Monthly Archives: October 2005
MCM Expo
I had no idea what was in store for us at the MCM Expo. I didn’t even know what it stood for until we walked deep into the ExCEL convention centre and were standing at the entrance – it apparently stood for the Movie Comic Media Expo. Emphasis is on comic. And that was the main crowd that seemed to be attracted to the expo. We were there mainly for the Anime Village, but there was also Live Wrestling, Chillerfest (horror genre area), gaming areas, and mainly a lot of stalls selling figurines, posters, memorabilia and the such. Oh and of course there were some stars for photo and authograph seekers including Michael York (Austin Powers), Jennifer Rhodes (Grams from Charmed), Bruce Boxleitner (Babylon 5), and Andy Serkis (Gollum!)
Overall we were pretty hard pressed to find anything that held our interest for very long. The highlight was probably the Cosplay (Costume Play) competition (see picture of the contestants to the right) which was … er, downright entertaining. The lengths people go to for the costumes were quite amazing – and mind you these people actually walked around the entire expo in these costumes!
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| Live Wrestling | Daleks |
Jekyll and Hyde at Wilton’s Music Hall
Deep in London’s East End (in my alley – heh heh), this short running musical felt very appropriately accommodated at Wilton’s Music Hall. I’m sure we are all familiar with Dr Jekyll’s experiments to conquer mental illness by carving out the evil from the good and how turning this experiment on to himself unleashed a savage murdering beast on to the streets of London so there is no need to expand on that here. That is, except to say that the atmosphere in East London well suited the story.
Overall, the musical was fairly enjoyable – singing was generally fantastic and the orchestra were great. It was obvious that there were still some teething issues to be nutted out (such as mic work) but otherwise it was a good performance for an off West End show. Staging it at the Hall created an interesting opportunity as it allowed the chorus to sing from behind us creating a very “surround” sound feel. My only complaint was for the school-like chairs that had my back screaming in pain after about 20 minutes into the first act and the lack of seat pitching which makes viewing difficult if you have anyone in front of you – tall or not.
IMAF
We missed most of the International Manga & Anime Festival due to a mix up in dates but we did manage to sneak in to tonight’s awards ceremony and free screening of some episodes of the very strange Paranoia Agent. It was kind of a cool setting – I really liked how they set up the County Hall with the five screens and it was definitely a different way of watching fone rom the usual he big screen.
For those who are into anime, I would say that Paranoia Agent is pretty typical – not that I’m a great expert. This particular series involves a mysterious boy on golden rollerblades and golden bat who is attacking people in the city. As episodes go on you start to question if he is a real person or a figment of the imagination. We got to the end of Episode 4 or something like that – just enough for a taster and to pique our curiousity. I definitely want to know what happens at the end so I’m off to find some episode guides …
Oxford
Today my brother took me along with him to visit a friend of his, Kath, who is currently studying at Oxford. She was lovely enough to give up her day to take us around – and she did a fab job. Thanks Kath! We were a bit worried that the weather wasn’t going to come to the party – but it did, with bells on! Thank you to this Indian summer that pretty much delivered a blue sky (if not a warm sun) all day.
It was soooo easy getting up to Oxford so I’m not sure why, in my nearly 18 months here I haven’t made it up there. Not a minute walk from my place is a stop along the route of the Oxford Tube. This bus service operates ALL day and generally speaking between 9am-10pm comes every 10-15 minutes. Fabulous. A very comfortable ride and if you’re lucky your seat might even come with an electrical socket.
I loved the feel of this University town (city?). It is an entirely different feel from my local, very touristy, area in London and it was very refreshing. It was great also to have an inside tour guide, so to speak, in the form of Kath. She even took us in to her college. I always get excited when I see really green grass (okay – so I’m a bit 
wierd) so when we commented on particuarly green and gorgeous patch of grass inside the college Kath told us about this funny email sent around by the head of the college stating that the grass “privileges” were that it was not to be used except in the summer, between 11 and 1, and only for sitting and/or playing croquet. Can you imagine, after having heard that story how much more I wanted to just roll around in the grass? 🙂
There is enough around Oxford to fill your day. This site has some great walks to do covering such points as the Carfax Tower (gives good views over the High Street), the cobblestones of Radcliffe Square featuring the Radcliffe Camera (“Chamber” – one of the finest buildings in Oxford), the Bridge of Sighs, the Bodleian Library (new and old) and all the churches and colleges you can poke a stick at. You may also encounter Blackwell’s Book Shop on Broad Street which, from the outside appears to be the size of a smallish book shop, but once you enter and go underground – you’ll be absolutely amazed at 
its size. Also worth a visit are the Covered Markets – a mish mash of meat/fish/veg stalls and some rather ones such as pets and records.
Finally, if there is two things you must do it is to visit grab a George and Davis intensely and interestly flavoured ice cream (or G&D’s as the locals refer to it) and take it over for a stroll through Christ Church Meadow by the River Thames (or the Isis).
If there is one thing you should remember about Oxford it is to make sure that you look up and you may just be surprised by all the varied gargoyles gazing down at you.
Lord of War or War Lord?
A very heavy handed treatment of guns, government, war and arms deals in general but I guess its not the kind of topic that can be treated lightly. Nicolas Cage plays Yuri Orlov, a gun runner who starts out, with his little brother along for the ride, supplying guns during the Cold War and then when that market taps out (dratted peace talks) he turns his attention to Africa. Somewhere in the mix is also Ethan Hawke who plays cop Jack Valentine intent on catching him but as he just can’t make himself bend the rules is never able to do so. As a result the only thing stopping Cage in the end is his conscience .. and by the time this happens you can’t help not caring what happens to him.
I walked out of the movie feeling very morose (?) but also feeling blessed at how my life is so seemingly insulated from a lot of horror portrayed in the movie. But its comments like writer and director Andrew Niccol’s “I had to get hold of a tank for a scene and 3000 Kalashnikovs. I bought real Kalashnikovs because it was cheaper than getting fake ones” that really saddens me.
Not surprisingly no US studio would back this film.
Quote of the movie: [Yuri Orlov] “Back then, I didn’t sell to Osama Bin Laden. Not because of moral reasons, but because he was always bouncing checks.”
Happy Birthday little bro
Birthday greetings to my little bro. Tonight he celebrated his first birthday in London with a night out at AKA. I’d never been to AKA but I think its sister club located next door The End – an apparently world-renowned nightclub as L tells me – is quite the popular hang out. Tonight was GAY night at The End and its patrons also spilled over into AKA.
AKA is a pretty cool place with lots of seating in a split level room and because the music and noise doesn’t start in until about 8.30-9.00 you can catch up with your friends and save shouting yourself hoarse until later in the evening.
My bro knows an amazing number of people already and he had friends come in from all over including Oxford! I think he had a good night and did well flitting betwen all the various groups (high school friends, uni friends, exchange friends, work friends, friends of friends, room mates etc.) Photos are here.
Serenity
Guest Review – E Randy-Hawk Tenderloin:
I’d heard good things about this film and I have to say I was disappointed. It wasn’t that it was a bad film but lets just say that I was pleased that I got to see the film for free.
The overall problem with the film is that it is a sci-fi film which transparently did not have the special effects budget to match the likes of the recent Star Wars series. Consequently it had the feel of a made for TV movie or a mini series.
The plot had the usual Joss Whedon theme of a central Messianic, (just) post pubescent, girl who has the ability to kick people’s bottoms. She finds herself with a group of misfits who have to band together to defeat a powerful and evil enemy (sound familiar?). The plot had just enough depth to stop me from falling asleep and the dialogue was fairly snappy but I really got the feeling that this was a startrek/wars lite for Buffy fans.
I also get the feeling that the producer was trying to make a political point about the Bush administration so I guess there should be some credit for this.
My comment:
Yea – what he said. It definitely felt more like an extended TV episode up on the big screen (rather than the usual cinematic blockbuster.) Still, I like it when girls kick butt.
Kung Fu Hustle
Funny. So very funny. This is a fairy-tale told with a lot of humour, a lot of fighting and some really interesting special effects.
Director Stephen Chow plays a man desperate to be a tough guy. He and his gentle giant of a side kick pose as members of the Axe Gang and enter Pig Sty Alley, a small tenement seemingly filled with loser misfits, to try and extort some money. When the real Axe Gang, a particularly vicious gang by the way, arrives an all out war begins when the tenants fight back. Chow begs to join the Gang but in the end finds something in his heart that shines of gold.
The movie races quickly along and is filled with many kung fu battles as masters of this and that take each other on with increasing skill levels. It is all highly exagerated but that is where the charm of the movie is – if you aren’t smiling at the extraordinary action sequences you are laughing at the wacky slapstick gags.
Good clean, if a little bloody and violent, fun.
James Thierree’s La Veillee des Abysses
I’m really starting to like the Peacock Theatre. The two shows that I’ve seen there (including tonight’s) have both been weirdly fantastic.
La Veillee des Abysses starts with a storm with five people fighting against it behind a gauze curtain – definitely an interesting start to this evening’s performance. Again I can’t find the words to describe the show – I guess it is kind of like a circus – with a mix of dance, theatre, acrobatics and clowning with scenes seamlessly morphing into the next with minimal interruption to the flow.
To give you an idea of what we witnessed there are five performers in the show each with their own particular strength:
– Creator, dancer, comic: James ThiĂ©rrĂ©e (purportedly Charlie Chaplin’s grandson)
– Opera singer and pianist Uma Ysamat
– Contortionist Raphälle Boitel
– Dancer Niklas Ek and
– Capoeira dancer Thiago Martins.
There is no real plot but what you get is magic. Not in the literal sense but in the sense that it must have been magic that allowed this performance tonight to come together for the visual and aural treat we were served. I feel like I’m gushing but the show definitely deserves it.
Catch it where you can – you won’t regret it.