MsGambit

MsGambit
Originally uploaded by Smallbrainfield.

A thing I've done for a b3ta Wednesday draw off which I'm quite proud of.
The idea was to do lady versions of male superheroes. The catch is that there can't already be a female counterpart, like Superman/Supergirl or Hulk/She-Hulk. I didn't fancy doing a Ms Thing.

Also, I'm tesing this new blogger thing still works with Flickr.

Hot Fuzz

I went to see Hot Fuzz last Saturday night. A quality piece of action film making and British to boot. That's not to say it doesn't owe more than a passing nod to films like Lethal Weapon and Bad Boys. The tone of the film is great, the comedy bits are ace, the action bits are outstanding and the geek moments are there in spades. There are two stand out moments of gore that a Braindead era Peter Jackson would be proud of, both of which you can see coming a mile off and are all the more hilarious for it. The best bit has to be Adam Buxton's screen demise, which plays on the Omen and is just so wonderfully disgusting that it merits an award of it's own. The supporting cast is pretty much all of Pegg and director Edgar Wrights' mates, plus every spare British actor that was available, but this is no bad thing. (I do wonder though if Bill Nighy is contractually obliged to appear in every Working Title Film ever made. I hear they're going to digitally add him to Four Weddings and a Funeral.)

 

I was a bit worried it was going to be more like Cannon and Ball in Boys in Blue, but Simon Pegg and Nick Frost do not disappoint, and they're backed up with an impressive supporting cast. What the cock am I writing, eh? Just go and see it. If you hated Spaced and Shaun of the Dead, it's probably not going to float your boat. Though it is probably the funniest thing they've done. The story is wilfully daft in places, but extremely clever too. Everything gets used and no plot line is wasted in tying up all the loose ends at the finish. My only criticism would be that some of the editing is a bit garish. I don't know whether this is a nod to Michael Bay or action films in general, but the jump-cut editing that worked so well on Spaced is hard on the eyes on the big screen.

 

Blimey, it's hard work talking about a film without giving anything away, so I'll finish by mentioning that when Timothy Dalton's character asks for some ice cream near the end I was crying with laughter. It's that good, okay?

Make it SUPER HAPPY FUN TIME

Make it SUPER HAPPY FUN TIME
Originally uploaded by Smallbrainfield.

This is by far and away my favourite picture I've ever done. And it's just passed 200 views on Flickr. Not much considering the amount of attention some pictures garner, but I'm proud of it all the same.

It also kind of makes me miss Star Trek The Next Generation, though when I caught an episode recently I thought it looked a bit bobbins. I enjoyed Star Trek, but either I've changed or it's dated badly because it doesn't seem that relevant now. Voyager killed it by being too much too soon after TNG and DS9. Enterprise was good, but I think by then Trek fatigue had set in. I never saw the last Star Trek film, Nemesis. I have it on good authority that something bad happens to one of the characters. I know which one but I'm not sure what happens to them and don't want to know. If that sounds a bit stupid I don't really care.

Perhaps I need to go back and watch some of them again.

Traffic Jam receding into infinity

Traffic Jam receding into infinity
Originally uploaded by Smallbrainfield.

It's weird isn't it. I go through traffic every day. I pay my road tax, MOT, petrol and just get on with it. Sure, traffic jams are no fun, but with some good music on the stereo you can sit there and watch the world go by as you inch forwards toward your destination. At no point have I ever thought it would be a good idea to start posting letter bombs to the DVLA.

I mean, what kind of a brain does it take to think of that? Blowing people up in the name of one god or another is bad enough, but blowing them up because your car tax is too high is a new level of fucking mental. It's like something out of a Judge Dredd story or something similarly twisted.

The thought process behind all this must be fascinating. Totally logic-free thinking. I mean here is a person or persons who think the government is going to give up taxing us or fining people for speeding because they've been sending letter bombs. Since when has it ever worked for terrorists before, like say, during the IRA bombing campaigns or more recently the July 7th bombings?
They're hardly likely to crumble because somebody with a BMW tractor has to pay more road tax.

It must be a middle class terrorist because nobody else writes letters these days. A middle class terrorist. Who'd have thought?

Pyramid Park

Pyramid Park 1
Originally uploaded by Smallbrainfield.

The once pristine Pyramid Park, a victim of the council being skint. The pond is full of bricks and shoes and shopping trolleys. A long time ago, a statue of Nimrod lounged on a plinth at the centre and there was a fountain. Due to it's location and lack of a playground it's largely ignored except by the dog walking public, errant Richmal Cromptonesque schoolboys and class A drug users, (sometimes all three in the same person). It's bisected by the Metrolink system, which means access to the main park is via a subway, never the most inviting of walks, and it's in a bit of a hollow, so unless you were looking for it, you'd miss it from the road.

I have no idea who designed it, when it was built, who commissioned it or why it hasn't been built on yet by greedy developers. I like it because of it's oddness and the fact it has survived despite it's neglect and the apparent disdain of the local populace.