u turn (1997) - oliver stone

Oliver Stone sure doesn't let you down when it comes to blood-letting in his films, and U Turn is no exception. Sean Penn plays Bobby, a man who car breaks down just outside of Superior, Arizona (which might as well be buttfuck nowheresville as far as Bobby is concerned). He is in the process of transporting money he owes to California, and ends up losing it (to add to the two fingers he had previously lost). This certainly turns out to be very unfortunate for him, and he gets involved with Jake (Nick Nolte), a local man who asks him to kill his wife (Jennifer Lopez) for a reward. As Bobby owes the hick car mechanic (Billy Bob Thornton) money for his car repair, and he has no other means of leaving town, he acquiesces. Of course, as usually happens in films, he falls in love with her, but there is a lot of double crossing and deceit along the way, so you are never sure if she can be trusted. There are plenty of bright colours, flashbacks, sex scenes, symbolism and fast editing, much like Stone used in Natural Born Killers (but not as well). Of course things do not end up going to plan, but there is plenty of action, as well as the comic turns by Thornton, Jon Voight (who plays a blind man) and Joaquin Phoenix (who plays a jealous boyfriend). I would never have recognised Voight or Thornton in their roles, and didn't realise it was them until the credits. Not a brilliant movie by any stretch of the imagination, but still well worth watching (just don't buy it).

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outrageously cool recent band posters

By Chuck Sperry

By Emeck

Who said art is now dead when it comes to modern day posters? These are great.

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winchester 73 (1950) - anthony mann

One of the classic black and white westerns, Winchester 73 concerns sibling rivalry and revenge, the Indian threat (and their treatment), and the ownership of the eponymous rifle (the 'one in a thousand'). Lin McAdam (James Stewart) travels to Dodge City (where Wyatt Earp is the sheriff), and wins a shooting competition hosted to celebrate the USA centenary of independence(1876). It is then stolen from him by the runner up in the competition, Dutch Henry Brown (Stephen McNally), and passes through various hands, until it is once again in the hands of Dutch, resulting in a shoot out at the end (you could have anticipated that) between Lin and Dutch (and guess who wins). There is an early film role for Tony Curtis, and Rock Hudson gets to play an Indian chief, Young Bull. Did I mention Dutch Henry and Lin are brothers, and Dutch Henry had shot and killed their father? Of course he did (he's a bad 'un). Shelly Winters is Lola, the feisty love interest, who also plays a mean piano. Marvellous stuff, and it takes me back to the old fleapit on a Saturday morning in Bootle when l was a kid (many, way too many years ago).

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oscar the dog peeing while doing a handstand

Reminds me of my mums old dog (Cromwell), who used to poo up trees. Sadly, l don't have a video of that.

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another northern lights picture

Another great picture of the Northern Lights, taken by Ole Christian Salomonsen in Norway. I don't think l will ever get bored of seeing photographs of them.

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max schreck lounging during the filming of nosferatu

Max Schreck still looks pretty creepy even when he is 'relaxing' during the filming of Nosferatu (1922). He is brilliant in it, and his performance has been much copied ever since.

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le serpent (2006) - eric barbier

Another one of those French films with subtitles l just can't get enough of. Le Serpent is a psychological thriller, concerning an old schoolboy prank that went wrong, and the victim, Joseph Plender, (Clovis Cornillac), trying to have his revenge on Vincent Mandell (Yvan Attal), his former classmate, who is in the process of going through a divorce. There are plenty of plot twists and lots of violence, but the only gripe l had with the film is that it could have been a bit shorter. Don't get me wrong though, it's well worth watching. Those crazy French!

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a superhero you don't want to meet in a dark alley

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

This is sooooooooooooo wrong.

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cyclops shark

This fetal cyclops shark was cut from the belly of a pregnant one in the Gulf of California. Spooky little critter. More information here.

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some (very) close up pictures

The head of a mosquito

A black widow spiders foot

The foot of a fly

One word for all these - Urrgghhhh

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midnight cowboy (1969) - john schlesinger

One of the best films of all time (IMHO), Midnight Cowboy tells the tale of Joe Buck, an innocent would be hustler (John Voight), coming to New York, where he hopes to make his fortune by being a Gigalo. Things do not go according to plan, and he then falls in with Enrico 'Ratso' Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), an ill vagrant and streetwise hustler, who rips him off at first, before they eventually form a partnership of sorts. There are also flashback scenes which show Joe and his girlfriend being raped, which led to his girlfriend being institutionalised, Joe joining the army, and his grandmother (who raised him) dying while he was away, before he headed to New York. Times get hard (Unlike Joe in one scene) as Rizzo and Joe try to make a living, and just as Joe gets some work and is recommended to others, Rizzo's illness gets worse, so they head to Florida for a better life. Both Hoffman and Voight are excellent in this (especially Hoffman), and the soundtrack is top notch. There is the odd scene which really dates the film, but overall, it is superb. It also ends with Hoffman leaving on a bus with his partner, and the bus passengers looking at them, just as he did in 'The Graduate' (but with a different outcome).

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the victorians - jeremy paxman (featuring richard dadd)

The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke

Richard Dadd

The Queen album with the song on

Although l have not seen the TV series of this, l enjoyed the book, and it did exactly what it said on the cover, interpreted The Victorians through the painting of that age. I am curious to know how much work Paxman actually put into the book, as l bet pretty much all of it would have been done by the researchers (he admits himself that he is just a 'keen amateur'.) Amongst the painters, Richard Dadd is probably my favourite. Lets face it, what's not to like about a man who cracks up, kills his father (thinking him to be the Devil), is then put away in a lunatic asylum (but allowed to paint (over nine years) such great works as 'The Feller's Fellows Master Stroke', (which l first discovered through the song by Queen in 1974). Mad geniuses - we need more of them (Dadds, not Paxman).

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les valseuses (1974) - bertrand blier

Les Valseuses (slang for waltzers/testicles) was released as Going Places in the UK, and stars Gerard Depardieu and Patrick Dewaere as a couple of bad boys getting into trouble, stealing cars, and trying to have sex with people. The film pushes the boundaries in a couple of places, and can be shocking in places, but l liked it (because l like that sort of thing). They pick up a hairdresser (Miou-Miou) along the way, then a released female prisoner, then her son, then get into more trouble. It's hard to say whether there is a happy ending (OK, l don't think so), as the film ends with a number of options. They carry on to do more mischief, they crash in the tunnel, or they are in the car that they had previously doctored (but with a different number plate). The audience gets to decide. In French with subtitles.

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great artwork on the columbian protesters

It took me a couple of minutes just to work out how they had done this. Brilliant stuff and a great idea.

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