Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Friday, February 24, 2006
Blonde hair and a face like a boxer.
I read today that some James Bond fans are mounting a campaign to get people to boycott the upcoming Casino Royale movie. They don't like the casting of Daniel Craig as 007, apparently, saying that he has 'blonde hair and a face like a boxer', and therefore not able to realistically portray the stylish, suave super-spy.
Their argument kind of falls down when they say 'realistically'. Nothing about the modern Bond film is remotely realistic. 007 keeps changing his face, staying almost the same age for forty years (except for the Roger Moore era, more on that later) whilst Q , once the same age as Bond, got older and older. MI6 keep asking just this one man to sort out the world's problems? What happened to the SAS? Are you telling me Roger Moore with his magnetic watch is better than a crack troop of commandos?
Ah. Roger Moore. Now that was shitty casting. Connery had the lot; he was suave, he could handle the fistfights as well as the women, he was equally adept with the humour as he was with his Walther PPK. Roger Moore was shite at fighting. He never looked at ease. His 007 films relied too much on overt slapstick and sight gags. I could never for one second believe that Moore could actually kill someone. I could believe it of Connery (I've met a few Scots!). Moore also stayed in the role too long. People don't like seeing old men copping off with young women, and in Octopussy and A View To A Kill there was far too much of that. I mean, Roger Moore with Grace Jones? Who the fuck thought that one up?
Daniel Craig might be bad as Bond, but give him a chance. He's a good actor, and he's more like the literary Bond than Moore ever was. Compared with the other candidates (Julian McMahon? For Fuck's sake! Have you seen Fantastic Four?) he was the only choice.
Their argument kind of falls down when they say 'realistically'. Nothing about the modern Bond film is remotely realistic. 007 keeps changing his face, staying almost the same age for forty years (except for the Roger Moore era, more on that later) whilst Q , once the same age as Bond, got older and older. MI6 keep asking just this one man to sort out the world's problems? What happened to the SAS? Are you telling me Roger Moore with his magnetic watch is better than a crack troop of commandos?
Ah. Roger Moore. Now that was shitty casting. Connery had the lot; he was suave, he could handle the fistfights as well as the women, he was equally adept with the humour as he was with his Walther PPK. Roger Moore was shite at fighting. He never looked at ease. His 007 films relied too much on overt slapstick and sight gags. I could never for one second believe that Moore could actually kill someone. I could believe it of Connery (I've met a few Scots!). Moore also stayed in the role too long. People don't like seeing old men copping off with young women, and in Octopussy and A View To A Kill there was far too much of that. I mean, Roger Moore with Grace Jones? Who the fuck thought that one up?
Daniel Craig might be bad as Bond, but give him a chance. He's a good actor, and he's more like the literary Bond than Moore ever was. Compared with the other candidates (Julian McMahon? For Fuck's sake! Have you seen Fantastic Four?) he was the only choice.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
FUcup!
Yesterday, the English Football Association officially announced that the new Wembley stadium will not be ready in time for the FA cup final. Everyone in Britain knew this was going to happen, as it's been a giant-sized bollocks-up from day one.
When they announced that they were pulling down the old Wembley, twin towers and all, they also announced that the new national sports stadium didn't have to be in London, and other cities could bid to build the new showpiece national stadium.
My home city of Birmingham was one of the cities that bid, and arguably had the most to offer but lost out (surprise surprise!) to London. The Birmingham bid was cheaper than the new Wembley (which is haemorraging millions weekly) already had a train station nearby (the Wembley tube station is being rebuilt) because of the NEC which would have been next door to the new stadium. It was easier to get to, (Wembley being notorious to non-Londoners as a right pain in the arse to get to), due to it's central location, and the fact that there is a train station and airport in close proximity. Also, it would have been already built by now.
Because the new stadium isn't ready, it means the final will again be played in Cardiff, on the day I have to go to a comics convention in nearby Bristol. So now all the hotels have either doubled their price or are fully booked.
Of course, if the Villa get there, I couldn't give a toss about Bristol.
When they announced that they were pulling down the old Wembley, twin towers and all, they also announced that the new national sports stadium didn't have to be in London, and other cities could bid to build the new showpiece national stadium.
My home city of Birmingham was one of the cities that bid, and arguably had the most to offer but lost out (surprise surprise!) to London. The Birmingham bid was cheaper than the new Wembley (which is haemorraging millions weekly) already had a train station nearby (the Wembley tube station is being rebuilt) because of the NEC which would have been next door to the new stadium. It was easier to get to, (Wembley being notorious to non-Londoners as a right pain in the arse to get to), due to it's central location, and the fact that there is a train station and airport in close proximity. Also, it would have been already built by now.
Because the new stadium isn't ready, it means the final will again be played in Cardiff, on the day I have to go to a comics convention in nearby Bristol. So now all the hotels have either doubled their price or are fully booked.
Of course, if the Villa get there, I couldn't give a toss about Bristol.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Greetings!
Hello. If you're wondering why I've used a picture of a house, it's because I'm a part-time comic artist, and this is one of my pages. It's probably my best example of what's called an 'establishing shot', and seeing as this is an establishing post, it seemed apt.
I was going to use a photograph that I had taken for a magazine interview, but it made me look like a mugger. I thought the article would lead to work enquiries; it just led to me helping the police with theirs.
Yes, you guessed it, I am a comics nerd, but unlike most other comics nerds, I don't stink of piss and self-abuse. (Well, 85% of the time, anyway.) If you are also a comics nerd and are offended, I'm sorry, I do stink really, I'm just trying to sound all cool and that.
I'm currently languishing in UK indie-comic land, which means I'm basically working for free, which means I can't give up my shitty day-job. It's a constant source of misery. Also, I am from Birmingham, England, which means I have to moan, it's kinda like our region specific stereotype. So those factors combined mean that probably 95% of future posts will be about me complaining. See you again.
I was going to use a photograph that I had taken for a magazine interview, but it made me look like a mugger. I thought the article would lead to work enquiries; it just led to me helping the police with theirs.Yes, you guessed it, I am a comics nerd, but unlike most other comics nerds, I don't stink of piss and self-abuse. (Well, 85% of the time, anyway.) If you are also a comics nerd and are offended, I'm sorry, I do stink really, I'm just trying to sound all cool and that.
I'm currently languishing in UK indie-comic land, which means I'm basically working for free, which means I can't give up my shitty day-job. It's a constant source of misery. Also, I am from Birmingham, England, which means I have to moan, it's kinda like our region specific stereotype. So those factors combined mean that probably 95% of future posts will be about me complaining. See you again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
