Review: Blindness (3/10) - 2009: Blind (Staff) Leading The Blind (Cast)?

When I visited my local DVD store, after browsing the shelves of the movies I've already watched, deciding what I could blindly pick (no pun intended), this was when this movie cover really caught my eye. I read the synopsis on the back, and the concept was very different to anything I'd come across in a long while.

The idea of a "White Sickness" where an airborne virus renders people blind without any visible signs of infection was extremely intriguing to me. Directed by Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener, City of God), inspired by José Saramago's novel, Blindness takes the viewer on a 121 minute deteriorating process of an infection, not dissimilar to 24 Days Later.

I have always thought Julianne Moore (Hannibal, Evolution) was a good actress and adding Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon) and Mark Ruffalo (Zodiac) was an interesting choice of cast for this seemingly low-budget movie. Ironically scenes with empty streets and damaged property indicate that there was a higher budget than I originally expected, however this did not come across in the final production of the movie in my opinion.

The story of the movie as indicated begin with an individual suddenly becoming blind whilst driving home. This sickness spreads to the point of isolating the sick from the healthy in a hospital's blind ward, guarded by soldiers. An eye-doctor (Ruffalo) contracts the disease whilst treating the original victim, whilst his wife (Moore) is seemingly unaffected by the sickness. This renders her the only sighted person in the blind ward after refusing to leave her husband's side in his time of need, and feigning illness to allow her into the quarantined area. The storyline follows the individuals' plight in increasingly squalid conditions within the ward, with limited supplies and support on the way.

The following trailer shows the potential this movie has to offer:



Whilst Blindness was selected as the opening film at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, this does not automatically safeguard it from the numerous flaws and inaccuracies that the film exhibits. IMDB state that in order to prepare for acting in the film, all of the actors, crew and extras participated in so-called "blind camps". In these camps, participants were blindfolded, taken to an unknown location and left in the middle of the street to find their way around.

It can be noted that there was always someone on-hand to guide them, yet almost always, Director Fernando Meirelles claims that someone would always breakdown and give up. As with the training, the film lacks any realism when it comes to acting blind. Of course it is a hard skill, but there are always ways to make it more realistic, including blacked-out lenses for example.

I had high hopes for this movie and I felt continuously let down by the camera angles, poor musical composition and quality, and the way the movie seemed to drag on, rather than build up anticipation to an emphatic climax. Unrealistic scenarios that include an unsupervised blind ward are one of the many moments which suspend this movie from really working well, and I feel that in another world, developed by a different company, with superior cast, this film could have been a major blockbuster. This is the reason for the low 3/10 score I've provided it.

The numerous continuation errors and seemingly endless patience from Moore, when she could simply take charge of the entire situations she faced remaining as the only sighted person was almost petty. City of God was fantastic, but I feel that Fernando Meirelles did not reproduce the quality found in that production, with this movie. I find it increasingly frustrating that I cannot divulge into exact examples, which could ruin the movie for those who would like to see it, however I'd like to offer my view that I really do suggest that people give this movie a go despite what I've said.

The reason for this is that it is a completely new concept, it is exciting and unpredictable at times, and if you put aside your differences with the acting and the unrealistic scenarios mentioned, (among many others) it can be an enjoyable experience. I think for a film like this, it may be down to the individual, but in my opinion it was a poorer-executed 24 Days Later.

Advertising: Shock Tactics - Safety Belts

My second post on this blog covered Australian Vs UK road safety government advertisements, and I would like to take the opportunity to extend this section into safety belt advertisements. Again governments like using shock tactics to convince people to look out for not only their safety, but of those their friends and families as well as means of getting their messages across more effectively.

Before I divulge into advertising from a purely British perspective, advertising of which you are more than likely to have come across, I would also like to bring you an advertisement from Lebanon which literally made my hair stand on end. This is an advertisement which should be played around the world in my opinion:

Heaven Can Wait



Heaven can wait is a message which sent shivers down my spine and gave me goosebumps, which if viewed with full attention, I'm sure was the same for you as well. The fact that the "ghost" was trying to release the soul by pressing the belt-buckle unsuccessfully due to being a non-entity, was in my opinion, shudderingly effective.

The following advertisement is one which you will have come across on television in the UK regarding a scenario of pre and post buckling up in the car:

Seat Belts In Reverse



I find this advertisement extremely effective for youngsters who have just passed their tests or are not paying attention in their entirety when driving with friends. Everyone, myself included, can admit to being pre-occupied when friends are present in the car and only due to being brought up with a strict "have you got your seat belt on?" policy, have I made sure that all of my friends "buckle up" before I set off on my journey.

One of the most effective at the time in my opinion was the following seat belt advertisement:

Julie's Killer


What made this advertisement really hit home when I first witnessed this advertisement as you do not expect the outcome due to the narrative process. I found myself sitting there, watching and wondering who this killer was in the suspect van following the family. Was it their father, uncle, aunt or dodgy neighbour? Alas, it was simply the lack of seat belt and I feel that how the narrative deters the viewer from the actual cause of death was extremely realistic and powerful in its nature.

More recently, the following post-watershed advertisement is one which those that live in the UK will have come across and were probably shocked by:



This advertisement in my opinion is less effective than the Lebanese advertisement in the sense that, although it was graphic and made me take notice, it had less stopping power.

Which of the advertisements were the most effective to you?

Review: Horsemen (6/10) - 2009: Riding Into Twists And Turns

Despite looking like a bemused Gordon Ramsay lookalike in the poster, Dennis Quaid in fact pulls off a solid, powerful performance throughout this 90 minute crime thriller. Produced by Michael Bay and directed by Jonas Åkerlund, this movie offers much potential and provides well in certain areas, yet it can be mentioned that it lacks disappointingly in others.



The story follows Aidan Breslin (Dennis Quaid) as a detective who has become increasingly distant from his two sons after his wife died of cancer. The chain of murders are based upon the Biblical prophecies surrounding chapter six of the Book of Revelations that include the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse described below on par with the movie:

The White Horseman (Pestilence) - The white horse of the apocalyptic four may represent polar qualities of evil or righteousness, depending on interpretation. Some interpret the rider of the white horse to be the Anti-Christ, whereas others believe it is Jesus Christ himself.

The Red Horseman (War) - The rider of the second horse is generally held to represent War. The red color of his horse represents blood spilled on the battlefield. He carries a great sword, which represents battle and fighting.

The Black Horseman (Famine)- The third horseman riding the black horse is called Famine, with the colour black also being a symbol of the dead.

The Pale Horseman (Death) - The fourth horseman, usually said to ride on a pale horse, is explicitly named Death. Of all the riders, he is the only one whose name is easily distinguishable. Generally, he is usually followed by Hades (Gravedom). The color of the horse has been translated as "ashen", "pale", or "pale green".

Aside from the Biblical references, Ziyi Zhang, most notable for her roles in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House Of Flying Daggers, pulls of a phenomenal and scintilating display as Kristin, an adopted daughter of a murder victim. Prior to this movie I assumed that she was unable to speak any English due to the nature of her previous movies being purely in Chinese, however she performs very well from this point of view.

I have wouldn't be suprised if Lou Taylor Pucci, starring as Alex in the movie, will be awarded a few more contracts in the near future. Despite looking almost identical to a younger Mark Owen (from Take That), his role as disgruntled teenager working as a stand-in father whilst his real father works all day and night is amicable, not to mention some later scenes in the movie. In fact, the majority of the actors and extras performed very well in the movie.

It can be noted that the movie's soundtrack was extremely echoey and of poor quality, not to mention very average in terms of musical composition. The music volume often matched, or was higher to those speaking during scenes, often ceasing for no reason, which was extremely off-putting.



I noticed that this movie had similar characteristics to Se7en (1995); perhaps in style of writing, ending technique, or biblical references such as with Se7en's 7 Deadly Sins concept of death by gluttony, greed, sloth, envy, wrath, pride and lust, taken from Roman Catholic Virtues.

I've rated this movie a 6/10 because whilst the film sends you on a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns as the story unfolds, there was something missing from the almost too-sudden ending. This blog is described in a way so as to encourage movie-going/renting and purchasing where possible without ruining plot-lines and endings, so forgive some sections that may appear lacklustre in detail.

So without giving too much away, in my opinion, the script could have included a certain therapist into the script to provide further substance and depth to the outcome of the movie, along with more of a detailed scenario about what would happen next. This is the reason that this particular movie did not perform to the full potential it initially held whilst watching it.

Indie Review: Funny Games (7/10) - 2007: Watt's So Funny?

When scouring the local Blockbuster with another avid movie-addict I know, it's almost an impossible task to find a DVD both of us haven't seen. After scanning the shelves for a good thirty minutes or so, Samantha picked up "Funny Games". Now it seemed like a very unusual name for a movie, especially after reading the disturbing synopsis on the back, but we decided to give it a go under the notion that if it was a bad movie, that would be the last time she chose a movie with me. Harsh? Maybe, but it was all in good fun. (Incidentally, I picked the worst movie of the night so I'll keep that bit quiet).

When you read of a movie which has been re-released under the same name, by the same director (Michael Haneke), it should raise alarm bells with questions such as: Was it not successful the first time? Is someone that creatively challenged that they need to copy their own work?

However, after some research the original (1997) was an Austrian-release, compared to the new U.S. version starring surprisingly Naomi Watts (from The Ring). This surprised us due to the seemingly very low budget of the film, with fairly unknown actors involved aside from her, yet almost convinced Sam and I to rent it, rather than leave it on the shelves to collect dust.

IMDB indicate that the production crew used the blueprints from the original movie to create a shot-by-shot remake, including using the same proportions for the set of the house in 2007 as that of the set in 1997.

The movie is intended to represent how media influences violence in society, where a white, middle-class family are subjected to horrendous torture (both psychological and physical) and violence in the form of a "game" by two young visitors at the family's remote holiday home by the lake. The subject of this film is one that director Michael Haneke is quite passionate about.

Naomi Watt's performance is superb, as are all of the actors, with Tim Roth making a very convincing husband. The cold-hearted ruthlessness of Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet, leave a spine-tingling, shuddering concept of the capabilities of youths of today, possibly influenced through the media, and the whole concept of the movie. There are numerous scenes leaving you on the edge of your seat, including one with Devon Gearhart (the son of Watt's and Roth in the movie), wondering what exactly is going to happen next, like that of a Quentin Tarantino movie.

I must warn you that this is not your average slasher movie, and is edited in a very unique way. This includes characters communicating between themselves and the viewer. Some scenes like this may come across as confusing in the wider context, however this could simply be put down to the director who aims to provide an experience different to one that a viewer has ever experienced before, whilst succeeding at doing so.

The following trailer indicate the style of movie explained, but don't let the light-hearted soundtrack fool you:



I've rated this movie 7/10 and I highly recommend it for anyone who wish to be left shocked, disturbed and confused by the end credits. To give you an idea of the kind of movie it is claimed that during the film's screening at Cannes in 1997, it shocked the audience so badly that many viewers and film critics alike, walked out of the screening itself.

Very few movies leave you speechless and unable to comprehend the brutality they just witnessed, so the director can be credited on this. All I know is, that if anyone ever rings my doorbell mentioning their aunt sending them to fetch some eggs... I know where I'll tell them to go. (I'll also lock up my house, carry a knife in each hand, and hide in my locked room)... Sound a bit extreme? Then watch this movie...enough said!

Review - The Proposal (7/10) - 2009: Sandra Bullock Proposing More Laughs Than Usual

I am an avid fan of Ryan Reynolds and know that no matter what movie he's in, I'm guaranteed his quick-witted humour and laughing until my sides hurt (See Just Friends, Van Wilder, and Two Guys, A Girl And A Pizza Place to name a few). However the dilemma for me was the simple fact that Sandra Bullock would be co-starring in a movie with primarily two characters.



The reason the movie "Crash" didn't affect affect me so badly was the fact she only starred in about 2-3 scenes. She is the same, whiney actress in nearly everything she does and I was almost debating giving the movie a miss because of it. You may think it's harsh, but I'm really not a fan.

I'd like to think that I'm right a lot of the time, but on this occasion, her performance was superb. This could be down to the fact that her role was a stuck up ice-queen Margaret Tate, an executive editor-in-chief of a major book publishing company...but this is besides the point. The movie surrounds Bullock, a Canadian-national working in America, who's visa has expired and suddenly faces deportation.

Her plan includes blackmailing her personal assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her in order to avoid the deportation process, therefore making her a legal American Citizen. He grudgingly accepts, under the condition that he is promoted to the position of editor. The story continues with Reynolds' trip to Alaska for his grandma's 90th birthday party where the "couple" aim to announce their "engagement". As always, Reynolds performs solidly with numerous facial expressions, catch-phrases, and actions to make this a very enjoyable Romantic Comedy.

The following movie trailer indicates things to come throughout the movie:



It was reported that Reynolds was shocked to discover that he would be sharing an exposing scene with Bullock at one point within the movie. He initially believed that the script would be re-written to exclude the scene, as he didn't think she would agree to filming it.

I'd like to mention however that this movie was not as successful as Just Married for example as the missing ingredient was Reynolds' dialogue. I don't believe that he was provided with a completely solid script, in the sense that his humour almost seemed forced and trying to compete with roles in previous movies. Nevertheless, I rate this movie 7/10 and found it an extremely enjoyable romantic comedy and highly recommend it for a good night in with the other-half (or lots of popcorn and ice-cream if you're on your own).

Review - Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (4/10) - 2009: Transforming From Bad To Worse

I remember sitting down on a Saturday morning throughout my childhood, waiting for my weekly dose of Transformers...and the cartoon soundtrack "more than meets the eye". I even remember purchasing my first Optimus Prime from Tip Top (a local toy store), including the Transformer collection where you connect five other Transformer toys together to produce a Super-Transformer. It fills me with a sense of nostalgia looking back, and when I first heard that Hollywood had decided to make a human version of the series, I was extremely sceptical at first and didn't want to watch it.

With the fond childhood recollections of this well-written (from what I remember at least) series, anything that could ruin these memories was a risk I was unwilling to take at first. However, after numerous positive appraisals from a lot of people I decided to watch the first one. I wont delve into complete details but I will admit that it was much better than I had previously expected. With this in mind, I was far less reluctant to watch the second movie. Of course it had its flaws but like the sequel I believe this was down to the actors selected.

Shia LaBeouf. Where do I start on this actor? I'm not being funny but every single film he's been in (as with Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter), he has the same look of bewilderment throughout the entire 150 minutes. I do not understand what Steven Spielberg sees in him as an actor, as there are far more capable of doing a better job. I don't like to slate individuals, because in the movie Disturbia, I thought his acting was realistic and suited the part.

This was all until I discovered that it wasn't really tailor-made acting for that film, but more his actual generic acting itself. Regardless, I refuse to critique him for Disturbia, or Holes as I feel he did a good job. Unlike Radcliffe however, Shia has not progressed as an actor his age might have hoped. At least Radcliffe moved from specked-bewildered-with-mouth-open acting to much-more-realistic-specked-bewildered-with-mouth-open acting.

Megan Fox is potentially the most beautiful actress to come on to the movie scene in a long time but even this will not deter me from describing how I see her acting abilities. I will take my hat off and admit that her seduction techniques worked on nearly every male in the cinema and were almost too realistic for most to stand up during the half-time interval, however hey may as well have cast Carmen Electra for her similar "acting" qualities.

Besides.. the day I see someone who looks like Shia LaBeouf walking around with a Megan Fox and being so cocky as to believe that she wouldn't leave him for a Ryan Reynolds lookalike...I'll eat my words. Is this just a sad state of affairs that Hollywood has resorted to in recent years? What happened to the James Dean's or Joaquin Phoenix's (in Gladiator) of the world where every movement and spoken word is more believable than skin-deep looks of beauty?

Similarly with the first movie, I felt the special effects and graphics were phenomenal and explosions worked in sync with the post-production graphics expertly. I don't like to be completely negative about movies from an overall aspect as I believe that credit will be due where it is deserved, and the special effects team saved this movie almost single-handedly.

The following trailer for Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen provides a taste of things to come throughout the movie:



As the trailer gives away, the cheap (almost forced) humour is a massive no-no and fail in almost every situation except for perhaps one part of the entire film. I don't understand what Michael Bay/his writers were thinking when developing an Action-Comedy-Sci-Fi-combination within a single film. I am unsure if these writers wrote the roles specifically with the chosen actors in mind or not, because Shia LaBeouf tends to have the similar goofy lines in the majority of his recent movies.

Furthermore, the slightly racist connotations of the twin robots stereotypical urban black personalities has been overlooked by most people, yet it even made me chuckle at how a Blockbuster could write this into the script. Maybe I should take my own advice from a previous post in that I should watch these movies with a pinch of salt rather than the underlying meanings of things.

My flatmate accurately described how the movie was written before I watched it and I can agree with his quote: "You know when you're a kid and you write a story and you're locked in a massive battle where your team is losing... but suddenly, you forgot to tell people, that you own the Sword of Elzar with the capabilities of destroying everyone that would have been previously impossible, but is now easy because of the weapon I just told you about just then"... Well this is basically how the movie is laid out, so if you like an easy-to-watch, CGI-fuelled action-movie, with intense graphical scenes, Megan Fox (mmm) and (err) comedy thrown in, by all means go ahead...But seriously...robot heaven?!...come on.

It's not all bad for Paramount and Dreamworks however, as the movie did score the best opening day ever for a Wednesday release, with an estimated $60.6 million domestically (USA). Furthermore the movie has also earned an estimated $201.2 million, bettering Spiderman 2's $152.4 million to become the second biggest five-day domestic gross of all time, not to mention becoming China's biggest box office hit ever by earning 400 million Chinese yuan ($59 million).

I've rated this movie 4/10 based on the reasons mentioned. Don't take my word for it if you don't want to, but don't say I didn't warn you.

Advertising - 2009: Retro Vs Brand New

When I the following Milky Way advert came on TV for the first time since I was a young child, it sent me back to where I was when I first watched it at my grandad's house whilst visiting the UK for holidays. British television was a God-send compared to the Greek dubbed American television programmes, so I took every opportunity to watch Biker Mice from Mars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Thomas The Tank Engine. The following links compare between the original and new version of Milky Way's Red Car v Blue Car retro advertisements.

Milky Way Statement: "Milky Way is bringing back its iconic Red Car v Blue Car ad after almost a 20 year absence from our screens. The ad features an animated race between a Red Car and a Blue Car and the memorable jingle is remembered fondly by the late eighties / early nineties generation."

Milky Way (Original) (1989)



The only difference between this and the original (aside from becoming digitally restored) are the lyrics where the original used to say "Smart Old Blue", compared to the new version saying "Good Old Blue". Furthermore, the slogan in the last frame in the original reads "The sweet you can eat between meals without ruining your appetite", compared to the new version that reads "Lighten up and play". This is probably down to the over-the-top political correctness that has consumed the UK whole, and doesn't look like spitting out any time soon.

Milky Way (New Version) (2009)



However, Milky Way are not the only culprits to this "new" form of recycled advertising. Since 1998 the Milky bar Kid advertisements have been animated due to some controversy over Nestlé's Milky Bar Kid audition requirements included being male, blonde and fair-skinned individuals.

In 2009, the human version returned in the form of a montage (below), and soon after, the new Milky Bar Kid was selected. Some controversy occurred due to the confusion of the gender of this new actor as some thought it was a female (left), thus conflicting with original concepts for the sake of political correctness. However the actor is in fact 14 year old William Ray and was originally employed in 2007.


Which of the Milky Bar Kids was your favourite growing up, and does it correlate with your age group when you were youngest or do the new ones make the cut? For more information on all the Milky Bar Kids, click here.

Milky Bar Kid Montage



Unilever's Persil are also another brand using footage from 1955 and the 1980's, featuring the strapline "What is a Mum", being the first detergent to be advertised on the television. "Persil commissioned its advertisements to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the washing powder in April this year." For the full Daily Mail article click here.

Is "retro" the new "brand new"? It seems to be a running trend recently for long-running companies to bring back advertisements originally aired in the 80's and 90's. Is this a cost-saving issue during uncertain times, or simply a nostalgic tactic to send consumers on a trip down memory lane? I personally think it's a combination of the two, but you can always tell when something is popular, as leading brands follow suit.

Viral: Did You Know?

This is a brilliant viral which essentially puts us out of a job. Whilst this sounds like a destructive and depressing concept, the combination of Fat Boy Slim's "Right here, Right Now" along with sharply animated graphics, give this informative viral an edge over other informative shorts. Enjoy.

Advertising - 2009: Bridgestone Superbowl Commercial

Bridgestone are not always known for their comedic advertisements, yet during the NFL Superbowl and the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2009, the following clip ran. This is potentially one of the funniest advertisements I've personally witnessed in a very long time, and surely the best tyre advertisement ever.



Don't you think you should switch your tyre manufacturer right about now? Look at all the animals you could save!

Advertising - 2009: Ozzy & Samsung

Ozzy Osbourne's latest series of advertisements delve into his infamous lack of spatial awareness in addition to his usual persona depicted in his television reality show "The Osbournes."

1. Samsung Jack:

This is a cracker of an advertisement and was aired during the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs in the USA in 2009.

"Samsung Mobile and Ozzy Osbourne Team Up to Launch the Samsung Jack(TM), the next generation Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone available exclusively to AT&T customers in the U.S and powered by the nations fastest 3G network. The Jack combines the familiar look and feel of a Windows desktop with a stylish, streamlined device ideal for customers looking to simplify and increase the productivity of their business and personal lives."



2. Samsung Propel

This advertisement uses Ozzy's mumbling to texting advantage.



3. Samsung Alias 2

Voodoo magic or just the new Samsung available to Ozzy Osbourne?



I for one, find this series of advertisements very effective and humourous, and believe that Samsung's Ozzy sponsorship will be very profitable for them. Which of the videos did you prefer and why?

Advertising - 2008: Heineken

The following advertisement for Heineken was aired in 2008, but remains in my books as one of the funniest beer commercials in a long time.



The creative department at the advertising agency have really struck gold with this advertisement. Everyone dreams of walk-in rooms with the necessities they don't necessarily need, but definitely want most. What do you think?

Film Short - 2007: Pale Blue Dot

An introduction to Carl Sagan (from Wikipedia):

"Carl Edward Sagan (November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, astrochemist, author, and highly successful popularizer of astronomy, astrophysics and other natural sciences. He pioneered exobiology and promoted the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI).

He is world-famous for writing popular science books and for co-writing and presenting the award-winning 1980 television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, which has been seen by more than 600 million people in over 60 countries, making it the most widely watched PBS program in history. A book to accompany the program was also published. He also wrote the novel Contact, the basis for the 1997 Robert Zemeckis film of the same name starring Jodie Foster. One of the last books he wrote was Pale Blue Dot.

During his lifetime, Sagan published more than 600 scientific papers and popular articles and was author, co-author, or editor of more than 20 books. In his works, he frequently advocated skeptical inquiry, secular humanism, and the scientific method."

The following film short, produced by David Fu is a combination of imagery of our world through the eyes of the media, as read by Carl Sagan about the space mission in his audiobook Pale Blue Dot. This inspirational video sparked my personal desire to re-learn the wonders of the universe and the depths of space, our final frontier, and in doing so became captivated in the uniqueness of planet Earth in the big cycle of things.

I was first introduced to this film short at Bournemouth University when a fellow classmate gave a speech about the future of advertising in uncertain times such as these. It is a credit to the producer who incorporated fantastic imagery (excuse the resolution of the images), the perfect choice of music by Mogwai (Song: Stop Coming To My House from the Album: Happy Songs For Happy People), to the soothing voice of Carl Sagan. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did as it really puts things into perspective.

Viral - 2008: What If Corporations Invented The Stop Sign?

The video below is a fantastic scenario as described by the synopsis, of an environment that any designer/advertiser will have encountered at one point in their career.

Website's Synopsis: Stop signs are one of the many things we take for granted. It's hard to believe that there was a time before the stop sign existed, and that someone had to invent it. The Process is a fun short about how things would have turned out if it were designed by committee. (www.todaysbigthing.com)

Can you just imagine being in a similar situation with your campaign?

Viral - 2007: Jeon Ju Slalom Competition

The videos below were produced in 2007, so not exactly the newest of virals to share with the world, however the Jeon Ju Slalom Competition is a freestyle competition where individuals can dance in between cones to music whilst wearing rollerblades... sound interesting enough? wait until you watch the videos. Some people have just got too much talent.

1st Place - Xu Xinyu



2nd Place - Sin Eun Yeong



3rd Place - Kim Kyeong Mi



What I would pay to watch these talented skaters play Ice-hockey, weaving in and out of players! Don't think they'd take the physical aspect of the sport though. It may be unfair to say this but no matter just how difficult you know this talent is, and the fact that most of you could barely skate in a straight line let alone inbetween cones, you can't help but comment on how 2nd and 3rd place don't compare to 1st place! Don't lie... at one point within the videos you all pointed out that "they hit a cone and lost balance...rubbish!" Enjoy.

Review - Defiance (2/10) - 2009: Daniel Craig's Resistance To Acting Properly

Now I will hold up my hand and admit that in Layer Cake, Daniel Craig was star of show and well worth the DVD purchase for repeated use. However, is it just me that has noticed that ever since he won the race to the role of the first blonde 007 (this can be an entire post in itself about how I disagree with this concept...but anyway), he simply retains the fixed pout throughout every scene, standing upright and praying his new-found muscles through his James Bond training protrude through his clothing. I wonder if he had a vain enough request for a topless scene denied?

Arguably however, his Russian accent I must admit was fairly accurate, and the fact that he attempted to even speak Russian was admirable and virtually provided the 1-2/10 that I've rated this movie. This does not mean that he was solid though, as every now and then he slipped back into a British/Scottish accent. Now don't get me wrong, Blood Diamond and The Last Samurai were two fantastic films directed by Edward Zwick, Blood Diamond being one of the most intense films I've watched in a long time, and The Last Samurai's superb Hans Zimmer soundtrack, however this film tries to describe a rushed version of the horrors the Jews faced during World War 2 in German-Occupied Eastern Europe in ironically, 137 minutes.

Sure it was nominated for an Academy Award...albeit for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score (James Newton Howard), rather than the actual film itself.

The story follows four Jewish Belorussian brothers, lead by Tuvia Bielski (Daniel Craig) and his brother Zus Bielski (Liev Schreiber), who escape the slaughtering of their village, in addition to Soviet bounty-hunters selling live Jews to the Nazis in exchange for cash, whatever their condition. The majority of the film is situated in the forests of Belarus, where the brave survivors intend to reclaim their lives as free men and women and set up a new home in the woods, including calling a truce with the neighbouring Soviet partisans through the infamous Bielski name borne through their various acts of defiance (the name really gives it away...) against the Nazis.

The movie sounds fantastic on paper, however it is extremely far-fetched, to the point that the houses they have made include metal door hinges, windows, enough food and water to supply a thousand people (how?!) and most probably central heating with a jacuzzi. Furthermore, the defiant band of Jews find it extremely easy to break in and out of Nazi camps holding the Jews and don't ever seem to follow them into the woods.

It can be mentioned that it is nice to see Jamie Bell finally escaping his Billy Elliot image, and whilst he did not hold the award for "Best Russian Accent" out of all the refugees in the forest, he put on a solid acting display. It can also be mentioned that Schreiber's performance was also admirable. See below for the official trailer to the movie and you can make your own judgement.



This movie has been rated a very low score because of the reasons mentioned above and not one I'd recommend sitting over two hours through, considering the camera-lense filter seemed to be set permanently in the dark (whether this was to add to the realism of the forest or purely accidental I don't know), not to mention Daniel Craig's wooden performance. it can be argued that there were a few action scenes that gripped the audience, albeit for a few minutes or so.

The Holocaust was an event unimaginable to anything that occurs in this modern day and age, and this movie does not intend on reducing the impact of these brave individuals, however they do not seem to make it convincing enough, which is a sad scenario to comprehend.

Review - Brüno (8/10) - 2009: This Movie Is SO Gay!

Excuse the pun within the title, but this is my first official movie review (in the world of blogging; minus the foul language, bad grammar and slang), so let's see how it goes.

Sacha Baron Cohen is once again at the height of controversy in the movie world dating back to his original mockumentary character Ali G, originally cast in 1998 during "The 11 O'clock Show." Whilst Ali G was less risqué in his interview methods, it showed potential for things to come later, as with the hysterical Borat Sagdiyev (2006), and of course this latest installment in Cohen's repertoire.

The story follows Brüno, a 19 year old homosexual fashionista who wants to "make it big" in Hollywood by becoming a celebrity, and will do literally anything in his claim to fame. When the synopsis for the movie first came out, I'm sure that nearly everyone, myself included, would sit through a funny movie on the scale of Borat, but perhaps slightly a bit more uncomfortable through homo eroticism. This went beyond most boundaries I could even imagine, even so much as to cut out numerous scenes with graphic images in Arabic countries, leaving the film much shorter than the worldwide 81 minutes run-time, and was recently banned in the Ukraine.

Surely this is the type of coverage Cohen wished for, which started off with the infamous Eminem publicity stunt at the MTV Movie Awards (see below):



Admirably, in a mark of respect to Michael Jackson, a scene featuring La Toya Jackson was removed from the final edit around a week before cinema release. Some people may disagree with Cohen's overall intentions, however this act shows that he does in fact, have moral standards.

While Borat was nominated for an Oscar, I feel that Brüno does not contain the secret ingredient to compete in the same category. Numerous activists have complained that the film promotes homosexuality, whereas others argue that it in fact promotes homophobia. It is down to the individual how they feel about the issue. However, I do believe that if people could just sit down and watch the movie and take each of the scenes with a pinch of salt, rather than delve into the depths of morality and potential underlying meanings and connotations, they'd enjoy life a lot more.

I personally did not notice a single person who wasn't enjoying themselves during the cinema's premiere locally, however the most graphic of scenes did leave the majority of cinema-goers clasping their mouths with their hands and trying not to look, wondering just how far the imagery was going to go. This movie is not for the feint-hearted and a certain swinging full-frontal section of the movie will haunt my dreams for a long time, regardless of how prepared for the movie I was or not.

For those who have not seen Brüno, or would like to see if they could handle all 81 minutes of similar humour, below is the official trailer. However, I must warn you that it does contains spoilers and if you simply want to remain breathless, startled and in hysterics throughout the film, I recommend that you skip this link.



I have rated this film 8/10 because I think it is potentially the most shockingly graphic movie I have ever watched at the cinema, whilst remaining extremely intelligent throughout interviews that involve real people, and retains the comedic genius and laughs throughout as found in Borat.

Advertising - Australia Vs UK: Shock-Tactics

This is a terrific series of advertisements produced in Australia in order to curb the rising drug drivers on the streets. The video is edited beautifully but must warn those who are slightly squeemish that there is one graphic scene. Perhaps shock-tactics such as these will make people pay closer attention to the consequences of their actions.





Some may complain that these advertisements are not suitable for daytime viewing, however I have to disagree in the sense that younger adolescents need to become more aware about the increased danger they pose to others whilst becoming intoxicated.

The fact that Australia poses a "firm but fair" strategy in their advertising without caring what sort of responses arise from their governmental messages are admirable, and a stance which the UK are starting to increasingly implement with their road safety advertisements, such as the shocking example below:



This extremely controversial advertisement could EASILY have been real footage released by a parent to show the dangers of crossing the road without looking, however it was in fact produced and thankfully noone was hurt in the making of it.

In my opinion this is far more effective than the rubbish drink-driving advertisement's being produced these days such as the one below:



As this post indicates, shock-tactics are regularly introduced to the Australian public. This particular speeding advertisement is shot from the perspective of a young Australian police officer depicting a regular day on the job.



Between the Australian and UK advertisements... which do you feel is the most effective? I know which ones works for me.

James

An Introduction To James

Welcome to my first blog. There has been a lot of going's on in and around the Internet the past few years regarding blogging and its effect on everyday life. Everyone seems to be so totally consumed in blogging that until now, I held my own and limited my postings to Facebook and my views on movies between friends. As times change and progress, so must I.

Why "Grenglish Productions" you may ask yourself? A long story short, I am an English national who moved to the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea when I was very young, and grew up in a Greek-Cypriot environment (One that I love). On a daily basis internationals and locals alike will use a combination of Greek and English in a single sentence, for almost every conversation, also known as "Grenglish". This more or less covers my English roots and Greek lifestyle in a single word, so decided it would be most appropriate, regardless if it's easily understandable to those who have not heard it before.

As with advertising, the film industry is a popular job (understatement of the century), with everyone under the sun wanting to be the next Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp and Paris Hilton (well maybe not that one...but still!), and will do anything to gain a bit of fame.

I have always loved film but decided to study Advertising and Marketing Communications for my undergraduate degree. Adverts for me have always been miniature movies, so MA Producing Film and Television was the next logical step for me.. I always envisaged producing spectacular advertisements such as the Nike football first-person camera and Smirnoff Purified advertisements (see below), to name a couple..





I just never believed that I could succeed in a tight-knit industry without any contacts or previous experience, but after doing my highly-competitive Advertising and Marketing course, I've realised that anything is possible. Advertising is the other dream-job that everyone seems to think they would enjoy for a change of scenery. The sad thing is, some agencies take on students with law degrees over actual advertising degrees. While this may be seen as a moulding technique by some agencies to produce their perfect employees from different backgrounds, it would be far more profitable and less time consuming to employ those who have trained over three years to produce the best results. (Hint: Choose Bournemouth University Students.. We know what we're doing!)

From a young age, I have always enjoyed watching movies and have been fascinated at their production from an acting and cinematographical point of views. I relished tasks during English class between 12-15 years old that included group amateur movie-making, where I often wrote the scripts, filmed, directed and edited the final movies on VHS tape. Whilst this was an amateur attempt at film producing, I believed that this would be a fantastic career choice at some point in my life, which led me to the world of advertising as explained earlier.

Unlike most of my friends, since the invention of the DVD with its vast memory capacity capabilities, I always watch the “Making Of” and “Behind-the-Scenes” in every DVD extra that is available on the films that I own. I also took part in countless school plays, with my first speaking role arriving at aged four. Whilst still in Junior School, I was even lucky enough to play a lead role by the age of ten in the Senior School production of the Water Babies. In my mid-teens, other roles included Mr. Bumble in Oliver, and two roles in The Wiz, thus establishing the acting and production industry in my life from a very young age. I believe that television and film is a natural step up from this process and participating in a few student films during my undergraduate years intensified my love for the course at Bournemouth and the industry in general.

This blog will include links I find interesting and hope you do as well, in addition to my personal views on various blockbusters and lesser-known indie films I come across. It will also include a diary-like progress report on my own film shorts for my course and hopefully generate discussion amongst you, my subscribers.

I've only got one chance to attempt to break into the film industry and hopefully by reading this blog you will get to know a bit about my character (almost impossible from text alone) and how I plan to "make it" and become a house-hold name (here's hoping... after all; what's the point if there's no ambition eh?).

Cheers,

James