2017 Film log [March]

Lets keep going. Link to the INDEX!

01. The Blues Brothers (03.03.17)
Fantastic. I first saw this film in my early teens and found it fascinating. I got a lot more out of it this time around. Great music and choreography.

02. Zodiac (05.03.17)
Not quite what I expected. The film felt a lot shorted than it is and thinking back not much happened but it was all very well acted and shot. I can see why it's a classic. A very interesting topic and one I think I will look into furtherer.

03. The Man Who Stole Dreams [Short] (06.03.17)
A film that would have given me nightmares had I seen it as a child. Some very interesting artwork and very trippy. The story while simple works as a way to show the animation and crazy content. Very of its time.

04. Gauche the Cellist (12.03.17)
A exquisite early work (1982) by Isao Takahata who went on to do Grave of the Firefly's for Studio Ghibli. He is fantastic at stylish water colours and animal emotions. I loved this film from top to bottom, the art the story and the music! The sound design and score is great and it work well with the art to make a work of art.

05. MST3K - Squirm (22.03.17)
The best way to watch a bad film is to rip it to shreds. With MST3000 the commentary is there for you. This is the first time I have seen a 'episode' of MST3K and its a very cool concept but the skits are a bit much. As for squirm it takes the make a mundane thing scary and fails in every way. I must track down more of this.

06. Luxo Jr [Short] (25.03.17)
I Watched this to death when I was little. I saw it for the first time in over 10 years today and wow it is close to being a perfect short film. It hits all the pillars of a comedy film and it's caricaturization are fantastic. But the thing that amazed me the most was the quality of animation for 1986.

07. Bayonetta: Bloody Fate (27.03.17)
How to not make a good adaptation. From a in your face crazy action game to a dumb lazily animated film. It his all of the wrong notes from exposition to boring direction and the biggest crime bad action. A waste of time.

08. Ocean Waves (29.03.17)
The forgotten Ghibli? Made for tv its not often remembered as a Ghibli classic, the style and subject is also different from what people expect from the studio. For a short is film it fits in a tone of caricaturization and plot. The structure is kind of non liner but it works well and i like a film where the charterers have interesting flaws. A nice slice of life tale.

A truly hectic month I watch about 50% less than I wanted to but between; Rugby, Football, illness, Iron Fist and other commitments I've had a very lax month. Best?  Gauche The Cellist.

Lets try and break ten in April shall we.

2017 Film log [February]

Into Feb. Here is the 2017 INDEX

01. Shaun Of the Dead (04.02.17)
Awesome film! Its a complete package, funny and well made. The camera work is inspired at times and makes the jokes fall better. I must watch more Pegg films.

02. Hot Fuzz (05.02.17)
Same as yesterday the acting and direction were brilliant. I love how the is no wasted space, everything is a integral part to the film. The plotting is so well done and its very funny to boot. A fantastic film.

03. The Worlds End (06.02.17)
The last flavour of Cornetto. The action choreography is fantastic and the camera work wile still smooth shows it off better. The plot is more straightforward but it all works well. This odd trilogy is a a perfect fit in theme and in what they explore. As before its neigh on perfect. They are all fantastic films.

04. LEGO The White Room [Short] (08.02.17)
A nice short created using lego in stop motion. I liked the experimental nature of the short but the needed to be something more to it, a cohesion between the two parts and better music cutting. Other than that it's a great little film and well executed.

05. The LEGO Movie (10.02.17)
Been meaning to watch this for a while. It is fantastic. I like how they pulled so much together and made a well fitting and coherent story. The animation and voice work is great. It is all around a great film.

06. Blue Ruin (11.02.17)
A strange film, I can't pin it down at all. The protagonist was hard to understand and his actions were odd. It well acted and shot but the nature of the film is very restrained and at odds with a typical revenge thriller. I like how it doesn't tell us too much and the minimal dialogue is nice but I needed a bit more. Good film overall.

07. Blazing Saddles (13.02.17)
Such a funny and different film. I lost count at how many fourth wall they broke and the end was truly phenomenal. It's starts a bit uncomfortable to watch with all the racism flying around but how the film deals with it works well. A true great.

08. Inside Out (15.02.17)
I haven't seen a bad Pixar film yet, and this one could be one of the best. The plotting and emotion are second to none, how it all cycles around the main concept is inspired. All the voice work is great and the film looks stunning. For a film about emotions it sure did bring some out in me.

09. Lupin III The Castle of Cagliostro (20.02.17)
Well that a was a tonne of fun. The earliest Hayao Miyazaki film I have seen and you can see what he brings to the Lupin style. I like the general disregard for physics in this type of animation, it feels a lot more western but that was the style back in the late 70s and the setting showed it off well. Funny and compelling, a great little film.

10. The Iron Giant (22.02.17)
I needed this film. I feel like crap and it was a hour and a half of fun. It is a modern classic.

11. The Place Promised in Our Early Days (24.02.17)
 Some films can pull off mixing science with "the power of love" Interstellar dose and this film comes close enough. It's Makoto Shinkai's first feature film and it has all of his trademark looks from the animation style to his love of the stylish lens flare. It is hard to follow as the story is mostly non linear but it weaves some interesting things in with cool world building. Not his best work but the look and feel make it good.

12. Up (25.02.17)
Another Pixar film I hadn't seen. Its funny charming and heart warming, everything I expect from Pixar. I like the use of colour grading throughout the film and how some parts were desaturated but other really popped. A great film top 5 Pixar for sure.

13. A Gathering of Cats [Short] (26.02.17)
A great short by Shinkai. It must be the shorted coherent film I have seen. Simple but the pay-off is great and the animation is awesome.

A great month with the greatest film being?... Most of them. A kop out but such a good month, onto March.

The Internet Works!!!!!!

Its been an interesting few weeks.

Farm Buildings

First and most importantly my home internet connection and been upgraded, at zero cost. From 0.9Mb/s to 2.9Mb/s and all it took was for BT to look at the wires and go 'hmm this is strange. It's made of aluminium not copper.' just a simple update to ancient wires far from my house has made all the difference in the world.

Its been so strange having consistent and “fast” internet. I have got a tonne more done and I can watch video and streams in a good quality. I can't understate how slow it was before and this three times increase is very welcome.

Country Road

I have been doing ok with my new years goals. I haven touched an energy drink all year and I have had very few carbonated soft drinks as well. And when I have its been a nice treat, going for a good quality one helps, like a nice dandelion and burdock I had the other day.

While I haven been working out I have been eating well and I have kept active. The DON'T sticker has been good as well. Plus I have written about 1000 words of prose over a few days. It has meant my Mr Holmes review has slid but it is in it way... Honest.

Judging

Some of today’s pictures are from a rabbit show I want to at the weekend. Doncaster to be precise, it been a very long time since I last when to that one. Rabbit showing have been in my background all my life but my interest has been a bit back and forth unlike in beekeeping. Though that could be due to my asthma more than anything.

I must get some of my photo back log up on Flicker soon. It will be a tonne better now the internet is good. I want to do better at keeping up with things like this. It's been a good month so far, I have taken over 500 so far and been out and about four or five times. I need to get into a better grove, I have made some dumb mistakes. Time to go back to basics.

Smoke Pearl

Ghost in the Shell is fantastic. I now have watched everything I can to do with the franchise until the live action film comes out later this year. I will be seeing that in the cinema. It's such a well rounded concept and the amount of directions it had gone is very interesting and makes for some very cool story’s. The mix of near future sifi and military action with thought pieces is a can of worms ripe for creative minds.

Speaking of story's... The Parapod is back and it's still great. How its going to go is anyone’s guess, but I know it will be a laugh. The matter of conspiracy theories is interesting but I may get a bit frustrated. But the arguments and tangents that will come will be hilarious. The is something special about this show, perhaps it the fact that Barry isn't a character. (somehow)

January Morning

I've jumped into an old game this week, Pokemon Sapphire. It's the game I first played when I got back into the series. I played it well after it originally came out. It hit me during collage and was what helped to drag me back into the circle as such. Nice little game but Emerald is the better game. I have played Emerald much more over the years but I felt like taking a trip through memory lane.

I have also been keeping up with Hearthstone and may make my best end of month rank. Updating it on my table may allow me to play a bit more often and at better times. I have found myself just ticking over, a game or two a day just for the quests. I would like to go for a good run while the meta is stable.

 Mild Mid Winter

That's all for now. Coming soon is the Mr Holmes Review and a new 'One Song'. Promise.

2017 A Plan?

We are now a week into 2017 and I think I have almost got some kind of a plan, on how to start to work out what to do this year.

This is going to be one with a bit more focus for me. I want less stuff to get away from me, the are things I need to keep on top of. I have got some ideas on how to make a start and it can be summed up in some short words: HEALTH, PRODUCTIVITY, DON'T, PLANNING and ME. Each covers a part of what I need to get to grips with this year. I will try to break each one down into, things to do. I have one or two things to mention towards the end.

 Perched

Health – This comes in two major parts, My intake and my output. I have made a good enough start at improving my diet, I have cut out energy drinks totally and have eaten less snacks and other 'junk' foods. Though I don't look like it, I do have a need to eat less and eat better. I have coasted on some good general fitness for a few years, now that I'm in my late 20s it wont be long until my body starts to rebel. I don't have a full plan yet but I have at least made a start.

As far as output goes this focus on exercise. This is a funny one for me, I like to think I get a lot and in some regards I do, but I don't do much in the way of a diverse range of activity’s. I could do with taking up a sport or routine but for now I have made a large focus on walking. I can get from town to home in a good 40 minutes but I need to do more than a core workout. I have some ideas forming I just need to find a place to do some exercises. I don't want to join a gym but that could be an answer.

Shadow Arch

This year will bring some other changes to how I work. I need a new computer. I could perhaps get away with my laptop for another year but I think it would get less effective and I would loose my mind. Looking into it I should be able to get something sorted out by October at the very latest perhaps by July.

I don't want this to be an expensive year but the are things around me that need sorting, so I have a new word of the moment. - Don't - If I think about treating myself to that new game or a DVD or a bag of sweets I think don't. It is a mental workout not to get a bottle of coke and a chocolate bar when I am wandering about town. I don't need it and it helps save health and money. It seems to be working so far. The main reason could be because I have decided to put a sticky note in my wallet and phone case so I see 'DON'T' several times a day.

Holding On

I need to be better at getting things done. Both for work and for myself. I have utilised my phone better and synced notes across devices as well and the calendar with I will use! I have far too often not known when important are due to happen, I should just be able to glance at my phone and know everything. I have tried diaries in the past but Google calendar should work out well.

Also slipping in under productivity is getting things done, I want to get out (or stay in) and take more photos. I need to keep my skills up and challenge myself a bit more. In the same way with my writing, I want to focus on getting more done both in terms of blogs and prose. I may even take a interesting step and do some stuff with pen a paper. That could have a nice side effect of improving my handwriting.

Frozen Mooring

Getting away from goals and such the are a few things I am looking forward to in the near future. I have made some headway into getting into classic gaming, I have a tone of options and I am tempted to make this year a year of old school gaming. I have played old games on and off over the last few years but I think I will make a push at it this year. It also has a benefit of being cheep.

'Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu' was a anime show from last year that impressed me so much I even did a nice little write up on it. It seems that the show though not very popular in the west (though the is a vocal cult following) it has a done well enough to get its second season. So for the next 13 weeks or so the even more long winded 'Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen' (yep it's spelled different. It depends on who translated/ romanised it) is airing. I am very much looking forward to giving this a watch and the first episode is out so I know what I'm doing next.

I think I may start on a blog review of Mr Holmes today. The more I think about it the more I want to say. The are a tone of points both good and bad I want to mention. I think I will try to get that worked out soon.

Crosses

So the new year is well under way, I can't wait to see what it has in store.

2017 Film Log [INDEX]

This is the hub for my blog posts about the films I watch this year.
All of the pages are split into months and the are links to any reviews that I have done.
Here is the INDEX or 2016

01. January

02. February

03. March

04. April

05. May
  
06. June

07. July

08. August 

09. September

10. October

11. November
 

12. December

2017 Film Log [January]

As with last year I will be keeping a record of all the films I watch this year. Here is the year INDEX

01. Kubo and the Two strings (02.01.17)
A great start to the year. A visually stunning tale, the old heroes quest with a few twists. It gets a bit preachy towards the end but it is a great story. Laika's style is a fantastic fit for a tale in this culture and the art is top notch. The music and direction is stunning, with all voice actors putting in a great performance.

02. Empsillnes [Short] (03.01.17)
No I don't know what that means. Strange that I think this short could have been shorter. Its got some nice sifi elements but the narrative didn't grab me at all. The animation is ok and just on the right side of the uncanny valley. Overall a decent film but nothing to write home about. LINK

03. Mr Holmes (06.01.17)
A lovely look into the future of Sherlock Holmes. He is in his 90s and retired due to his last case. The film ties two sub plots around Sherlock's failing health wonderfully. As you would expect most of the trademarks of a good Holmes story is present and well shown. Ian McKellen was fantastic as a old and past his prime Holmes, the child actor was surprisingly good. The film brings all its parts together well and makes for a great film.

04. Snatch (07.01.17)
A film that oozes style and grime. Funnier than I remembered and very well acted. One of the most quotable films around. I love the semi liner plot and how it all works out towards the end. Not much time is wasted and some of the finer points are great. The music stuck out more this time around and its all great.

05. Robot on the Road [Short] (08.01.17)
Hmmm, where to start with this one... A very dirty robot is hitch-hiking his way from place to place a writing a blog about his 'hosts' behind their backs. It's cool how much emotion they put into the robot compared to the human character. Fun little short with some not notch artwork.

06. Pacific Rim (09.01.17)
This film could have been a trilogy. It is very by the numbers and almost a text book example of 'rule of cool' but it works. It work very well. The issues I have with it could be solved with more time to show the world more. The acting is good for the most part and the direction is great. The effects are ok but it is helped by the darkness of the film. Don't think to much about the physics.

07. Night of the living Dead (11.01.17)
The birth of the modern Zombie. A very bleak film where the humans and more of a danger than the living dead. The direction is good and the sound track is very different. the are some shocking moments and ending is fantastic. Very glad I have gotten around to seeing this classic, onto Romero's other films.

08. Ghost in the Shell - Arise - Ghost Tears (13.01.17)
It's been a while since I watched the previous OVA's but I'm going to work my way through the last four soon. The team is starting to come together more and they are getting their logistics sorted. Its nice to see a long intro into this world I can see how the would would develop into what we see in SAC or the two main films. Nice little story with some terrifying human bombs again. The look is growing on me.

09. Midori (14.01.17)
A very shocking work of horror. Some of the things are very disturbing and the way it is drawn is very unsettling. All of the animation sis by one guy and though very simple at times the are some very awesome moments of sakuga. I wasn't expecting a happy ending but the one I got wasn't that far off. I like how it showed some difficult subjects and the tragedy of Midori, what I life she had.

08. Ghost in the Shell - Arise - Ghost Stands Alone (15.01.17)
 Do they? One body with two ghosts, how do the metaphysical self's stay separate. Some interesting moments in this one, back to the good psychological sifi GitS is know for. The is something about the sound of Christmas music mixed with gun fire. It's horrifying but made for a great intro. The fire starter is getting closer, only one OVA and a film left.

09. 10 Cloverfield Lane (18.01.17)
Damn that was good. from the eerie begging to the tense middle and the crazy end. Loved how it all fitted together and everything was important. Brutal at times and very creepy at others but that ending was insane. I like how Michelle was smart and resourceful, not the basic I know a thing that helps but more of a savviness then shines through. Great film.

10. Robocop (20.01.17)
It felt like the right kind of day to watch a dystopian film. It's the first time I have seen it in one sitting, I have seen bit here and there and I know most of the film just through culture. Is a solid film well worth watching.

11. Majora’s Mask - Terrible Fate [Short] (21.01.17)
This is how you make a video game film. In just a few minutes it ranges wide variety of tone and tells a compelling tale. This style of film making would work wonders for a full LoZ film. The animation is fantastic and the sound design is inspired. Only part I'm not sure on is the design of the fairies, they look kind of like they do in the game but that was due to the lack of detail back in 2001.

12.Ghost in the Shell - Arise Movie (22.01.17)
And so ends the Arise version of GitS for now at least. I like how its end screen would fit into the first part of either the original film or the first episode of SAC. I like the take on cyborg mortality with the lack of parts as your body becomes obsolete. A strong film that caps off the Fire Starter case well. I hope the is more GitS to come, its by far one of my favourite franchises.

13.  Bob Ross: The Happy Painter (24.01.17)
A very interesting Documentary into the life and work of Bob Ross. I have only seen about ten or so episodes of his show but its fantastic and I've been aware of him by proxy through stuff online. Now it even gets shown on Twitch makes watching it easy and very enjoyable. Its a nice little doc that show all it needs to.

14. Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (27.01.17)
Yokohama Shopping Trip, I have been after this for years. I have read the manga two or three times and the world and story is captivating. The gentle and calm apocalypse in which a robot runs a cafe. The feel and tone of the animation is almost enough to put you at ease with the world. I love the art work and how little happens. Less is more.

15. Nineteen Eighty-Four (28.01.17)
A fantastic performance from the great John Hurt who died last night. I have read the book once years ago and was taken aback by how bleak the ending is. Here I have found a small hint at a bright future. This was on my list to watch for ages and I'm glad I did, it's a powerful film.

16. Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou - Quiet Country Cafe (29.01.17)
It's kind of  sad that this is all of YKK that I can watch, I would love to see a season or two to show just how great the premise is. This came out a few years after the first OVA and the quality is slightly higher but has a more pastel look going for it. I like how we saw two of the iconic side parts to the manga, the plane and the wild girl. I want more.

Best of the month? 10 Cloverfield Lane I think. Strong start to the year and I have a good list going forward.

Death Throes of Two-Thousand and Sixteen.

This is going to be a long one.

 Across the Gradient

It has been an interesting year, one that if the collective circle jerk is to be believed was a dumpster fire that grew intelligence and destroyed the world. Yes the has been a lot of terrible things but in my mind the is always terrible things but why let that distract from the good stuff?

This blog is going to be my big wrap up for the year, including my film watching project and some choice facets of my life from this year.

The Pack

This year has gone down as a year of loss and yes the have been many notable deaths some of which have hit me hard, but non more so than the loss of a member of the family. Back in May we lost our lovely dog and her presence is still missed. But I believe that memories are for forever and I have forever with her.

I will cover this more in my post one the future but my fitness and health this year has been a bit all over the place. While I've not been too ill I have had issues that set me back during the summer. I think my fitness is a factor and while I have done a lot more exercise this year my intake has been very poor. Again it will be coved soon but I am changing my physical outlook.

"Moo"

I have done a fair few enjoyable things this year and looking back over my photos its been a good one. As well and fun stuff its been a year of changes, my sister got married, I moved roles and detachments in cadets (that's all the cadet talk for the year). I have had the chance to try new things and to go to some odd places, not all fun as such but the experience was worth it.

As you can tell just by a brief overview of this blog I have focused a lot on media consumption. What I take in has changed a tonne this year, TV has almost been eliminated and books, podcast and films have filled the void. I have kept up with less and less web-comics but my manga reading may have gone up slightly. My youtube viewing choices have altered, I have unsubbed from a lot of channels and found some very interesting ones, I now have a divers mix of lets plays, science, reviews and informative videos.

Roadside View

This have been my year of films, I have gone out of my way to watch more and to do a small write-up on each. Wow just added them all together and it came to a round 160! Bare in mind about 40ish will be short films (need to do that blog) but that is a lot of films. I think I have for the most part chosen wisely but diversely.

This is something I will keep up and so will the posts about each film. I like the record I can look back on and see what I thought about a certain film. Now the big question is what was the best film I saw this year? God knows, I don't think I could choose. But up there would be Paprika and When Marnie Was There with The Prestige ans so many more. I have watch a tone of anime and that's a blog all in its self (though it would be a long way off).

My biggest takeaway from so many films is; I want to watch more! I want to see other worlds and experience story’s from the minds of creative people. I want to see the work of masters in their fields and new comers proving themselves. I want to enjoy this diverse field of art.

Roadblock

I have taken almost half as many photos as last year. That's bad, I will change that next year. Why did I take so little? Not sure. Some kind of artists block, that is kind of why what I did take took so long to get on Flickr. Starting to post them here as well seems to have broken that dam. I feel like I am almost back in the grove but I need a bit more spark. Speaking of photos the ones in this post are from the walk I mention last blog.

I have also made a dive into more video and came up with one or two I am proud of. I need more experience but its something that wile was long and difficult I enjoyed doing. I will try to take video in mind when I move forward next year. I may need a new computer to help with that though, I have pushed my main computer hard this year and the are creaks starting to show. It should hold up for a while longer but next year I will have to take a good look at a new one.

At Home

39 blog posts this year, not bad going even though the was a few slight lulls. The have been about ten or so that haven't made it to the blog, some in an almost finished state and others little more than a collection of notes. I would like to go back through what I have laying about and see if I can do anything with them. I will try to do better next year to let less fall through the cracks.

I would have liked to have dome more personal update type posts throughout the year, most of my posts have been about films and less about my life. I will set myself a target next year but at least I got a bit better towards the end of the year.

Downhill Trail

The year is dying but what is a construct of time? Heck this thing we call a year is very localised and small compared to all of everything. I have never held much stock in the concept years especially new ones. The is no point in my mind but I suppose it makes the endless need to organise a lot easier.

So that’s my end of the year, the was some much I cut from this post (still over 1000 words). I want so say a lot so that's good I guess, but I have to keep it short or it wont come out tonight. Its been a fun and different year and on the whole its not that bad right? Anyway -

Have a Happy New Year and Here’s to Making the Future Bright.