howie’s halfpipe

Myself, Jenny, Tom, Matin, Anmol, Debbie and Lezalee just went and saw ‘flushed away’. It was a mildy entertaining film, some funny bits but overall not fantastic. I think wallace and gromit creator man has sold out to america.

4/7

after the film we headed to Asquith KFC for the traditional new years day kfc meal, the theory behind it being that if you eat KFC on the first day of the year then food can only get better throughout the year.

My stomach feels like the SS KFC has sailed through, hit a gland or something and now there has been a giant oil spill in my bowels.

The goal, see 52 films in a calendar year.
The result, A giant FAIL!
Only 13 films for 2006, ouch!

The Family Stone
Good Night and Good Luck
The Producers
Munich
Syriana
Jarhead
The Aristocrats
Inside Man
Cars
Click
Boytown
Casino Royale
Happy Feet

Today Jenny, mum and Dad and myself all went down to the Armidale belgrave cinema to watch Happy Feet.

It was a good movie, and cool that it was made by animal logic an animation company in sydney.

It made me laugh, it was sad overall quite good, althoyugh there where a few flat spots and some gaps in the story.

4 / 7

Last night I went with several peoples to watch Casino Royale, I have been looking forward to this film for some time now, I love a good bond film. I know that many people think he’s sleezy and the films are just full of sex and guns.

Well bond is so much more than that, hes smooth and smart, he gets to play with cool gadgets and go on secret missions in excotic places, defeating evil and making the world a safe place, He is a superhere but instead of tight brightly coloured costuimes he is a super here in a tux.

Casino Royale was a good adition to the bond institution, much better than di another day with its stupid invisible car. Daniel Craig makes an awsome bond i look forward to more bonds with him. This film did howevber seem to have a lot less action that previous bond films, no dramtic car chases with bond shooting missiles from his dashboard or anything, no litte gadgets in his pocket turning his watch into a detinator or anything. So on that front it was a little dissapointing there wasnt even any Q, bond didnt get to given his gadgets before he embarkes on his mission.

There was however a crazy ugandan man he did some kick but moves on top of a crane with bond.

I give this bond a 5/7

go see it, enjoy it, then buy it on dvd!

I havent seen a film at the cinema since the 8th of July and that film was click.

Today i broke the drought!

It was a good film to break the drought with, very funny. Australian comedies especially those made in melboure always have hte same actor ‘ comedians in them, even extra played by their comedy buddies. there is something nice about it.

Boytown was very good, the song lyrics where probably the main thing that made the film funny. I reccomend it and i gve it 5.5 / 7

last night saw click.

2.5 / 7

I havent seen a movie in ages. And what a good film to break the drought with. Pixar make good movies. This movie was really fun, it made me laugh and if i was an absolute pansy it would have made me cry too. The cars are so fun, my favourite is the little forklift and the mack truck.

I give it the 5.5 / 7

Tonight joshy and i went to see inside man.

Josh called me and said lets book our tickets online, so i opened up my browser and went in to book 2 tickets. i picked the movie and the session time. Then it took me to the seating chart and i had to pick the seats i wanted. I clicked on any old seats becasue it wasnt like i was going to sit in my allocated seat.
THen once i had clicked on the seats i tried to proceed to the checkout. But it wouldnt let me. it said.

“Unfortunately we are unable to confirm seats to this session due to a communication issue with the cinema (Too close to start of session for booking). We apologise for the inconvenience and ask that you please try again later.”

now that in itself is a stupid message, in the nmiddle of the message it says that it is too close to the start of the session time for my booking, then the following sentace tells me to try again later. How can i try again later if already it is too close, its only going to get closer to the session time if i try later!

anyway just bought our tickets when we got there, and forgot to sit in our allocated seats.

the film itself was pretty good, i dont really go for Denzel films but this was a goodie. The trailer for this film kind of gave away too much thought so it wasnt as exciting as it could have been.

I’ll give it 5 / 7

Yesterday Jenny and i saw Jarhead

I was expecting it to be a lot like three kings, from seeing the trailer in the last month or so it looked like it was going to be a really good movie. I really like three kings.
It turned out not to be all that comparable to three kings, but it stood up by itself and was a good movie. I think the main guy in it was also in tigerland, another awesome war film.

War is a bit of a stupid thing.
I dont think it can give this move as high marks as i gave syriana but i can give it 5 / 7

Last night josh and i saw Syriana

It was a really good movie. George clooney really does make good films. At times there was a lot of deep intellectual conversations going on that i couldnt keep up with and there where so many different stories happening at once. It was quite itense. Its another one of these films that has come out recently that really doesnt make America look all that good or nice. And unfortunatly i think it shows a lot of truth about the super power.
The film is based around the oil industry, big american corporations trying to get all the oil in the middle east but we get to see the story from many different angles.

i’m gonna give it 6 /7

Jenny and Isaw this movie tonight.
It was strange watching a film in black and white, i changed the cinema experience and it also wasnt in surround sound whihc also made it a bit strange. But it was a good strange.
I think george clooney is a clever man and i have loved him ever since 3 kings.
This movie isnt something you would go out and see for a laugh or to just relax in front of some mindless chick flick.
I struggled in some parts to understand what it was that was going on, and other times i was enthrawled.
Man they smoke so much in the 50’s.

I’ll give it 5 / 7

well day 3 of being sick is almost done.
I have felt a bit better today only had to sit down a couple of times on the toilet.
But still rather weak,
jenny came and recued me and took me to her house for the afternoon, we sat around and watched a dvd then sat around some more and i had a peace of plain toast. It seems so far that his stayed in my body.
Seeing as my bowels seems to have ceased passing loose and unformed movements we decided to go see a movie.

The Producers.

I quite enjoyed this film, that enjoyment was probably partly due to the fact that i was out of the house and that my bowel wasnt moving. But aslo due to the fact it was a fun film in parts. Not the whole way through but in parts. I like a film taht has a bit of song and dance, just some of the songs went on a bit long and some of the scenes and conversations carried on way past their entertainment point.
It made me laugh, it made me bored.

I give it 4.5 / 7

and ooops we seemed to forget that we had allocated seating.

now i am at home eating some plain rice and sipping water, there is a bit of a pain in my bowel region but hopefuly its just hungry or someting.

funny in parts, damn boring in parts sol i’ll give it 3 / 7

wait til it comes out on dvd i reckon

click here to view the greater union response to my letter regarding allocated seating

Here is a list of the films i saw this year in chronological order.
half of my goal.

1. Meet the Fockers
2. The Aviator
3. Hotel Rwanda
4. Ray
5. Miss congenialty 2
6. The Interpreter
7. The Extra
8. The Hitchikers guide to the Galaxy
9. Star Wars episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith
10. The Longest Yard
11. Coach Carter
12. Madagascar
13. The Oyster Farmer
14. The Yes Men
15. Mr & Mrs Smith
16. The Island
17. Wedding Crashers
18. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
19. Wallace and Gromit
20. Little Fish
21. Flightplan
22. Four Brothers
23. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
24. The Constant Gardener
25. Domino
26. Fun with dick and Jane

My top three out of the above list would be.
3. Wallace and Gromit
2. Hotel Rwanda
1. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Bottom three.
3. Meeth the Fockers
2. four Brothers
1. Miss Congeniality 2

today after a long day of flying, shopping eating and sitting jenny and i went to see a move at Rhodes Shopping Centre.

I have to say that the Reading cinema complex at rhodes is the absolute bomb. the cinema was comfy and massive and the screen was huge.
And best of all i could sit where ever i damn well wanted.

we saw ‘fun with dick and Jane’

as the title suggests it was fun, and it ws with dick and jane now that i think of it, so this film really lived up to its name.
THe story was a bit weak and as usual jim carey overacted to the point that made me cringe. but on the flip side he was funny in parts and it all ended happily. a good film to escape the heat from and spend an hour or so relaxing.

I just had a comment left on my blog from an employee of Greater Union and here is what they had to say aboout allocated seating. ( i am yet to recieve an official response to my letter to Greater Union)

man, you ignorant people really tick me off.. i work at GU Hornsby and allocated seating, although kinda gay at first, is the best thing ever.. there’s no more waiting 4 hours in a queue for a blockbuster film, we can fill a cinema to nearly 100% capacity as opposed to the previous 75% and you can pick your own damn seat if you can be bothered to take a minute out of your internet-centred “life” for like a dollar extra and you can skip the queue when you pick up your tickets..

next time you go, go with an open mind, pretend you dont know any other way, pick your own seat and have a good time - its here to stay to please get used to it

This year has been an embarissing attempt at seeing 52 films in a year.
As of today I am at 25. less than half of the goal.

and in the last 2 weeks i have seen quite a few movies.
Its sad and i expect you will ve utterly dissapointed in me and you will never talk to me again. But to you i say there is still a few weeks left of this year and then i get to start again next year.

Tonight Jenny and i saw ‘domino’

Af film about a girl who is the daughter of a famous actor and she is fed up with her upper class beverly hills lifestyle so she becomes a bounty hunter.
There is lots of violence, swearing and action.
The whole film is in strange colours and arty camera work. A bit over the top for my liking. THe story was ok but a few parts that made no sense and some charactors that just appeared then dissapeared before you could work out who the hell they were.
I give it 4 / 7

and no we did not sit in our allocated seats.

What a beautiful night to watch a film.

So jenny and I headed off to greater Union after work to see the ‘Constant Gardener’

It was quite a good film, it was emotional and I left the cinema with some hatred towards large corporations who exploit innocent humans in developing nations. And the people have no choice, they die because of corporate greed and corruption in political leadership.
I don’t know if it was based on a true story or not but it follows the death of a British diplomats wife. They are both in Kenya and the wife is delving into the corruption and greed of a large pharmaceutical company whilst the man is a diplomat and is working for the people who help the pharmaceutical company exploit the people of Kenya.
It was a compelling story and it really just highlighted how messed up our world can be and is.
Its sp good that non hollywood films are now being released that really tell it how it is.

I give this film 6/7

Well today the petition to Greater Union was printed off and i attached the comments that you people left.
I’m posting it tomorrow to Greater Union Hornsby and also the head office in the city.

Hopefuly they will take our comments seriously and they will look into the negative implications of allocatred seating.