the robe (1953) posters - henry coster

A pretty crap film (a bad Roman wins Jesus's robe, then converts), but the posters for 'The Robe' have a certain look about them, especially the heavily altered one at the top. I've  never seen Richard Burton looking so smooth (and no doubt, never will again).

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lo non ho paura (I'm not scared) - gabriele salvatores (2003)

A beautifully shot Italian film, Io Non Ho Paura (I'm not scared) has a nine year old boy finding another boy in a hole, out in the countryside. He befriends him and brings him food, and discovers his own father (and his fathers friends) had kidnapped him and are holding him to ransom. That's about the gist of it. As l said before, the sweeping shots are beautifully done, but there is not that much tension, apart from the odd moments. The story itself could have been realised better, but you certainly can't fault the look.

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some famous guns

As it says on the photograph, the revolver used by Jack Ruby to kill Lee Harvey Oswald 

The guns used in the Columbine shootings by Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. 

The rifle that Lee Harvey Oswald used to kill John F Kennedy (if you believe that he was responsible)

From The New Yorker

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the birmingham selfridges store by jason hawkes

This picture is the first time l have set eyes on the Selfridges store in Birmingham, and l am pretty damn impressed by it. I never realised that such a shop front existed, and it is one of the coolest buildings (designed by Future Systems) l have ever seen. It's nearly worth a trip down to Birmingham just to see it in the flesh (so to speak).
Another one of Jason Hawkes night time ariel photographs.

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the conspirator (2010) -robert redford

The Conspirator tells the true story of  Mary Surratt, the first woman to be hanged in America, for her involvement in the Abraham Lincoln assassination in 1865. Although there are the odd embellishments, it is a pretty accurate representation of what happened, and it was certainly interesting, as plenty of the source material (the actual transcripts, old photos etc) are available and easy to reference. I didn't realise this film had been recorded (it was at work), so it was a pleasant surprise stumbling accross it, and resulted in a pleasant, (albeit late to bed) night. Not an outstanding film by any stretch of the imagination, but l am glad l have seen it.
As a footnote, John Surratt, Mary's son who went missing, fled to Liverpool and hid there for a while, so my relatives may have met him. Unlikely l'll admit, but there is a chance.

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batman - going sane - jm dematteis

Another recent (ish) graphic novel, and a pretty fine one at that. Joker thinks he has killed Batman, so he then becomes sane (ish), meets a girl, and wants to settle down. Meanwhile, Batman slowly recovers, and then comes looking for him. Marvellous stuff.

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london at night by jason hawkes

One of the things l like about the series 'Not Going Out', is the shots of London from above, making it look like one hell of a place to live. These photographs by Jason Hawkes have the same effect.

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albums re-imagined as books

Genius! I love the 'Exile on Main Street' one.

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the 13th floor elevators

I love the 13th Floor Elevators soooooooooooooooooooooooo much, and here are a couple of videos of theirs
One is before Roky Erickson lost the plot, and the other one has a trippy kind of backdrop to a great song, later covered by Primal Scream.
What a band they were - way ahead of their time.

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a dog pirate

The greatest dog costume ever! A dog made to look like two dog pirates carrying a treasure chest.
Genius is not a good enough word to describe this.
The dog doesn't look too happy though.

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can you tell what it is yet? courtney love's artwork

I've pined in the past, not for the fjords, but to be good at art, but maybe l shouldn't have bothered. It seems it is still possible to get a gallery show, even without being that talented. If it worked for Courtney Love, then that's good enough for me. Now where did l put my crayons?
More of Courtney's stuff is here.

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more babies! top talent! corfu!

As l am avoiding thinking about the football at the weekend, l have been keeping myself busy reading comics, listening to stuff, watching TV and drowning my sorrows, plus headed back to work with my tail between my legs (so to speak). The injury time goals may have been good for Ciddy and neutral fans, but they were certainly no good for my dodgy ticker, although it needs speeding up a bit.
At least l have a trip to Cofu coming up soon (with work), but as l have also been  identified as 'Top Talent', l have a trip to London and possibly extra work to be 'looking forward' to.
Also in the news, Danny and Gill have had their baby, and as everyone else seems to be having them, l am trying to persuade the FPO to get untied so we can join in.

The trouble is, it would probably come out like this.

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peanut butter in soup

Mmmmmmm, l'm salivating just thinking about it. Peanut butter in a soup. Actually, much as l love Peanut butter (smooth, not crunchy), this sounds (and looks) disgusting.

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'the scream' location

Apparently, 'The Scream' was based on a location known as Ekeberg Hill, Ekeberg, which is above Oslo. That has blown my tiny little mind (maaaaaan), as l never even considered that it might be based on an actual place. I certainly didn't envisage Edvard Munch out and about for a stroll along the hills. However, the facial features mimic mine when l have to go for a walk with the FPO.
What next though? Edgar Allan Poe loved skiing?
I need a lie down.

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red state (2011) - kevin smith

Red State is a strange film, as it purports to being a horror movie, when in fact, it is more of a high school thriller, with a load of religion (and a Waco type compound) thrown in for good measure. I usually love most films by Kevin Smith, and was reluctant to slag off the movie, but it was too long, didn't hold the suspense, and felt disjointed, as if it was two or three movies botched together.
Some high school lads decide to answer an advert offering sex, so they go to a trailer park to meet the woman. They then end up in a church, in an enclosed compound, with a charismatic (yet crazy) preacher, who certainly does not have much time for the sinful, especially those he classes as 'fags'. There's a rescue and escape attempt, and the 'rapture' at the end, but ultimately, apart from the scenes in the church, there was no heightened drama.
I did think the rapture idea was good, and Michael Parks (as Pastor Abin Cooper) was superb, but (sadly) it was a disappointment.
Saying all of that, l am still interested in seeing Vulgar (which inspired Smith), and it's scary to think that there are real versions of Pastor Abin Cooper out there.
I'm thinking mainly about Fred Phelps, and all the other narrow minded idiots at the Westboro Baptist Church, l know where l'd like to put their 'God hates Fags' signs.

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free syrian army shirt

The trouble is still kicking off in Syria, and as a show of support to the freedom fighters, l should get this shirt printed up, as it looks pretty cool. It's for the Free Syrian Army, but it may be back to front and say 'gullible English idiot' for all l know. Still looks cool though, so it's a risk l might take.
Plus it reminds me of the days of 'The Colburn Popular Front'.

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the question - epitaph for a hero - dennis o'neil

Although 'The Question' is a Charlton Comics  Steve Ditko (a God of the comic world) creation from 1967, l had not read any of the Question comics until now. This is the later DC  series by Dennis O'Neil, and l was pleasantly surprised, as it was a reminder of the old school comics that l loved. Vic Sage (real name Charles Victor Szasz) is a newsreader who dons a blank faced mask to go crime fighting as the Question (I know..I know). The stories were interesting, and there were plenty of philosophical quotes from the likes of  Sun Tzu's 'The Art Of War' (so right up my street then). There was a great story concerning a racist and the killings of blacks, and even a story where Vic Sage reads Watchmen while on a plane, and identifies with Rorschach (for a while). For those not in the know, Alan Moore was going to use The Question as one of the characters in Watchmen, but was asked to create another (Rorschach), as he was going to be killed off.
All marvellous stuff, l'm sure you would agree.

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camorra clan member nicola schiavone's home and clothes

I am NOT, l repeat NOT making any comments on the home or taste of clothes of jailed Camorra clan member Nicola Schiavone's home near Naples, as l don't want any kind of hit put out on me (better safe than sorry).
His father (Francesco) went on the run a few years ago and was found in his own home in 1998, in a secret room behind a sliding granite wall. Now that is class.
Saying all that, in a mad way, l kind of like the toilet.

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faker - mike carey

Some young students get wrecked and are spiked with a new substance called 'Angels Kiss', which is being developed as a liquid data storage/memory device. After throwing up, having strange experiences, and doubting there own minds and memory, the government become involved. Of course, this is a big, bad government, so the students have to go at loggerheads with them.
A collection of the 2007 Vertigo series, Faker is pretty damn good, and recommended, and is one of the better recent (ish) comic runs.

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civil war - mark miller

After a TV programme goes wrong and children are killed, there is a backlash against super-heroes, and calls for them to be legislated. Some of them agree to the demands, and concede that there are too many heroes and mutants running (or flying) around like vigilantes, but others do not want to be under the command of the government. They split into two factions, and go to war against each other (hence of course - 'Civil War'). Spider-man reveals his identity, and goes on the government side, but changes his mind and switches over. The writing and idea behind it is good, but l am not so keen on the modern costumes and drawings, as l prefer the old school stuff. Then again, l am a sad old git who not only reads them, but wastes his time blogging about it, so l am caught between the old and new. There were also characters involved in the fighting that l was not aware of, and it (naturally), only featured the Marvel super-heroes. Makes me pine for the old days when l knew them all (not personally you understand), and life was less complicated. Still a good read, and it will probably be a film in the future, but l hope they cut out some of the minor characters.

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