The Boat that Floundered

I was going to write as diplomatic a review as possible of The Boat That Rocked, but then I found Richard Herring's blog post about it and was relieved to see that he could say all the scathing things I didn't want to for sentimental reasons.
That's pretty much what I have to say about it.
I don't think it was all bad, but it was a lot bad.
Rhys Darby was endearing. But then, Rhys Darby is endearing.
The only thing I could add is that my mother was laughing a hell of a lot throughout, which is one of the worst reviews I could possibly offer.

But does he contain friendly bacteria?

Last night someone told me I should update this more often.
This morning I discovered the perfect subject for a new post.
There are only three podcasts I listen to religiously:
Adam and Joe, Collings and Herrin and Mark Kermode's podcast taken from Simon Mayo's 5 Live show.
This morning I was playing catch-up with Kermode, and in the second part of a show that was recorded with an audience Simon Mayo read the following press release:

Management chronicles the chance meeting of Mike Cranshaw (Zahn) and Sue Claussen (Aniston) when she checks into the roadside motel owned by Mike's parents in Arizona. A bottle of wine 'compliments of management' jump starts the cross-country journey and unique courtship between two different kinds of people who are both ultimately looking for the same thing - a sense of happiness. Mike sees something special in button downed Sue that inspires him to take a chance and hit the road to go after her. But once he reaches Maryland, he finds that Sue has no place for an aimless dreamer in her carefully ordered life. Obsessed with making a difference in the world, Sue falls back in with her punk-turned-Yogurt mogul ex-boyfriend Jango (Harrelson), who promises her a chance to head his charity operations. But having finally found something worth fighting for, Mike puts his hopes against her practicality, and the two embark on a twisted, bumpy, ultimately freeing journey to discover that their place in the world just might be together.

'Punk-turned-Yogurt mogul'?
'Punk-turned-yogurt mogul'?

That may well be the best phrase I have EVER heard in my life, shame about all the other words.

Actually, up until, 'jump starts the cross-country journey and unique courtship' I was expecting it to be yet another Psycho rip off.

That would have been preferable, who wouldn't pay to see Jennifer Aniston terrorised by a small, irritating man?

Oh, wait.











'Yogurt mogul'? Really?

Review

Oh, and, for want of a more extensive and academic review of Watchmen:

It shits all over The Dark Knight.

The art of Foley.

This week's QI included a section (a demonstrative one no less) on Foley. For the film I'm currently working on, and my two dissertation pieces, I'm building a small bank of my own Foley.

So far my best friends have been two chicken breast fillets wrapped in cling film.
For the delicate flesh against flesh of a naked man running over the edge of a windy cliff I've been slapping the two together. I have yet to record it, but there's something very satisfying about the act, even if the sound isn't quite right in its raw state (no pun intended).
For a film I'm recording and designing about an inept hit man I've decided to record my own 'thtabbins' if I can, although some of the effects in the BBC sound library, a copy of which we have in the department, are quite exciting. Still, hacking at a bit of poultry with every knife in the kitchen and passing it off as 'research' is supremely therapeutic.

I've also tried hitting a radiator with a leek. Less of that later.

Go away, John Landis!

Take your son with you while your at it.
You no longer have a purpose. Nobody wants you to turn an 18th Century comedy of manners into a film. Apart from Ealing Studios, obviously.

There's a reason Landis hasn't directed a feature since 1998.



The best reason to retire, and possibly kill yourself.

Deadwood

I just spent £45 on Ian McShane.
LOVEJOY!

Deadwood actually.
Superb. On a par with The Sopranos, I might go as far as to say it's better.
I still haven't seen The Wire... it's at the top of my to do list.

I do love HBO.

The Bristol Sound(s)

After this happened we were able to produce the following: