Disaster Movie
If I laughed at a little bit of this movie, does that make me a bad person?
Read more about the films I've watched on my movies page.
Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows
I've had a really bad film-watching weekend, and there's been an underlying theme to the last few movies I've watched - they've all been a bit shit.
The pain's continued, without sign of letting up thanks to Blair Witch 2. It's really not as good as I remembered it being, although it does have a nice documentary style intro which I liked.
Maybe it's best to draw a line under this weekend when it comes to watching films.
Read more about the films I've watched on my movies page.
Business invitations are my worst nightmare.
Despite reading, re-reading, and re-re-reading the books of Donald Trump, I'm not a businessman. I think it ultimately comes down to laziness.
If I were a businessman, I'd be busy all day, and all evening. That would drive me crazy. The amount of small tasks to complete would be dazzling. Take "print out business cards" as an example job to be completed. I'd probably be so filled with dread about completing this minute task, it'd send me into the foetal position faster than if I were hit between the legs with a well-placed boot.
I'd have to do it. I wouldn't beat around the bush to do it, though. I'd log on to somewhere like VistaPrint, choose a quick little business card template, and print them off. Blammo - "this businessman lark isn't so difficult after all", I'd think. I'd think it, and I'd be wrong.
But don't let my ramblings put you off. Got a wedding to invite people to? How about that Bat Mitzvah you always wanted to throw yourself, even though you're not Jewish? You could use VistaPrint for things like invitations, too.
Also on their comprehensive list of services they offer are things like marketing materials, stationery, labels, and rubber stamps, so you can go around stamping your name on things, thereby claiming legal ownership to them. That'd be fun.
Step Brothers
I just didn't find a lot of this film funny. I'm getting too old for Will Ferrell movies, it seems!
It's not that it's a bad movie; it's well made, it looks pretty in places, but it's just not funny. More and more comedies seem to forget the golden rule before being released: don't forget to put the jokes in!
Read more about the films I've watched on my movies page.
- 6th September, 2008
- Movies.
Who to recommend?
Friends ask me for web hosting recommendations often. I can normally get by by recommending them the web host that I use personally, as I know how good the service is, and what they offer. I can normally squeeze a referral out of them, too, so that doesn't do my wallet any harm.
People normally need a web host that's a lot simpler than mine, though. They don't need a lot of the features that are on offer - they just need a small bit of space for a few photos, or somewhere to put a CV. If they need a smaller web hosting provider (or a larger one), I'm not sure who to recommend.
webhostingrating.com can tell them, though. They can recommend different hosting providers based on different criteria, like host speed, price, or platform. They can even give you tips on how to find a secure web host. Not bad.
From Hell
This film really was "from Hell".
The story's way too far fetched to be believeable, and the truth is much more interesting. Implicating the Queen in the Ripper murders is like implicating Jade Goody as a role model when it comes to the development of well-rounded teenagers. It's not true, and it's insulting. Heather Graham sounded a bit like Jade Goody in this, actually. Her mockney accent grates like nails down a chalkboard.
Read more about the films I've watched on my movies page.
- 6th September, 2008
- Movies.
Personality, opinions, and destiny
A very small number of events shape a persons' destiny. Sure, lots of events will shape a person, give them their personality, their opinions, and their overall character, but only a few profound events shape their destiny. Want an example? Take my childhood visits to Orlando, Florida.
It sounds stupid, but the magic of Hollywood rubbed off on me, indelibly marking me forever when my parents took me to Orlando as a ten-year old boy. We did the normal things anyone would do there. We visited the Kennedy Centre, looking at the oversized rockets which point toward the future, and the possibilities out in space. We went to Gatorland, and watched in awe as men wrestled with six-foot gators, and taunted venomous snakes into lashing out at balloons.
These events shaped my personality. I love to read about Spacemen, and the training that's required to be allowed on spaceships. They shaped my opinions (about zoos, and whether keeping animals locked up for human amusement is a good thing), but they didn't shape that elusive part of me, the part that everyone has, and everyone wonders about: their destiny.
My destiny was revealed in Orlando, but not at Gatorland, or at the Kennedy Centre. It was revealed at Disneyland, and Universal Studios. Those places sucked me in, chewed me up, and spat me back out with a love of Hollywood, Films, Actors, Directors, Stories, and Characters. I knew that it turned me into what I am today: a film lover, and it's left me with aspirations to get involved in the Industry one day, too. Not bad for a fly-drive holiday to Orlando.
Think somewhere like Universal Studios, or Orlando can shape your destiny? You should look at things to do in Orlando, or if you prefer the other coast, things to do in Los Angeles. Why not go on one of those New York City tours? Even if your destiny is already set, you should think about signing up to the Trusted Tours newsletter, as they'll put you in a prize draw to win a $150 iTunes gift card. They're an online travel guide, in case you're wondering.
- 10th August, 2008
- Hype.
The X Files: I Want to Believe
I wanted to believe this would be decent, but it's an awkward, unnecessary film, which left me confused, bored, and eventually, asleep.
Read more about the films I've watched on my movies page.
Blackjack Strategy Guide
Imagine if there was a guide, then, that was produced by a casino, which told you how you should play Blackjack for the optimal chance of winning. Is that something you'd be interested in?
Hold up, hold up. Let me rewind a little bit.
I used to spend a lot of time thinking about blackjack stratagems, and went through a phase (like most males, I imagine) where I figured out a way to beat the house. If anyone cared to listen, I could talk about my "Double-up" roulette strategy, my no-limit "All-in, all-day" poker strategy, and my "Stick with Black Jacks" strategy. All of them were sure-fire winners, in my mind, at least.
So like most people, I talked a big game, but never put my money where my mouth is in an actual casino. Part of that probably has something to do with how deep down, I didn't quite have faith in my "sure-fire" schemes.
The point I'm trying to make is that these strategies are often not fully thought through, and don't have solid maths behind them. The only people who really understand how the game is won and lost is the casinos, who stack the odds in their own favour.
Anyway, back to this guide. bet365 casino have produced a Blackjack Strategy Guide to try and help you on your way to cleaning out their coffers. There are, as they say in their press release "hidden depths to the game", which probably means my strategies aren't worth the brain they were conceived in.
If you want to beat the house, don't listen to me - listen to the house! It's as if they've shown you around their mansion, and quietly slipped the keys into your pocket. You'd be mad not to pull those keys right out of your pocket, and ransack the mansion. Just make sure you keep your eyes on the guide, and don't start trying out your own hair-brained strategies once the money starts piling up.
WALL•E
If there's one film which is capable of convincing me to buy a Blu-ray player, it'll be WALL•E when it gets released. A beautiful film in every single way.
Read more about the films I've watched on my movies page.
