, and things are typed out by the computer in... real... time... It wouldn't matter so much if they didn't spend so much time explaining how hi-tech everything's meant to be when it's clearly not.
Research Your Fucking Film: In all fucking honesty, the movie takes place on the west coast of America (Virginia, Pennsylvania). At one point in the "evening" when it's dark outside (but before TOOooT™ has had dinner), a phone call is made to "London, England", where it's apparently the middle of the afternoon. Not five hours AHEAD of the USA, so actually ALSO NIGHT. It's not that difficuly. Seriously, it's not.
All In All: Nothing great, nothing new, but an entertaining distraction nonetheless. A DVD-job, for sure.
DISCLAIMERS: • ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organizations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
CAUTION: Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
I wouldn't normally do a season-review for three films, but JURASSIC PARK IS ON IN THE FLIPPING CINEMA AGAIN! As part of Universal's push for the BluRay release, JP returns for a 2-week release, as did Back To The Future around this time last year. There's nothing new in there, it's just a remastered print, shown in digital projection.
So, does it stand the test of time? Is an 18yr old movie still worth watching?
Jurassic Park On: 23rd September 2011 Location:THE FLIPPING CINEMA!!
I'll be honest, as much as I loved Jurassic Park back in '93, I haven't watched this in quite a while (only bought it on DVD a month ago… seriously), and I'd forgotten what an absolute game changer this was back in the day. Almost every aspect of the film still stands up in 2011. An absolute joy to behold.
• The weather seems variable on Isla Sorna. In the first shot, it's overcast with cloud, but a minute and a half later, blue skies with small white clouds. • Considering how many faces from the first movie are here (even just in token catch-up appearances), and that Spielberg himself is directing, this really is a low-key sequel. • That being said, Vince Vaughan has a role, and given his subsequent career, this is probably the least bland film he's been in. • Julianne Moore's character is called Sarah Harding. Watching the movie in 2011, I can't help but feel that if they'd sent the Girls Aloud member, the velociraptors would have been terrified into submission… • I find it hard to believe that InGen's trustees would send a hunting party to site-B to capture live dinosaurs, when they could just use the already documented procedures to create them on the mainland, surely? The amber used for the DNA samples wasn't native to the islands, and the tech was shipped there. Everyone concerned knows the islands are over-run, where's the sense in sending people in? • Ooh, lots of the baddies have Brit accents. Hunter men bad! They hunt dinosaur! Goodies frown at bad man! *rolls eyes* • Parts of Isla Sorna look suspiciously ilke Endor. Those Ewoks wouldn't have been intimidated by the Velociraptors. Speaking of which… • …even after our heroes join survivalist forces with the hunting party (whose job it is to kill things, they journey into the centre of the island un-armed. How fucking dumb are this lot? • Not too impressed with a smartarsed preteen gymnast outwitting a velociraptor, but as the first movie proved with hacker-Lex, if you're going to include whiny kids, they have to have one talent which will come in useful in a life-threatening situation. • The Japanese businessmen running from the T-Rex is a nice touch.
This film would be a lot better if the characterisation wasn't so cartoonish. It's a kind of straight-to-video sequel, without the aspect of going straight-to-video. On its own? A five or a six. As a sequel to one of the greatest movies of all time? A solid four, I'm afraid.
• Like its predecessor, the film starts with another "oh, you guys, what could possibly go wrong?" concept… • In fact, the main plot's a borderline rip-off of Aliens, with its let's go back to a known disaster site to rescue the colonists gubbins, coupled with finding a child who's survived purely on instinct. • Spinosaurus? You couldn't think of a better name than Spinosaurus? Hmmmf. No-one outbadasses my T-Rex. No-one, y'hear? • If any of the films could justify some harsh language to up the BBFC rating a little, it's this one. I'm pretty sure that Alan Grant would be giving it some "hey, how about you shut the fuck up and maybe don't attract more bastard dinosaurs, hmm? • I can forgive Neill's moralising 'this is how you play God' schpiel, seeing as we get some raptor-action.
Despite the film's faults, (and there aren't as many as Lost World), it's still got a great sense of adventure, and it's good to see Sam Neill back in the fold.
That's a strong five, but it just ain't a six ;)
Jurassic Park On: 25th September 2011 (yes, I watched all three in one day) Location: Home
• The only major gripe I have about Jurassic Park is that it's in 16:9 instead of 2.35:1. • John Williams' score is absolutely beautiful. It gives the film a gravity that many/most other adventure movies lack completely. The themes almost become characters themselves. • In the first 'money shot' where the team see the Brachiosaur, keep an eye on the sky. Overcast one minute, sunny the next, with ground-shadows coming and going accordingly. I suppose I'm not meant to be looking up there, though. • I love how young Lex gets into the car and exclaims "It's an interactive CD-Rom!", while these days, a kid that age would be wondering what the hell a CD-Rom is. • I always forget that Sam Jackson's in this. Probably because of how criminally underused he is. • Normally, I'd be moaning about the stereotype of the fat, cocky, lazy, insubordinate computer programmer, but since I do know people like that…
Even on the small-screen, this film is amazing. I never get tired of hearing the trumpeting roar of the T-Rex...
And so, the toys and the VHSs go back into the loft, encased in their own special amber (aside: cardboard), and the four-disc steelbook sits on the DVD shelf. That'll be the last time I watch them for a while. Not because they're not worth it, but just because I never want to become overly familiar with the parts I love the most.
Rumours continue to circulate about JP4, and if Joe 'Captain America' Johnston's onboard for directing, as suggested, I'll be there on the first day. Hell, I'll be there on the first day anyway.
If you've never seen any of these, you owe it to yourself to at least watch the first one. These movies are seriously underrated.
DISCLAIMERS: • ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Hello, my name's Yen and I'm one of the only people in the world who didn't like this film.
WARNING: SPOILERS*
I'll keep this short and sweet. I didn't feel the narrative was laid out plainly enough. In all honesty, I didn't feel the narrative was laid out at all, other than "there's a mole at the top of the circus" (about six fucking times), and "oh, it's Colin Firth". In between those, is two hours of moody atmosphere shots with very little useful dialogue or anything actually happening.
• Interior, a darkened office, day. Smiley sits with one of the other central characters who somehow hasn't been introduced properly. Nothing is said for about 45 seconds until one of them quietly pipes up "...things are not in order" Cut to: • Exterior, a park, dusk. Smiley looks into the middle distance saying nothing for 60 seconds. Cut to: • Interior, Smiley's office, night. Although probably not the night after the dusk we just saw. You can't really tell, to be honest. Smiley looks at four chess pieces with faces sellotaped onto them. The camera closes on his concerned face. He says nothing. Cut to...
Fucking etcetera. For two hours. It does have some good sequences; the flashback scene at the beginning with Mark Strong as the agent in Bulgaria, and the tale told in flashbacks by Tom Hardy. But other than that, flashback sequences are used, unannounced, where the characters and decor look exactly the fucking same as in the 'present' day. Then you get to a point where Mark Strong's scenes weren't flashbacks, but when you realise this you think back over those scenes and realise they were so largely inconsequential that it doesn't really matter when they were set.
Here's the deal: I'm not a rocket scientist. I know this. But I also know I'm not completely thick, and I know enough about narrative structure to sit through most of this film not having a fucking clue what's going on at any given moment.
Yet, evidently I'm the only person who feels like this.
I was going to give it a second watch. Benefit of the doubt, y'know? Then after some thought, I figured fuck it. The way I see it, you've got three minutes to 'sell' a film to me with your trailer. If you can do that, I'm in. If I'm not convinced by the trailer, then why should I spend time and money watching something that doesn't seem to appeal to me? Oh, it could be a great film, but if the person who's cut the trailer's done a bad job, that's not my problem.
Then I took it a step further. The trailer for TTSSdid sell it to me. It's the film itself that didn't. And quite honestly, if you can't convince me in two hours that I should like your film, then it's certainly not going to get another screening with me in the room.
On the plus side: Everything else is pretty excellent. The sets, costumes, casting, acting, delivery, photography; all exquisite. It just feels to me like it was edited by someone who hadn't read the story. Way too many aspects seemed like they probably meant more in the book or TV series, and were only in this to make up the numbers.
And y'know, if you're adapting a massive book which was a 7-hour TV series down into 2 hours, and a lot of stuff doesn't fit? Then you should probably be asking yourself if you should even be doing it at all.
Best bit: Colin Firth gets shot in the face. That will never get old.
I want to mark it more highly just because of the way it looks, but I was too disappointed with it to do that.
* Although when I say "spoilers", I mean arguably more plot-revelation than the fucking film.
DISCLAIMERS: • ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organizations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
