Category Archives: media

Some Like It Hot

The Singing Detective Avoid.

The Cooler A movie about luck (with a lot of adult content), presenting (yet again) the seedier side of Las Vegas. The more I see these Las Vegas films, the less I want to visit. For a look at the concept of luck, I’d recommend Intacto instead.

25th Hour It’s hard to make a movie that’s sympathetic to the plight of a convicted drug dealer: this is achieved by not focussing on what the lead character has done wrong, but rather looking at the missed opportunities that lead him down an unwise path.

2001: A Space Odyssey Amazing visuals and effects (given that the film was made in 1968). Some great scenes of incredible tension, but overall, this is a very slow-moving film, even for Kubrick.

DVD: 24 Whoa. What a rush. The series just doesn’t let up with tension, plot twists, and a whole range of complexity. The DVD also provided the alternate ending (more of a Hollywood ending than the series offers). Some twists, I was slightly ahead of the characters, but often, I didn’t see things coming until …

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PS2: XIII (Thirteen) Finished this game over the weekend. First-person shooter with occasional stealth levels. All in a cartoon style. The first game I ever bought because of a trailer I saw for it at the movies. The ending, though… where’s the sequel?

DVD: Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story According to the DVD, this movie was originally meant to have an unhappy ending. As much as the Hollywood formula grates with me, it seems a better movie for the ending that they re-shot (all in a day, allegedly). The crass humour won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but …

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Rats in the Ranks A documentary on council politics in the lead-up to a mayoral election. Well put together: I ended up cheering for the person who ultimately won – not because I admired their ethics, but because they clearly had the best understanding of how to persuade people – by whatever means – to …

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DVD: Return of the King – extended edition. Makes a lot more sense in places; Aragorn is more kingly on the small screen; overall, it was a four-hour movie that felt like a three hour movie. Worth a watch, even if you’ve seen the original on the big screen.