Free Fire: That’ll Do … !

17th August, 2017

Oh, now: that’s annoying!

One of my neighbours likes a joint or two.

Which I don’t usually complain too much about: as she seems to have stopped using, over the past few months.

But, on Tuesday, and tonight?   When I had my windows open, to catch some air?

In came the familiar and unwelcome smell of cannabis.

Not something I want, when I’m watching a movie, I know that.

The upside to tonight’s situation?

Was that …

• I could at least send an email to my housing officer …
• The movie I saw, the Ben Wheatley directed Free Fire, was entertaining … !

~≈fi≈~

Chappie — Fun without Dogfood … !

15th July, 2015.

You know, there’s a few things I’ve done in my time.

Some good, some bad … 

Some downright silly … 

Actually, now I think of it, there’s quite a lot of downright silly.

Certainly a lot that I’ll not talk about, here … !

Ahem … !

But one of them … ?

ONE of those things is staying up late: on a night before I have to be at work, early in the morning.

Doing something I’ve not done for a while.

Yep.

You’ve guessed it.

Watched a movie.

And, in this case … ?

Caught the recently released fort rental, Neil Blomkamp film that IS … Chappie … !

And yes.

It’s isn’t dogwood.

~≈Á≈~

Elysium: Oh Dear … Possibly …

3rd January, 2014

Hmmm … 

No, really, hmmm … 

Just to hammer the point, home, here … ?

 Hmmm … 

You can tell something’s got my goat, can’t you … ?

And, at a guess … ?   You’re thinking “Hello: Paul’s seen a movie he’s not entirely convinced by, hasn’t he … ?”

Can I be frank … ?

You’d be right … !

~≈†≈~

Let me just try and explain a few things, shall I?   Just in case you’re new to Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar.

I’m not working, at the moment: but DO have just enough budgeting skills to make sure that, every so often, I can afford an iTunes gift card.

Usually the cheapest ones on the shelf, before you ask.   Being a recovering smoker helps, I should add: the money I used to waste on so much tobacco every week, now tends to go towards both bills, and towards that once-in-a-blue-moon gift card.

The reason I mention it … ?

Is that, spun out over the course of a few months, the money that card represents, is the money I entertain myself with.

It’s that, tobacco or booze and frankly, I’ve given that up, as well.

I’d rather explain myself, than have you assume.

~≈†≈~

Moving on … ?

Well, you guessed correctly: I’ve rented myself a film, tonight.   And in case you’d not worked out which film … ?

It’s the 2013, Neill Blomkamp directed film, Elysium.

And, yes: you’d be right about ‘… not entirely convinced’ … 

~≈†≈~

4th January, 2014

Right … I’m back … 

Blogging … 

And frankly, using Gerty, my spare Mac, as Bruce is busily processing some of the Teaser videos for the next few days: JUST in case the text looks a touch inconsistent.

It would, using two different versions of Safari.

At ANY rate, I was telling you about Elysium, wasn’t I?   Let me see if I can’t summarize it, for you.

Set in 2154, Elysium tells us the story of Max, played by Matt Damon.

Max is a reformed car-thief: and one of many of the poorer members of the human race, living on a massively overcrowded, and heavily polluted, Earth.

A human race whose richest members live quite some distance above the surface, on a space station called Elysium: one that’s the film’s equivalent of the most high-tech version of a gated community that you can imagine.   A gated community that’s not only beautiful, calm and peaceful, but ALSO got the most advanced medical facilities available.

Available only to the stations inhabitants.

Inhabitants defended by Secretary Delacourt — Jodie Foster — who’s determined to seize power on the station by taking control of the stations computers.

And who’s the employer of Kruger (Sharlto Copley): a (mildly) psychotic hired gun.

Who only gets put back on the books when his boss realizes she has to capture Max, to get hold of important information stuck in his head.

Max … ?   Max just wants people to stop shooting him: all he wants to do is get to a med bay, before he dies of radiation poisoning.

~≈†≈~

Hmmm … 

I’ve possibly made a dogs dinner of that, haven’t I … ?

Or, at least, more of one than I intended to.

At ANY rate, I was going to tell you what I thought, wasn’t I … ?

I have to admit, Elysium is entertaining: I’ll have to confess to that.   

At least, it tries it’s best to be: the villains are villainous, Damon and co are suitably heroic, and the setting … interesting … ish.

You can tell there’s a ‘But’ coming, can’t you … ?

But, as entertaining as I think it’s trying to be, I don’t know that it quite hits the mark: the characters seem to be well drawn sketches rather than fully rounded characters, the setting itself doesn’t seem as fully complete as it possibly could be, and the ending just a touch too happy.

On top of that … ?

On top of that, it struck me the basic plot — a man with a short time to function, having to get a computer virus onto the systems of a space station — vaguely reminiscent of William Gibson’s Neuromancer.   But without Neuromancer’s sleaze, or designer cool.

To be frank … ?

Elysium is entertaining.

But it’s not going to be the first film I’d suggest you reach for, on a quiet night in.

Elysium

★☆☆☆

District 9: Prawns and Fish …

Now I’ve got to admit, I can see why people like Blu-Ray …

You know how Saturday night’s is usually Movie Night is — usually — at my place?

Usually at my place … !!

Adrian, Allison and I actually all ended up at Kevin and Sarah’s, last night … !

And ended up watching — on Blu-Ray, as Kevin fancied showing off the capabilities of his PS3 — the Peter Jackson produced, Neill Blomkamp directed, South African indie that is District 9.

Which, despite it’s science fiction story, docu-drama format, is loosely based on the District 6 evictions in Apartheid era South Africa.

And, Blu-Ray* or otherwise, it’s a very impressive film.

One that sees the lead character, Wikus van de Merwe, played by Sharlto Copley, ordered into the District 9 of the film’s title.

The district is a slum area occupied by an alien speciesº who arrived some twenty years earlier as starving refugees.

Which is where it get’s … twisty …

Because, during the course of one eviction, Wikus gets exposed to a fluid.

Which slowly starts to cause some changes.

Which is well the well thought out background starts to kick in, because the aliens have access to all sorts of weaponry that only they can use.

You can imagine, can’t you … ?

°°°°°

So on the whole … ?

District 9 a good, well thought out, written and acted film.

And I think that I’m going to recommend that you catch it.

•••••

* Hmmm … Actually, for meself, the actual fact we watched District 9 in Blu-ray didn’t make too much difference, although the picture quality is definitely eye catching. Which probably makes it worth investing in, although not a big priority for me at the mo.

º Derogatorily nicknamed ‘prawns’.