Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Thoughts on 2012

Ever since I was very small my favourite films have always been end of the world esque epics. Godzilla films (I'm a King Ghidirah whore), The Towering Inferno, Jaws... Ok the last one isn't an end of the world film, but it's early and my brain is addled.

In more recent years there have been these disaster movies which I've watched diligently, Independence Day, American Godzilla (insert bleh face here), The Day After Tomorrow and the film I watched last night.... 2012.

Ignoring Godzilla (which I really only put in the list so I had a slightly longer list) these films all have something in common... They're all shit. Not shit as in bad acting, or whatever, just sickening. This is the END of the freaking WORLD. One bloke driving a limo with his deeply boring ex missus and her new husband (who the film was clearly trying to get everyone to hate, I dunno why, ok so categorically if you drive a porsche you're on the lower end of the sliding scale of humanity. But the kids obviously loved him as did boring woman so he wasn't doing that badly so why the hatred?) along with his kids, one of which was very sweet and wore a hat the other was just... meh, through mass destruction with 20 gazillionty people dying all at the same time and surviving. I mean I can suspend disbelief but SERIOUSLY!

I'm not going to offer up any spoilers (I'm pretty certain you've all seen the 5 minute clip) but I think a more realistic end of the world (ie, it actually being the end of the bloody world) would have worked well for this movie. Cos the special effects are AWESOME, and that's awesome in the proper sense of the word (mouth gaping slightly, eyes wide etc).

In another 'slightly' ranty moment. Wtf is it with the portrayal of the british in american big budget movies? It almost seems there is a stock choice of four british stereotypes which they employ from.

1) Old, wellspoken and sinister: Sir Anthony Hopkins, Ian McKellen et al
2) Foppish and bewildered: Hugh Grant
3) Mad: Various obscure actors who prolly appeared in old Micheal Caine films.
4) Shaven headed and from London: Vinnie Jones, Jason Statham.

(There is actually a fifth category of british but being american which I believe was copywrited by Ewan McGregor)

Also if britain needs to be featured it will be shown to be britain by the inclusion of Big Ben in the background somewhere.

All that aside, my recomendation if you want to watch a proper end of the world movie is to go and watch Cloverfield, so long as you skip the stupid bit in the park, it's pure gold.

Thursday, 4 March 2010

Pyggermeback Festival

As you all know the RL Kitty and Tie upped sticks and moved FOUR WHOLE MILES up the road, and have been settling into our new hometown and getting used to all it's customs. One of the more exciting festivals they have is the Pyggermeback Festival.

The date this festival began is unknown but takes its roots from 1841 when all the remaining french from the french occupation of cornwall had been pushed into caves in a nearby village. On the 6th of March these treacherous fiends gathered to form an army heading for our beloved village. On hearing of this great peril the local men formed their own army, standing proud at the entrance to our village singing cornish songs of heroism to rally the troops. One of these was the song Pyggermeback, which even the simplest of fools could join in with the words. When the french heard the good people of our village singing their song they turned on their heels and fled. Later they were pursued into their caves and slaughtered. Only a handful remained and these became the french survivalists.

The festival is a simple one, but it warms the hearts of all the locals and anyone in earshot. All the men of the village stand outside their homes at 8am and sing the same song their forefathers sang so many years ago...

Pyggermeback, Pyggermeback, Pyggermeback, Pyggermeback.
Pyggermeback, Pyggermeback, Pyggermeback to Trelawney