ICTChris

I watched Super Size Me the other night. I'd never seen it before but I think it should have had the tagline 'No Shit Spurlock'. So eating nothing to burgers, chips and cola is bad for you? Who would've thunk it!? Some of the film was interesting - the way that he alsmost became addicted to fast food, the marketing to children, the way the company tried to abdicate itself from blame for these things. However, I remember watching the dramatisation of the McLibel trial about eight years ago on Channel Four which made all these points in a much more adult way and without the daft sensationalism. One bit that really pissed me off was the famous vomit scene. I'm sorry but that's bollocks, the guy actually expects us to think that he puked completely naturally after eating a cheeseburger and chips? I think that if he wasn't being filmed there's not a chance he'd have vomitted. I also watched his new show 30 Days the othe rweek, where he got a guy to sign up to a mad exercise and drug programme to reclaim his youth. This involved the guy taking Human Growth Hormone and testosterone as well as numerous other supplaments and unergoing a rigorous training regime. Of course, his liver started showing abnormal functions, his sperm count dropped and he became mor eaggressive. I know next to nothing about drugs and drug design but I do know that taking these drugs has all these effects - why is it presented as though it's a major breakthrough? Oh and his wife got jealous of the good-looking fitness instructor they gave him. Again, the show made a couple of good points about the trade in illegal drugs, espeically between the US and Mexico. Surely any sane person is going to realise that if you pump your body full of this stuff it'll have an affect on your liver or your reproductive organs or somehting else? It's common knowledge. There's nothing on these programmes that you couldn't work out for yourself or find out by reading a couple of websites or leaflets.

Don't Listen to the Radio - The Vines Click here to listen to it

I watched most of American Pie last night. One thing that struck me was how soppy the ending is. The guy with the curtains who pulls the lassie from the choir and the one with the girlfriend who finally gets to shag her, fucking hell what a pair of wet blankets. You've pulled a nice wee burd - get her pumped you idiots! Thankfully Chris ( ) makes up for it with the funniest bit in the film when he pulls Stiflers Mom on the pool table, very funny. "What do you drink?" "Scotch, aged 18 years. Just how I like it" It probably reflects the fact that you can't have a 'sex' based film, even a supposed gross-out comedy, in the states without a 'romantic' sub-plot for the laydeez. Either that or portraying sex for the sake of sex or casual, no-strings sex without the 'counterbalance' of involved sex is too much for the states.

Gross Out - The Vines Click here to listen to it

6/10 for one of the greatest books of all time? I went to see a theatre production of that at Eden Court in Inverness, the big chap who used to be in Casualty was in it. It was excellent.

I read this book this week, I thought it was brilliant!

Basement Jaxx - Do Your Thing

Last song I heard before starting work today was 'Can't Stand Me Now' by the Libs on the Dominic Diamond show. Fantastic song.

Inside Man. It's directed by Spike Lee and starts Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster among others and is an interesting heist movie. I suppose it was kind of formulaic as these things go, but I thought it was well done. Interesting twist and the way the reason for the robbery is explored was quite good. Perhaps a little bit of differing structure could have improved the film, but enjoyable and recommended. 7.5/10

I watched Downfall last night, excellent film. Obviously I wasn't there but I think it captured what it must have been like in Berlin in 1945 - a mixture of lunacy, hedonism, depression and fear. Ganz was amazing as Hitler and I thought the female characters were all excellently played as well.

I watched 'Capturing the Friedmans' on Channel 4 last night. What a hoot! All round family fun, I went through several boxes of popcorn and flagons of cola watching it! Not really. For those who don't know it's the story of a Long Island family torn apart by the revelations that their father was convicted of child sex abuse. It really was pretty harrowing, but also raised some interesting points. There is/was absolutely no doubt that the father was guilty of various despicable crimes but what he pleaded guilty to was spurious in the extreme. The police questioning techniques were obviously flawed and the film featured several of the accusers basically confessing that most of the charges were falsified. Another interesting point was the effect all this had on the dynamics of the family. The family had three sons, one of whom was convicted after pleading guilty to several charges, but the sons seemed to stick completely by their father, even though there was ample evidence that he was an abuser, that he was in possession of graphic material and had committed terrible crimes. They stuck by him and were vitriolic against the mother who said that she didn't know if he was guilty or not.

ACDC - Back In Black

I thought the Bone Collector was pish. The ending is rubbish - oh the killer was actually the guy in the chipshop, or whatever. Load of shite. I haven't been to the pictures in a while, will maybe go this weekend. No doubt my girlfriend will veto all half-decent films though

The Streets - When You Wasn't Famous

Delay's - Valentine Are all their songs this good?

Highway to Hell - ACDC

Watched Final Destination last night, pretty decent. Today's Sunday Times has the Directors cut of Donnie Darko in it, movie fans

Last thing I listened to on XFM walking up the road was the Delay's - Valetine. Never heard them before, good song

Upon returning home from watching my team getting pumped out of the cup I listened to some Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Murder Ballads. Songs about killing folk seem strangely appropriate.

Enjoy the Silence - Depeche Mode I think that's what it's called (it's on XFM)

Caught By the Fuzz - Supergrass

Buried in his back garden? Exclusive picture of LJ

Is the missing girl called Rowan? I saw the Wicker Man on some obscure cable channel at 3am when I was a student. Id' never heard of it before, it was slightly distrubing But good

Coming from Golspie, the Wicker Man will seem like a documentary to you.

I have been off work sick and I rented Wolf Creek on DVD. I thought it was pretty good - snappy, visceral with some hefty violence and gore. 7.5/10