In the 1980's the slasher/horror films were big. In the 90's it was Quentin Tarantino action and serious films like Speilberg's brilliant Schindler's List that were popular. In the 00's (noughties?) however, the movie going public seems to have fallen in love with films aimed at children. Check out the top ten below:
Highest-grossing films of 2010 (as of December 15, 2010) ~
1. Toy Story 3
2. Alice in Wonderland
3. Inception
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
5. Shrek Forever After
6. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
7. Iron Man 2
8. Despicable Me
9. Clash of the Titans
10. How to Train Your Dragon
Way back when I was in school I used to carry a notebook everywhere I went to record daily thoughts and observations. So you see, ive been blogging since before it was popular and where better to carry it onward than to give it a digital page of its own? Welcome to the pages of bar fly Hollywood Francis...
Friday, 17 December 2010
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Santa Claus Is Definately Coming to Town
After 39 years on this often dark and miserable planet I hereby freely admit that I still believe in Father Christmas. Who the hell would want to be the type who didn't believe in the jolly fellow? Only the bitter, curmudgeonly sorts with less imagination than a goldfish, thats who. The boring type who sneer at those who believe in an afterlife and try to mock with blunt words. Pish to them I say, they have earned their place in the kingdom of BORE.
For myself, Santa is quite real. I will be listening out for the sound of bells in the night sky come Christmas eve and tracking him via the wonders of the internet to see where he is. I will become the seven year old boy I used to be and revive the thrill and excitement which used to have me near to bursting in those early years.
The magic can never be lost if one lets go of the adult and embraces the child within each of us. Let go of the supposedly sensible thoughts which grown ups love to use to ruin things and simply BELIEVE!
He is coming to a chimney near YOU
This is made easier if you have children or grandchildren around, get in tune with them, feed off their thrilled spirits. The festive spell will feel so so much better if you do, for both you and your children. Getting lost in the world of Santa Claus, tinsel and flying reindeers is infectious and spreads like a merry flu, which rather than spreading illness, spreads joy and happiness to all.
Trust me, its better than playing the 'grown up' or attempting to bury your head in a Christmas pudding until it all blows over. That sort of attitude attracts nothing but bitterness (even envy) and bring one nothing but foul fogs in the mind. I have to admit to being tempted in this way of thinking myself but mercifully the child in me (who has always been bigger than the man) has always won through and made Christmasses as fabulous and magical as they ought to be.
And now I have become a father to a beautiful daughter, this Christmas is going to be extra EXTRA special. Elwen might be too young to appreciate it this year but she has made my excitement rocket to grand new heights! I am going to indulge as I have never indulged before ~ sing carols, gaze at the lighted tree, pull crackers, leave stockings out and keep an eye on the fireplace. I urge everyone to do the same. Nadolig Llawen ~ Merry Christmas dear readers!
For myself, Santa is quite real. I will be listening out for the sound of bells in the night sky come Christmas eve and tracking him via the wonders of the internet to see where he is. I will become the seven year old boy I used to be and revive the thrill and excitement which used to have me near to bursting in those early years.
The magic can never be lost if one lets go of the adult and embraces the child within each of us. Let go of the supposedly sensible thoughts which grown ups love to use to ruin things and simply BELIEVE!
He is coming to a chimney near YOU
This is made easier if you have children or grandchildren around, get in tune with them, feed off their thrilled spirits. The festive spell will feel so so much better if you do, for both you and your children. Getting lost in the world of Santa Claus, tinsel and flying reindeers is infectious and spreads like a merry flu, which rather than spreading illness, spreads joy and happiness to all.
Trust me, its better than playing the 'grown up' or attempting to bury your head in a Christmas pudding until it all blows over. That sort of attitude attracts nothing but bitterness (even envy) and bring one nothing but foul fogs in the mind. I have to admit to being tempted in this way of thinking myself but mercifully the child in me (who has always been bigger than the man) has always won through and made Christmasses as fabulous and magical as they ought to be.
And now I have become a father to a beautiful daughter, this Christmas is going to be extra EXTRA special. Elwen might be too young to appreciate it this year but she has made my excitement rocket to grand new heights! I am going to indulge as I have never indulged before ~ sing carols, gaze at the lighted tree, pull crackers, leave stockings out and keep an eye on the fireplace. I urge everyone to do the same. Nadolig Llawen ~ Merry Christmas dear readers!
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
Not All That Glitters Is Gaming Gold
There are going to be quite a few miserable young faces on Christmas morning. And the reason will not be the fact that Grandad has broken wind yet again or the shortage of batteries. (Although Grandpa might let a sly one off depending on the sprouts.) No, the pouting chopses will be because of videogames. Or rather because Mummy and Daddy thought they knew better and chose the games themselves resulting in wee Jimmy/Jenny unwrapping a stinker left by Santa under the tree. (Not the type Grandad usually leaves behind either.)
But Mummy said 'Sonic Black Ops ~ The Hunt for Mario' was cool..
As a regular visitor to game stores I see it all the time, parents and grandparents with no clue, heading straight for the best sellers simply on the strength of seeing some half assed advert of the game inbetween Coronation Street. Or because its the game of a recent blockbuster movie, which as everyone knows by now (or should) is always tripe. And it gets worse during the Silly Season.
Now im not saying everybody should have an encyclopedic knowledge of videogames. Thats silly. But children and young adults generally DO have that knowledge so ~ WHY NOT ASK THEM? Instead of listening to what adverts tell you to buy? *Newsflash* Those adverts are made and paid for by the games makers, they are obviously going to shower them with praise. Don't be fooled or sucked in, or else tears around the Christmas turkey will be the order of the day so you'll be cancelling that sherry with Queenie's speech.
Just because the latest war fest has been hyped to the eyeballs and news of sales are making the headlines, doen't necessarily mean the game is any good. For example the movie Avatar ~ media raved about it but it was ultimately *censored*
So listen to your little darlings. There is much danger (not to mention pouting) in choosing titles yourself if you're not a games fan. Some crafty games companies (albeit the less reputable types) will deceive the clueless shopper by releasing a less than average game in the same genre as a highly successful one and give it a similar title. Many a doting granny has fallen for that trick over the years.
Anyway if you insist on suprising wee Jimmy/Jenny on Christmas morning then allow me to at least point you in the direction of some good videogames, which while not having been plastered all over your favourite soap opera will nevertheless give hours of happiness to your little loved one and avoid the embarrassing moment when you watch wee Jimmy/Jenny unwrap your special gift, only to see their face drop for a second before recovering enough to tell you 'its wonderful!' And proceed to play the game for ten minutes until you leave then never touch it again. It happens. A lot.
So here goes ~
1. Mass Effect 2 2. Hydro Hurricane Thunder 3. Castlevania: Lord of Shadows 4. Vanquish 5. Donkey Kong Country Returns
Any one of these titles will produce no end of smiles and thrills, and are actually better (and cheaper) than a lot of titles in the charts, due to the overwhelming amount of sludge which seeps onto the shelves at this time of year.
Do yourselves a huge favour dear reader and take heed. Wee Jimmy/Jenny will love you even more for it. Merry Christmas!
But Mummy said 'Sonic Black Ops ~ The Hunt for Mario' was cool..
As a regular visitor to game stores I see it all the time, parents and grandparents with no clue, heading straight for the best sellers simply on the strength of seeing some half assed advert of the game inbetween Coronation Street. Or because its the game of a recent blockbuster movie, which as everyone knows by now (or should) is always tripe. And it gets worse during the Silly Season.
Now im not saying everybody should have an encyclopedic knowledge of videogames. Thats silly. But children and young adults generally DO have that knowledge so ~ WHY NOT ASK THEM? Instead of listening to what adverts tell you to buy? *Newsflash* Those adverts are made and paid for by the games makers, they are obviously going to shower them with praise. Don't be fooled or sucked in, or else tears around the Christmas turkey will be the order of the day so you'll be cancelling that sherry with Queenie's speech.
Just because the latest war fest has been hyped to the eyeballs and news of sales are making the headlines, doen't necessarily mean the game is any good. For example the movie Avatar ~ media raved about it but it was ultimately *censored*
So listen to your little darlings. There is much danger (not to mention pouting) in choosing titles yourself if you're not a games fan. Some crafty games companies (albeit the less reputable types) will deceive the clueless shopper by releasing a less than average game in the same genre as a highly successful one and give it a similar title. Many a doting granny has fallen for that trick over the years.
Anyway if you insist on suprising wee Jimmy/Jenny on Christmas morning then allow me to at least point you in the direction of some good videogames, which while not having been plastered all over your favourite soap opera will nevertheless give hours of happiness to your little loved one and avoid the embarrassing moment when you watch wee Jimmy/Jenny unwrap your special gift, only to see their face drop for a second before recovering enough to tell you 'its wonderful!' And proceed to play the game for ten minutes until you leave then never touch it again. It happens. A lot.
So here goes ~
1. Mass Effect 2 2. Hydro Hurricane Thunder 3. Castlevania: Lord of Shadows 4. Vanquish 5. Donkey Kong Country Returns
Any one of these titles will produce no end of smiles and thrills, and are actually better (and cheaper) than a lot of titles in the charts, due to the overwhelming amount of sludge which seeps onto the shelves at this time of year.
Do yourselves a huge favour dear reader and take heed. Wee Jimmy/Jenny will love you even more for it. Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Candy Eyed
Am I the only person baffled by contact lenses? Give me good old fashioned spectacles any day of the week. Before I go on let me just say I don't mean for eyesight; this is purely about looks because I am a shallow male and looks are all that matters. Laughs out loud.
I find women all the more attractive wearing them and its probaby due to the raunchy scenes which feature them. You know the ones im talking about; seemingly plain looking librarian wearing glasses and her hair bunched up when suddenly in a moment of wild abandonment she lets her golden hair tumble onto her smooth shoulders and pulls those glasses slightly down to peer over, teasing. Similar to this picture.
A classic look
Not wanting to wax lyrical about specs (but going to anyway,) they are like altars to the eyes. Glass steps to kneel on and give thanks. They make a person look infinately more interesting and make contact lenses very vulgar, as if the wearer is snootily telling the world, 'I don't wear glasses! Sniff!'
Of course some prefer the lenses and thats fine, its just they don't have the 'sexiness' of glasses. Also there's not much chance of a seductive scene when you are plunging two pieces of what look like glass into your eyeballs. Now, where's that librarian gone?
I find women all the more attractive wearing them and its probaby due to the raunchy scenes which feature them. You know the ones im talking about; seemingly plain looking librarian wearing glasses and her hair bunched up when suddenly in a moment of wild abandonment she lets her golden hair tumble onto her smooth shoulders and pulls those glasses slightly down to peer over, teasing. Similar to this picture.
A classic look
Not wanting to wax lyrical about specs (but going to anyway,) they are like altars to the eyes. Glass steps to kneel on and give thanks. They make a person look infinately more interesting and make contact lenses very vulgar, as if the wearer is snootily telling the world, 'I don't wear glasses! Sniff!'
Of course some prefer the lenses and thats fine, its just they don't have the 'sexiness' of glasses. Also there's not much chance of a seductive scene when you are plunging two pieces of what look like glass into your eyeballs. Now, where's that librarian gone?
Monday, 6 December 2010
Gizzards and Other Delights
White meats have never much appealed to me. I find chicken and turkey breast to be utterly bland and if I must eat them prefer the darker pieces, the bits most people discard (or give to Fido.) And when dining on our feathered friends (friends until they hit the pot) I go for goose, duck or pheasant. I find little flavour in those that cluck, apart from the skin and other small bits.
Giblets too are a firm favourite; mainly the neck, heart, liver and gizzard. I remember watching my grandmother cook them at Christmas when I was young and on being told what they were I immediately wanted to try the neck and thoroughly enjoyed it
Giblets ~ Choice cuts
There is very little left of a bird once I have feasted on it, im like a cross between a vampire and a vulture. I also love the 'Parson's Nose' (also known as Sultan's nose.) This is the fleshy protuberance seen at the posterior/ass of a bird that has been prepared for the oven. Its quite bulbous to look at because it contains the uropygial gland that produces preen oil. Sure its greasy but its a fine morsel, very juicy and one of the first bits I make a grab at when the oven door opens. I could eat a bowl of them.
And now dear reader you will understand why I only lasted little over a year and a half as a vegetarian.
Giblets too are a firm favourite; mainly the neck, heart, liver and gizzard. I remember watching my grandmother cook them at Christmas when I was young and on being told what they were I immediately wanted to try the neck and thoroughly enjoyed it
Giblets ~ Choice cutsThere is very little left of a bird once I have feasted on it, im like a cross between a vampire and a vulture. I also love the 'Parson's Nose' (also known as Sultan's nose.) This is the fleshy protuberance seen at the posterior/ass of a bird that has been prepared for the oven. Its quite bulbous to look at because it contains the uropygial gland that produces preen oil. Sure its greasy but its a fine morsel, very juicy and one of the first bits I make a grab at when the oven door opens. I could eat a bowl of them.
And now dear reader you will understand why I only lasted little over a year and a half as a vegetarian.
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Doomlord
Only a few minutes ago I stumbled across something I had long forgotten. How I tossed it into the back of my scatty memory banks to lose it until now is a mystery because back in the 1980's I loved it. Or HIM to be more precise. His name was Doomlord and he appeared in the classic Eagle comics from 1982 to 1991, having been created by Allan Grant and John Wagner.
His looks are from his fathers side. Probably
Doomlord was a servant of Nox, and his tag was 'master of life, bringer of death!' I lapped it up! (What was also great was that my aunt worked in a newsagents so she used to spoil my brother and myself with as much free comics as we wanted.)
He was an alien who could shape shift and was on earth to judge mankind. If Doomlord judged humanity unfit to care for the planet he would simply destroy it – the billions of innocent human deaths being inconsequential, because 'the fate of the individual is unimportant when the survival of the species is at stake' was what he liked to say.
This guy had cool powers too; the ability to absorb people's memories, skills, and personality, shape-shifting/impersonation, immensly strong, invulnerability and he wore a very cool energiser ring which could do disintegration, levitation, force field and teleportation. (James Bond eat yer heart out!)
A great thing about the comic strip is that real people acted them out and speech bubbles were slapped on the photographs so it wasn't all drawn characters. I remember looking at Mr Doom and being thrilled (and slightly creeped out) at his appearance. And oh how the memories bowled me over when I saw his skeletal chops once again. It was like being visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, or a favourite old relative not seen in years. (Albeit looking slightly worse for wear.)
I still think Doomlord looks fabulous and the aged mask only adds more character to him. Now if you'll excuse me, there is an auction site I must visit and I hear can hear the servant of Nox skulking amongst the goodies.
His looks are from his fathers side. Probably Doomlord was a servant of Nox, and his tag was 'master of life, bringer of death!' I lapped it up! (What was also great was that my aunt worked in a newsagents so she used to spoil my brother and myself with as much free comics as we wanted.)
He was an alien who could shape shift and was on earth to judge mankind. If Doomlord judged humanity unfit to care for the planet he would simply destroy it – the billions of innocent human deaths being inconsequential, because 'the fate of the individual is unimportant when the survival of the species is at stake' was what he liked to say.
This guy had cool powers too; the ability to absorb people's memories, skills, and personality, shape-shifting/impersonation, immensly strong, invulnerability and he wore a very cool energiser ring which could do disintegration, levitation, force field and teleportation. (James Bond eat yer heart out!)
A great thing about the comic strip is that real people acted them out and speech bubbles were slapped on the photographs so it wasn't all drawn characters. I remember looking at Mr Doom and being thrilled (and slightly creeped out) at his appearance. And oh how the memories bowled me over when I saw his skeletal chops once again. It was like being visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, or a favourite old relative not seen in years. (Albeit looking slightly worse for wear.)
I still think Doomlord looks fabulous and the aged mask only adds more character to him. Now if you'll excuse me, there is an auction site I must visit and I hear can hear the servant of Nox skulking amongst the goodies.
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Eat Well Friends
I picked up this lottle gem on my interwebz travel: Eat well every day, embrace the pleasures of the table, and treat yourself to the bounty of life. You never know when your last meal will be.
How true! I have often pondered what delights would be on my last table (morbid tick that I am) but after reading that morsel above I am now going to appreciate what I cook and attempt to cook it better. For we do not know when the mighty scythe will cut us down and plant us in eternity.
One I prepared earlier
Okay there are exceptions to all rules and some people know exactly what they will dine on before death. Condemned inmates for example and maybe the terminally ill but most of us leave the breakfast table not knowing if it was our last meal. We are too busy to stop and think; what WILL be on your last plate?
How true! I have often pondered what delights would be on my last table (morbid tick that I am) but after reading that morsel above I am now going to appreciate what I cook and attempt to cook it better. For we do not know when the mighty scythe will cut us down and plant us in eternity.
One I prepared earlier
Okay there are exceptions to all rules and some people know exactly what they will dine on before death. Condemned inmates for example and maybe the terminally ill but most of us leave the breakfast table not knowing if it was our last meal. We are too busy to stop and think; what WILL be on your last plate?
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