Zombies! Smallbrainfield's horror movie night in.

I watched the remake of 'Night of the Living Dead' last night. I've always wanted to see it. As groundbreaking as the original was, it's a bit dated. I'd heard good things about the remake and, hey, I wasn't disappointed. I love zombie films and this one stands on it's own as a corker.
The acting is good, Tony Todd is in it and Patricia Tallman is great as Barbara. In the original, all Barbara did was get dragged screaming from one zombie attack to another. In this version, she gets to kick ass and clobber, stab and shoot the flesh eating fiends.
The zombies aren't the feral, ferocious type seen in the Dawn of the Dead remake, but the original shambling type. They're none the less relentless though, and just as unpleasant once they get their hands in you.

Like all good zombie films, it has a downbeat ending, and a great payoff for the nastiest character in the movie. It does have some gross moments, but compared to Dawn it's pretty tame, though there are a couple of classic jumpy moments. Definately worth watching if it pops up again, which, seeing as it was on ITV4, will probably not be long off.

Even better, I turned over and caught 'The Relic' with Tom Sizemore. I've seen it before, and it made more sense the first time. Cool monster, but after 'Night of the Living Dead', it was a bit of a let down. The explosive bit at the end is ace though, and Tom Sizemore is ace.

Anyway, I'm off to board up all the downstairs windows.

Bats!

I went down to the offy for a bottle of milk the other night and lo and behold, bats!

I've seen them before flying round the end of the street, but it was quite light and they were whizzing about all over the shop, catching bugs and showing off. I used to think they lived somewhere in the hospital, but since that was knocked down, I reckon they must live in the pub or one of the big terraced houses on the main road. I didn't get a photo, on account of a: it being a bit dark, b: bats are bats when it comes to flying, i.e. they don't fly in a straight line and c: I didn't want to look like a perv taking pictures in the middle of the street. "No mate, I wasn't taking pictures of your wife, there were some bats..."

I imagine Bill Oddie faces this dilemma every day of his life.

Anyway, besides bats, it's a proper urban jungle around here recently. When I was a kid, the only animals you saw were pets, like cats and goldfish and stuff. These days, we get squirrels and foxes every now and then. And you can't walk home from the pub without picking your way through dozens of hedgehogs. Well, one or two anyway.

Where have all these creatures come from? Were they always there and I just never noticed or have they got sick of living in the draughty old fields and forests and decided it's the urban life for them? And should I be worried? Are they taking over? What does bat shit do to car paintwork?

Best Van Ever.

Best Van Ever.
Originally uploaded by Smallbrainfield.

I believe the artwork on the back is ripped off of a piece of Chris Achilleos artwork for Games Workshop. (Actually I know this to be fact, nerd that I am. It's called "Who's next?")

Official Portrait

Official Portrait
Originally uploaded by Smallbrainfield.

on the occasion of my 37th birthday. Looking at it now, it's a bit severe. I'm having a really nice day so far and it's sunny.

This was taken before my holidays. God I needed that holiday. I was aiming for a severe Soviet feel with this picture. Perhaps it needs a dystopian cityscape in the background. I must remember that for next time.

Clear road ahead

Bof!
A lovely French exclamation? I can't remember. Anyway, despite horrific roadworks, with practically all the town centre roads closed, getting to work this week has been a breeze. Lots of people are on holiday, and of course, the schools are all closed, so the school run hell of four-wheel-drive behemoths lurching from school to nursery to health club and back have ceased. Joy.

Really, the state of the local road infrastructure is terrible and Manchester council are gunning for a congestion charge, which frankly is bollocks. Nobody is going to pay for rubbish roads, but it won't stop people driving on them. Especially the four-wheel-drive owners. Driving on Manchester roads is akin to an army training range for tanks, replete with ramps, potholes and exciting slalom courses through innumerable cones.

Anyway, it's lovely and sunny and it's my birthday today. So long as they haven't bricked-up the end of my street when I get home, I'm not really arsed.

Bof!

Back to work and tattoos.

Well, I'm back at work after my holidays and joy of joys, I discover they've WebSensed all the Blogger blogs. Great. I can still post at lunchtimes, but that doesn't leave much time to check out all the other stuff that I can't view either. Oh well.

While we're on about holidays, loads of people have those not-quite-a-celtic-knot-more-of-a-twisty-thing tribal tattoos. Why? I mean, traditionally, you got a tattoo because it meant something, not because everyone else has an identical one perched over their arse cheeks. Not only will it spread and look terrible in ten years time, you're stuck with it looking like that 'til you rot.

Of course, the best thing about going abroad with loads of other British people is that there's always someone fatter, spottier and paler who looks worse in beachwear than you. Just don't sit next to any Italians, who all look far too fit and healthy for the serial chain-smokers they inevitably are.

I wonder if people from places like Ibiza come to places like Manchester and then complain when it doesn't rain enough? It would feel like you'd missed out, I suppose. Anyway, we had great weather and apart from some dirty sod leaving a turd in one of the hotel pools one morning and some truly horrible children, (just because you're on holiday doesn't mean you stop being a parent and deal with your spoiled rotten little brats, come to think of it, it was probably one of them that shat in the pool,) I can't complain. Well, apart from being back at work, the restricted internet access (yes I know it's their time and their bandwidth, why open the sweetshop if you're only going to offer the penny tray, I say,) the sun's out again, so it can't be all bad.