Raithe

And for other film news: Michael Caine Reveals Retirement From Acting at Age 88 (comicbook.com)

On a divergent topic... Has Bruce Willis stumbled into a somewhat amusing film again?

We had the Conservative Party Conference a short while back, and there was some American political professor visiting and he got interviewed on his views as a visiting "dignitary" as part of it. He was absolutely amazed by how it all worked. The fact that common citizens could engage elected officials in that manner, that key members of the government were getting lectured by the public and responding was something he said you would almost never see in the US. He made some comment that at the US political rallies you generally expected the senators and congressmen to maybe speak for 10-15 minutes before sitting back down but that you'd never see them speaking and discussing a matter for over 45-50 minutes in an open, public forum. He was all "I hope to god you never lose this element of your democracy." It's all kind of quirky. Edit: Also, on more US specifics (at least gambling wise): Donald Trump favourite to win 2024 presidential election (msn.com)

Robot Murder Dog New Thing to Worry About as You Fall Asleep (gizmodo.com)

Daniel Craig Prefers Going To Gay Bars • Instinct Magazine

Had one of those days where I couldn't really seem to focus on any one task for longer than 10 minutes. It was very.. bitty. A bit of doing this, then a bit of doing that, some doing another, then back to the first bit, all on a loop.

This calls for an emergency trailer.

Next you'll say the same about Flash Gordon.

And since Masters of the Universe came up in the CInema Thread.. Let's see the return of this to the funny things thread:

I've introduced several girls to Cary Grant films - both the original screwball rom-coms and the more action/thriller-Hitch**** ones and they've ended up fairly addicted. Maybe I have a knack for picking them, or maybe those films are just universally appealing. And re: The Black Hole just wins on those visuals for the time...

I am almost tempted to get that subscription to Rolling Stones just to read that article now...

I suppose when you break it down that there's that list of films you consider great cinema and are on your lists of enjoyment that you re-watch, and then there's the list of films that are comfort entertainment that you just sheerly enjoy and re-watch again and again that just satisfy something in your soul. Case in point, Masters of the Universe is a dire film that's more about the humans from Earth, but Frank Langella's Skeletor was utterly divine and perfect and I want a film that was just him as the lead.

The Prestige gets the nod from me as favourite Nolan. Combination of multiple factors. The story, the way it's told, the balance of Jackman and Bale. Early Scarlett Johanssen, and above all else... Bowie as Tesla.

Inception is one of those high brow films that you do kind of expect from Nolan. It's got some amazing visuals, some great cinematography, good actors doing serious work with oomph. But it can tend to feel a bit more style over substance coated over some artistic philosophy. Also, not one that you'd go back and re-watch again and again.

If I was going to include Hong Kong cinema, then you'd have a plethora of those original John Woo films. Hard Boiled, The Killer, and a part of me fondly remembers A Better Tomorrow (and for the bloody cheese factor A Better Tomorrow II)... If we're going for evocative mood pieces with gorgeous cinematography and music alongside that fine balance of subtle acting and chewing the scenery, I am surprised no-ones mentioned Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon yet. Also, as we are having many classic 80's movies thrown around here... Highlander. The Queen soundtrack. Clancy Brown's Kurgan. Christopher Lambert's amazing accent and dirty chuckle. Swords. Trenchcoats, and a story that pulled you in and made you want to know about all the other stories going on in that world and immortals.