Monday, 25 October 2010
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Lisa's Wedding
A measly 25-30 photographs taken at Lisa's wedding, but most of them I'm pleased with. The bride looked STUNNING and all the guests had a great day. Congratulations to the happy couple!
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
Flower Power
Yes, more flowers. It seems they've been a popular subject this month, but I enjoy taking them so what's the harm in that...
Monday, 11 October 2010
Philler Photos
I took it as a sign after being hit on the head by one that I should post a conker shell shot! 
And a rare straight from camera shot of my mum chilling after a long walk. I love the subtle tones and low contrast, just what I was aiming for.
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Film Review: 'Buried'
Filmmakers are always trying to think outside the box, and sometimes that means forcing people inside of one. From Dante’s ‘Inferno’ to Wes Craven’s ‘The Serpent and the Rainbow’ directors have enjoyed burying their actors in an early grave. But director Rodrigo Cortes takes the idea one step further with ‘Buried’ by extending the intensity of Uma Thurman’s underground awakening in Tarantino’s ‘Kill Bill: Volume 2’ to an unbearable 90 minutes.
Black screen, heavy breathing; for a full minute we sit trapped in darkness before the desperate flicks of a lighter finally illuminate the dirtied features of truck driver Paul Conroy (Reynolds). With his convoy ambushed and mistaken for a soldier, he’s kidnapped, buried alive and held for ransom by an unseen captor with little time or means to deliver the money which promises his freedom.
Ryan Reynolds, the recently named lead in upcoming superhero film ‘Green Lantern’ and a man known more for his fast mouth and quick humour may seem an unlikely choice for experimental cinema, but here he shows a side we rarely get to see. By enduring mental and physical torture he manages to deliver an intimate and emotional performance which is easily a career best.
Armed with little more than a lighter and mobile phone, Reynolds manages to explore the full range of emotions. Panic, anger, humour and a deep sense of abandonment bought on not only from his situation but reinforced by the everyday frustrations we all suffer. Answer phones, on hold music, fractured relationships and dismissive responsibilities from employers as he fights to make contact with someone, anyone, from the outside world that might strengthen his dying sense of hope.
One of the films biggest surprises was the amount of anger aimed at the Americans, the Iraqi war, wasted lives and the problems not only soldiers but civilians face when surrounded by conflict without the means or promised resources they clearly need.
A ballsy script and the fine performance matched with some ingenious cinematography prevents the film being labelled just an exercise in cinematic technique. It's a claustrophobic's worst nightmare, a visceral experience that left me gasping for air and begging for daylight!
Black screen, heavy breathing; for a full minute we sit trapped in darkness before the desperate flicks of a lighter finally illuminate the dirtied features of truck driver Paul Conroy (Reynolds). With his convoy ambushed and mistaken for a soldier, he’s kidnapped, buried alive and held for ransom by an unseen captor with little time or means to deliver the money which promises his freedom.
Ryan Reynolds, the recently named lead in upcoming superhero film ‘Green Lantern’ and a man known more for his fast mouth and quick humour may seem an unlikely choice for experimental cinema, but here he shows a side we rarely get to see. By enduring mental and physical torture he manages to deliver an intimate and emotional performance which is easily a career best.
Armed with little more than a lighter and mobile phone, Reynolds manages to explore the full range of emotions. Panic, anger, humour and a deep sense of abandonment bought on not only from his situation but reinforced by the everyday frustrations we all suffer. Answer phones, on hold music, fractured relationships and dismissive responsibilities from employers as he fights to make contact with someone, anyone, from the outside world that might strengthen his dying sense of hope.
One of the films biggest surprises was the amount of anger aimed at the Americans, the Iraqi war, wasted lives and the problems not only soldiers but civilians face when surrounded by conflict without the means or promised resources they clearly need.
A ballsy script and the fine performance matched with some ingenious cinematography prevents the film being labelled just an exercise in cinematic technique. It's a claustrophobic's worst nightmare, a visceral experience that left me gasping for air and begging for daylight!
Monday, 4 October 2010
Sunday, 3 October 2010
5 Months is too long...
After a posting break of nearly 5 months I'm back on track with a fixed PC, the trouble is I have hundreds of photos to edit and decide worthy of posting. Here goes -
A trio of lions taken at Longleat safari park, with a rather horny but camera shy beast.
A trio of lions taken at Longleat safari park, with a rather horny but camera shy beast.
It's been taken with my old Canon 350D 70-200mm lens at quite a distance so the ISO and sharpness are a problem. But I couldn't not post a rare photo of one of my favorite animals!
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Film Review
'Four Lions'
Can suicide be funny?
With this controversial but shockingly humorous film from taboo slaying media hit man Chris Morris, it appears it can, and laugh out loud funny!
Chris Morris found fame as the writer-director behind channel 4’s Brass Eye, a shock of mockumentary designed to subvert the media’s projected demonization by upping the ante in the absurdity stakes. Showing CCTV footage of paedophiles dressed as schools and claiming “Genetically, paedophiles have more in common with crabs…”
This similar tactic spills over into ‘Four Lions’ by digging underneath the perceived perception of suicide bombers and asking, are they really as inhuman as their actions would suggest?
Given any situation a group of men rarely manages to bring a plan together, Chris Morris told Sundance: “Get five average blokes to try and organise something, they’re going to fuck it up…”. And this group of misdirected misfits is certainly no exception, even when they finally decide on what it is they’re actually trying to achieve.
Omar (Riz Ahmed) has the clearest and most focussed goal, to plan a strike for global Muslins, convert Barry (Nigel Lindsay) plans to “radicalize the moderates” by blowing up a mosque and is outraged when his brothers speak to him in Urdu, Omar’s blood brother Waj (Kayvan Novak) is so unbelievably stupid he’s easily convinced that self sacrifice is comparable to the “Rubber Dinghy Rapids” at Alton Towers, allowing him to bypass the cues and get straight on the ride.
But what keeps this farce grounded is the exploration of Omar and his family who remain fully aware of his plans of martyrdom. The film also cleverly holds back the satirical jabs with the majority of the humour coming from the individuals, group dynamics and their inability to get anything right. Carefully balanced with the fact not once are we allowed to forget the seriousness of what’s really going on with constant reminders of the danger both they and the general public are in.
It raises serious issues and makes you leave the cinema questioning the outside word by questioning the film itself, something strangely at odds but a welcome diversion for a film labelled as a comedy. In one telling scene the security services get a knowing piss take as two snipers take out a innocent fun runner because they can't tell the difference between a Wookie and the Honey Monster, one of many serious messages wrapped in a blanket of laughs.
Bound to offend more than a few people - in fact two people walked out of the preview screening I went to - but it’s a brave and genuinely hilarious film that get’s to the point as well as the heart.
****
Can suicide be funny?
With this controversial but shockingly humorous film from taboo slaying media hit man Chris Morris, it appears it can, and laugh out loud funny!
Chris Morris found fame as the writer-director behind channel 4’s Brass Eye, a shock of mockumentary designed to subvert the media’s projected demonization by upping the ante in the absurdity stakes. Showing CCTV footage of paedophiles dressed as schools and claiming “Genetically, paedophiles have more in common with crabs…”
This similar tactic spills over into ‘Four Lions’ by digging underneath the perceived perception of suicide bombers and asking, are they really as inhuman as their actions would suggest?
Given any situation a group of men rarely manages to bring a plan together, Chris Morris told Sundance: “Get five average blokes to try and organise something, they’re going to fuck it up…”. And this group of misdirected misfits is certainly no exception, even when they finally decide on what it is they’re actually trying to achieve.
Omar (Riz Ahmed) has the clearest and most focussed goal, to plan a strike for global Muslins, convert Barry (Nigel Lindsay) plans to “radicalize the moderates” by blowing up a mosque and is outraged when his brothers speak to him in Urdu, Omar’s blood brother Waj (Kayvan Novak) is so unbelievably stupid he’s easily convinced that self sacrifice is comparable to the “Rubber Dinghy Rapids” at Alton Towers, allowing him to bypass the cues and get straight on the ride.
But what keeps this farce grounded is the exploration of Omar and his family who remain fully aware of his plans of martyrdom. The film also cleverly holds back the satirical jabs with the majority of the humour coming from the individuals, group dynamics and their inability to get anything right. Carefully balanced with the fact not once are we allowed to forget the seriousness of what’s really going on with constant reminders of the danger both they and the general public are in.
It raises serious issues and makes you leave the cinema questioning the outside word by questioning the film itself, something strangely at odds but a welcome diversion for a film labelled as a comedy. In one telling scene the security services get a knowing piss take as two snipers take out a innocent fun runner because they can't tell the difference between a Wookie and the Honey Monster, one of many serious messages wrapped in a blanket of laughs.
Bound to offend more than a few people - in fact two people walked out of the preview screening I went to - but it’s a brave and genuinely hilarious film that get’s to the point as well as the heart.
****
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Portraits
Looking at this one of my mum I'm starting to think I should have placed her feet more directly into the bottom left corner! I still love it though, as apart from de-saturating and slight burning around the edges it's straight from camera. 
Monday, 15 March 2010
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Monday, 22 February 2010
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