This blog is boring

I need to have more of a focus. This is pretty much just all look-my-life-is-average and nothing happens. I should do film reviews or something.

So, UCAS and LJMU have fucked me over slightly. I got into Liverpool John Moore's University last year, can't remember what course, but after the third time of me telling them I don't want to do the course, they still haven't cancelled my place. Which leads UCAS to deny my university application for this year, which leaves me screwed. I need to ring them on Monday, and get it sorted out. LJMU seem incapable of understanding that I need them to do something simple, or I have to take another year out. I'm not taking another gap year. This one has been terrible so far. I've done little to nothing productive.

I saw three bands at the Source last night.

• Black Jash, a Scottish angry sort of indie/punk band who didn't care how awful their instruments sounded. They got away with it, it was quite fun to watch. I doubt their studio stuff would be any good though. The singer left half way through, leaving the bassist and drummer to keep going with a weird sort of jam. I'm gonna assume drugs were involved.
• 3D Tanks, I was really disappointed with. My friend Mike, (who saved me from certain death by inviting me out) was completely in love with this band. All I saw were ugly 30-somethings with bad hair and no body fat playing instruments too loudly. Not impressed.
• Insect Guide were easily the best band playing. Even though the female singer's vocals weren't amazing, they were just brilliant. A level of professionalism that the Source is't likely to see again for a while. They were using a loop machine or something. They had bass and samples and everything. There were no gaps between songs. Everything about them was really, really good. I would pay to see them again.

Well yeah, anyway. I almost had to work today, then they changed their mind. Whatever. I need to do something with my life. I'm going to Edinburgh for three days next week, Tuesday to Thursday. Phil Hewitson says he'll help if I want to do any sort of film-making thing. Oh, and I auditioned for a part in The Crucible, by accident.

regret and that or not maybe i don't know

Sadako take 3

The third version of Sadako has no violin, but Karen's guitar is enhanced a bit. It still needs lyrics and I'm still waiting for someone to send me some!

Nice Dream (if you think you belong enough)

I'm lying listening to music, because I have nothing to do. I'm finding this happens a lot lately. I just wish there was someone here, now! This doesn't deserve a blog post, but there's nowhere else I can write: Facebook is too personal, I have a cold-hearted reputation to uphold. And Twitter, only 7 people could possibly read it. Here is alright.

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours with my friend Mike, playing a mixture of guitar, bass and drums. It was really good to jam with someone again.

Then I had my staff party, which was alright for a bit, until I realised I wasn't drunk, and everyone else was. It got a bit lairy. Not my thing. Went to Concrete to meet a friend, who didn't show. Went home with a headache.

Today I recorded a couple of things with Tom. For some reason, I can't play bass as well with him. He's on too high of a level musically, and expects more from me than I am capable of. What a badly constructed sentence, eh? It was a lot more comfortable for me playing with Mike. I need to join another band.

Tomorrow, Karen wants me to go over for a little bit to record Gentle Biscuits with her onto her new Boss recording studio thing. Sounds fun. I'm glad I've been doing music stuff, but I need to be better.

So anyway. I would like someone who I can lie with and listen to music and maybe even talk about music. Not meaning to sound like one of those fucking "music is my life xxx" emo sluts, but I'm getting there.

Podcast script?

I'm thinking of audio recording this and releasing it in podcast form, or something.

Jack Johnstone Well Avatar was a pile of crap.

Matt Adamson Out of interest, what makes you think that ?

Cameron Ellis yes out of interest?.. was it because their penis's wer covered by a bit of cloth?.. hmmm?

Jack Johnstone The effects and action were good, but the 3D was unnecessary. Everything else let it down, the acting, cliche plots, all that stuff. I was bored for pretty much the entire film.

Jack Johnstone oh and yeah because I just wanted to see blue alien penis.

Matt Adamson I thought the acting was good in it man and as it goes for atmosphere the films unparrelled.
Who didnt you like acting it it ?

Jack Johnstone Terminator guy was the same character again, Sigourney Weaver was a bit flat too. Can't really speak for the alien acting. Oh, and the army commander guy was annoying. I hated the lead character's backstory.
The whole redemption thing. Lame and overused. The whole thing was terribly predictable. Not one single plot twist.

Matt Adamson I can see why your saying that but if you compare if you watch both films there are differences. Sigourney Weaver i think did what she could with the role she had, i actually would of liked to see more of that charecter but i thought she was very natural in it, did what she could with what she had.
Storywise yes i agree with you its not entirely original but its an atmosphere soaked movie. I truly believe James Cameron once again has raised the bar with this movie.

Jack Johnstone The viewer really shouldn't have to compare one film to another just to make one seem better.
I guess the atmosphere of the film just wasn't for me. There was even a bloody training montage! It was a bit ridiculous in places for its amazing lack of originality.

Matt Adamson Is that not where people go wrong with films though ? too much comparing one film to another ? If you take Avatar as it is surely its a fantastic movie ?

Jack Johnstone It's Lost In Translation all over again. Everyone loves it = Jack hates it.
:P

Matt Adamson Your entitled to not like it, i wasnt that keen on Titanic but everyone raved on about it.
Ahh Lost In Translation, such an excellent movie.

Jack Johnstone get out. :P

Matt Adamson Goodbye to you sir ;)

Ben Herring So it's not worth seeing then? Oh and my mum hates Lost in Translation and I've never bothered to see it so it's not just you.

Jack Johnstone If you want some simple action with nice effects, go and see the 2D version. 3D was a waste.

Jack Johnstone English Language curse you!!
When the aliens shouted with cries of despair (in their own language), their cries started with the [n] phoneme.
When cheering, cries started with the [y] phoneme. It's such a surface level film it annoys me. They've blatantly not thought about anything.

David Wilson 3D was unnecessary? Maybe thats why you can go see it in 2D imax.
Sigourney Weaver was great!
Army Kernal dude was corny yes...but hey...
Can't say it was a pile of crap tbh...very well made film...really pulls you in...when a film is this good it becomes easy to pick out the bad bits.

Jack Johnstone I didn't like any of it, Dave. I was bored.

David Wilson ...fussy lol

Jack Johnstone It was just such a simple film. There was not one subplot.
The whole first half was omglookatthisspecialeffect and the plot stuff was lame and overused and and and I JUST HATE IT >:(

Ben Herring You know some films you should see if you haven't already? Watchmen, The Hurt Locker, District 9, Lost Highway (just some good movies that popped into my head)

Jack Johnstone District 9 is amazing, seen Watchmen too. I'll check out the others. Cheers.

Tom Moscrop I agree with jack tbh, as a film it's ok at best. works well as mindless action film, i won't complain about that but cameron used to be the most stylish film maker out there but this just seemed to be a turqoise firework show with recycled plotlines and no obvious character development. i can see why it's so popular though, very impressive visuals and some of the best action scenes i've ever seen, however, i feel cameron spent much too long on this movie and somewhere along the line just decided to go with a simple storyline in order to get his money back for all overpriced effects in the film. also did anyone notice how hypocritical it is to have a film demonising technology when it was made with the most high tech equipment around today? At the end of the day though if people enjoyed it then i guess cameron has done a good job somewhere. overall i'd give the film a 5 or 6 out of 10 for the visuals alone.

James Story well i may as well chuck in my 2 cents
Avatar is very good, whenever I hear about a film being a masterpiece or a classic or something on such a high pedestal, especially it being a new film, I very rarely get a true sense of why a film is seen like this while I'm actually watching it, perhaps I'm too young or simply desensitised to things but to be honest I don't hold Alien or The Godfather to an especially high standard based on how I actual felt watching the film, but now I'm blabbering on about a different matter entirely.
Back to Avatar, in terms of plot I'm fine with any cliches or conventions being used as long as it works in the film, and it all strings together into a neat little package in Avatar, but it did need something grander to connect with me on an emotional level.
Have to say a lot of the visuals are amazing. Even taking the 3D out of it (which I thought was a decent touch but not a huge draw for me, certainly not the reason for me actually going to see it) the sheer scale of the film is just on another level to what else is coming out.
And now the bad part, characters lack real depth and you can see their roles the moment you see them. (Wait a minute, you mean to tell me that the Government is.....the bad guy?)
That's the only bad thing I have to say really, because there really isn't really much wrong with the film. It's just with spectacular visuals should come spectacular storytelling and everything is just ....... good.
As far as a rating this film personifies 4/5 for me. (Quick plug for some apparently great films coming out as the tail end of 09/ start of '10, 'Precious', 'Up in the Air, 'The Road' and it's been out quite a while but I didn't see 'Milk' being brought up before.
Feel free to generate more podcast-worthy discussions any time Jack

Jack Johnstone Unobtainium.

[a long skype conversation between James Story and Jack Johnstone followed this comment]

Tom Moscrop tbh everyone who worked on that film designers, animators, developers have all done a fantastic job but it is Cameron himself that lets the picture down. it seems that he has gotten lazy in is old age deciding to go for simplicity in order to achieve the broadest range of appeal he possibly can. don't get me wrong, i have nothing against simplistic storylines but once a film is elevated in status such as Avatar was i become much more critical and demand that the film lives up to expectation and shows why it deserves such adoration, this is where my main problem lies with this film. Cameron said that Avatar was inspired by all of the sci-fi comic books and films he saw as a child and this clearly shows, every single cliche and steryotype is on display. there is literally no original ideas in the plot and creative structure of the film. it seems to be a beautiful frankenstein, composed of recycled portions of almost every science fiction works preceeding it. Ultimately resulting in a film that, as previously mentioned, looks incredible but has no emersive capabilities, it feels as though you are watching it, there is no feeling of inclusion. It seems today that most directors, once they get a big fat cheque, begin to slow down and start to go entirley blunt. Michal Bay proved this with his slow degredation from films such as armageddon to the recent Transformers: revenge of the fallen, a film which is, essentially, a boring zeitgeist of explosions and tits glued together with occasional images of the 90's favourite toy.
All in all These big budget films fail time and again to caputure any imagination but succeed in caputuring plenty of pennies for the fat lazy bastards who've forgotten why they wanted to be film directors in the first place. compare anyone of these afformentioned films to anything by Charlie Kaufman such as Being John Malcovich or Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind and you will realise the true artistry in building and developing, which great intricacy, characters and storylines that breathe and fluxuate and form a real indipendent life of their own. Compare the character of Joel Barish, played by Jim Carey in Eternal sunshine, to Cameron's Jake Sulley from Avatar. it is lieterally like compaing Mozart to N-dubz.
Anyway sorry for the rant. just fancied getting distracted from an essay. Btw this is not an indication to avoid Avatar. by all means go see it, draw your own conclusions, just don't get lost in the light show.

Avatar

I haven't posted in a while, mainly because I have nothing to write about. I got over him for a while, then got sad again, then I'm back not being bothered. Not important. I had four or five people over on New Year's Eve, which was nice. Didn't get too drunk, was in bed by half three.

My work situation isn't great, but I did expect this. People aren't going to the pub in January, meaning I'm getting less hours at work. I almost had a whole two-hour shift today, but it was cancelled when they realised the pub was empty. Might get the same tomorrow. I really need to look for another job. It can wait til after my trip to France in February, right?

So, tonight, I decided to see Avatar. You really have to, when a movie becomes the highest box office earning film ever, and it is really this hyped. It was the same with other "amazing" films: Lost In Translation, The Dark Knight. Everyone loves them, and I hate them. I don't only hate the films because of the hype. I'm always disappointed by these films. Trying to view them without taking the hype into consideration, they're still not anything special. Lost In Translation is boring. It is not romantic. It is not sensational. It is boring. The Dark Knight is a gritty, edgy cop thriller movie with a sort of superhero and a couple of decent actors not entirely doing their best. Heath Ledger was good, yes, but if there wasn't already a Joker (Jack Nicholson) to compare him to, and if he hadn't died, not a great deal would have been said about his acting. It was good, yes, but it was mostly script writers and directing. That's how these things work.

Getting to Avatar. It was boring, stereotypical, and generally lame. That's pretty much it. It was trying to tackle environmental issues, but whatever. It sucked as a film. Waste of money. The 3D was a waste, it just ruined everything. If this film had had a decent script, it wouldn't have made as much money. Dumbing down for the masses and all this. I like this quote:

"Let me get one thing out of the way: for all the visual spectacle, it is categorically not a revolution in CG. It is merely exactly what we, in 2009, should expect to receive from hundreds of people from the top studios in the world working for years and at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. Nothing more, but also nothing less."

V Love Movies