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16th of January, 2009
04:04 am - Dear gods noooooooo!
I'd been hearing about a proposed "prequel" for Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I the current rumour is that the director, McG, wants Will Smith for the role of Nemo.
To me Smith was one of the reasons Wild Wild West sucked so bad. He had to jiggy up the West. That and the complete lack of chemistry between him and Kline.
The man CAN act - Enemy of the State I think is one of his best films. But his Fresh Prince thing just annoys the crap out of me.
I can see the rapping mermaids for the music video already. Probably played by the Pussycat Dolls.
*cries*
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/sob.gif) crushed
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17th of December, 2008
01:49 am - Microwave Christmas
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/amused.gif) amused
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12th of November, 2008
11:55 am - Deryni movie in the works
The Hollywood Reporter has news that Katherine Kurtz's novel Deryni Rising may soon be turned into a film.
The deryni novels have been going since the 70s and are close to 20 books. The Deryni are a psionic or "operant" people who are able to perform things like telepathy, truth reading, healing, and other feats that, in a pseudo 12th century British Isles are pretty much "magic". The Church in the series is based on the historical one, though without the Pope. The Church has decreed that Magic is evil and therefore the Deryni are the Spawn of Satan (or pretty close to it). The first novel follows the story of young Prince Kelson who has just come of age (14) and is now King of Gwynedd. Duke Alaric, his father's loyal advisor, is half Deryni, and Kelson begins to suspect there may be something fishy about his own heritage.
I'd hardly call these books well known, so they're certainly not going to be getting a budget within sniffing distance of The Lord of the Rings. I suppose the only hope is that it isn't given the butchering given to Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising, recently released as The Seeker.
If done right, they would certainly be a franchise. You've got handsome knights, political intrigue, magic, romance and your actors don't have to sit through 4 hours of make-up to look like dwarves or elves. I've been reading the series since I discovered them in High School. Though I admit I haven't read the two recent "Childe Morgan" stories yet.
Fingers crossed they don't botch it.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/blank.gif) apathetic
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23rd of October, 2008
08:26 pm - What does it say about Australians?
I was listening to some discussion on the radio this afternoon about the fact that since his death in 1967 there have only been two biographies about Harold Holt, neither of which have been regarded as particularly reliable.
However while discussing the upcoming Cinema Studies essay with one of my classmates today, she mentioned she had a reference for her Australian Cinema top a book called Sheep and the Australian Cinema.
Not sure what this says about Australians but it's interesting none the less.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/sweat.gif) busy
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28th of September, 2008
08:37 pm - Valé Paul Newman
Maker of great movies and great pasta sauces has lost his battle with cancer. Road to Perdition was the last movie of his that I saw (I still haven't seen Cars). He seemed like a great bloke and not some "celebrity" that many Hollywood actors turn into.
An outstanding career.
*tips hat*
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/sad.gif) sad
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17th of August, 2008
12:08 am - Remake rant continues
Continuing from the remake rant from a couple of weeks ago this little news item came out this week:
Rocky Horror to be Remade.
Yes boys and girls, the only movie to still be showing in cinemas some 30 years after it was made is getting the remake treatment. No, Richard O'Brien is not involved in it.
"Our hope has always been that each new endeavour and rebirth will expose the Rocky Horror experience to new audiences and expand the fan base."
Yeah right.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/annoyed.gif) annoyed
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4th of August, 2008
10:40 pm - Remake au go go
While checking for some stuff for a "Clanks and Constructs" themed music broadcast I'll be doing later this month I discovered the rather disturbing news of yet another remake in the works.
Michael Crichton's seminal movie Westworld, that turned Yul Brinner into the icon of relentless destruction, may be filled with flares and big facial hair but it still stands as a great movie in its own right.
Why the hell did this need remaking?
Slated for release next year.
At least Tarantino has had the good sense to decline directing.
Current Mood: annoyed
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27th of July, 2008
01:04 am - New footage of Metropolis
While browsing the net this evening I stumbled across an interesting little tid-bit of news.
It seems that a 16mm reduction negative of the original cut of Metropolis has been rediscovered in Argentina. This is not just a couple of extra scenes. The existing cut of Metropolis runs at 90 minutes. The 1990s restored version runs at 80.
This version runs at 210 minutes. That's 2 hours more footage than has previously been thought to exist.
It's apparently badly scratched and will take a huge amount of time and effort to restore it but I think it will be worth the effort. Even today Metropolis is visually stunning and voices a social commentary we still haven't resolved.
More information here
Current Mood: blah
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17th of June, 2008
10:03 pm - Valé Stan Winston
Stan Winston, the man who brought us the fantastic designs of the Alien Queen, Predators, Terminator, Jurassic Park and more recently Iron Man, has died in his home, aged 62.
Special effects have always been one of my first loves in movies: the ability to make pieces of plastic and wood come across as animate objects. While much of recent FX work is digital, Winston was always one for promoting using the right tool for the right job. Digital when it would work, prosthetic when it was needed.
The movie industry has lost a visionary and a brilliant talent.
He'll be sorely missed.
Current Mood: sad
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25th of April, 2008
03:37 pm - Fan Wikis
Wikipedia has been around for many years and the software it used has spawned many and varied encyclopaedic database offspring.
Just an example of some of the stuff out there:
Girl Genius Wiki - for all things relating to the Girl Genius webcomic.
Memory Alpha - for all cannon Star Trek material
Memory Beta - for Star Trek licenced spin off stuff like comics and novels.
Star Trek: Expanded - Star Trek fan projects
Futurepedia - The Back to the Future Wiki - Back to the Future Wiki
Wookieepedia - Possibly the best known Star Wars wiki
Star Wars Merchandise Wiki - A wiki for all the toys you used to have.
One Wiki to Rule Them All - Yep, a Lord of the Rings wiki.
Firefly and Serenity database - Joss Whedon's SF foray.
Buffyverse Wiki - Joss Whedon's more famous effort.
The Bionic Wiki - Watch as your wiki runs in slow motion (unless it's the movie with Sandra Bullock).
The Lyorn Records - Wiki for Steven Brust's Dragaera novels.
The Jaunting Pad - The Tomorrow People TV series.
Chronicles of Astinus - Dragonlance wiki (still small).
Uncyclopedia - Parody site ofr Wikipedia.
Indiana Jones wiki - All about Dr. Jones.
Muppet Wiki - Every Muppet you've ever heard of and then some.
Doctor Who Wiki - Who?.
Little House on the Prairie Wiki - I kid you not.
And this is not including things like Astronomy wikis, History wikis and all the stuff about factual information.
Boy there's some stuff out there.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/geeky.gif) geeky
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22nd of April, 2008
11:46 am - Pearls of the net
There's a lot of chaff on the net but occasionally someone points you at some of the pearls.
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) ceruleanst wrote a selection of pieces of William Shakespeare's screenplay for Pulp Fiction.
This got metaquoted and Boing boinged.
And as a result a Wiki has been set up for those who want to try and flesh out the rest of the screenplay at Pulb Bard.
A lovely start to the morning :-)
Current Mood: amused
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1st of April, 2008
10:32 pm - Lost Boys 2
How did I manage to miss this?
Lost Boys: The Tribe
For years there's been discussion about a sequel to The Lost Boys but it looks like they finally made it.
View the trailer here.
It could be up there with Terminator 2 as a sequel, or it could soon be sharing a shelf with Police Academy 7.
Only time will tell.
Current Mood: busy
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22nd of January, 2008
01:45 am - Movies for 2008
I've been pondering the upcoming cinematic offerings for this year. Some have me very interested, some I couldn't give a rats about and others just scare me.
( The Good, the Bad and the Remakes )
Current Mood: discontent
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2nd of February, 2007
11:22 pm - Eye candy for bar_bar_ella
While hunting for reference pics for some texturing tonight I stumbled across these:
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
I vaguely remember the book but I seem to have missed most of the prepublicity hype.
Could be an intereting film.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/confused.gif) Interested
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25th of January, 2007
05:20 pm - A new film to watch out for
A Gentleman's Duel hold the presence of excellent looking annimation but it's the annimation of giant steam powered robots!
(Oh and a cause worth fighting for. Watch the trailer you'll see what I mean).
Looks fanstatic.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/bouncy.gif) excited
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16th of January, 2007
03:53 pm - Diorama in lollies!
You've seen Star Wars done in Lego.
Now here's The Battle of Helm's Deep done in gummi bears!
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/happy.gif) impressed
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11th of January, 2007
23rd of November, 2006
01:23 pm - The Hobbit movie(s)
Peter Jackson recently announced that New Line have told him they would be looking for another director to take over the production of the Hobbit films. This of course has lead to some bizarre speculations, with Woody Allen via Dork Tower and Adam Sandler via Uncyclopedia being some of the funnier ones.
It also means I have now seen Lord of the Rings by George Lucas and I am so very afraid.
It could be the nightmare of the RankinBass version all over again.
Current Mood: cynical
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22nd of November, 2006
08:25 am - Valé Robert Altman
The man responsible for the original M*A*S*H* movie as well as Gosford Park and The Player has passed away.
Current Mood: sad
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14th of November, 2006
06:28 pm - "The Prestige" starts Thursday
Starting on Thursday is the new film with Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale and Scarlett Johansson called The Prestige.
It looks very interesting and from some of the reviews I've read the film itself is a little of the art of sleight-of-hand.
Any one interested in getting a group together to go and see it?
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11th of November, 2006
13th of October, 2006
02:00 pm - 300 Spartans
The trailer is up for 300, the movie based on Frank Miller's graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae.
Looks very impressive, even if we have to wait almost a year to see if it lives up to expectations.
Current Mood: twitchy
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20th of September, 2006
12:30 am - Clerks II review
Well tonight I finally got round to seeing Clerks II.
( So what did I think about it? )
I also noticed posters up for a Nightmare Before Christmas 3D re-release. Should be interesting.
Current Mood: impressed
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2nd of September, 2006
03:05 pm - British remake revenge
I was reading some of the comments on the IMDB boards over the remake of The Wicker Man. It would seem that in addition to major rewriting of the plot they've added in an anti-pagan feel to go with it (just what America needs).
Many of the other comments echoed my own thoughts about American remakes of British film and TV. One of the best suggested some British remakes of American classic as revenge. Some amusing results include:
The Godfather - starring Bernard Manning as Don Vito, Ross Kemp as Michael Corleone
Thelma and Louise - starring the Cheeky Girls
On the Waterfront - starring Vinnie Jones
The Blues Brothers with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders
Saturday Night Fever starring Terry Wogan
Fight Club - Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
Current Mood: amused
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13th of August, 2006
11:19 pm - Australian Movie Meme
Ripped off Inspired by binka_boo's Australian movie meme but with more movies this time round. The list was ripped from the Murdoch University's Australian Cinema database but the "Australianess" of some of these films is rather dubious (just because the director of The Rocky Horror Picture Show was Australian doesn't mean it's an Australian movie!) so I've trimmed a few. I've also added a few notables and infamous ones that came to mind.
Bold if you've seen, Italacise if you own. Add as many as you can think of (with some details)
(New Zealand films count if they've been 'adopted', but mark them NZ)
( Bonza Mate! )
Current Mood: geeky
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26th of July, 2006
12:14 am - The Call of Cthulhu
Just finished watching The Call of Cthulhu.
Some of the production values are a little cheesy but 1) it's a no-budget movie and 2) they were trying to make it in the style of the 1920's films. So a stop motion Cthulhu would probably have been on the cards.
It works very well. Most adaptations of any of Lovecraft's stories are either crap, stupid or both (see Re-Animator for one that is both).
But then some twonks with a big(ger) budget come along and try to make a Lovecraft story and, if the trailer is anything to go by, manage to fuck it up again.
Cthulhu
It's based on Shadow over Innsmouth which doesn't actually feature Cthulhu.
Obviously making the central character gay was an essential plot development.
Tori Spelling is in it FFS!
*shakes head*
Current Mood: annoyed
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18th of July, 2006
06:23 pm - Movie recommendations
While pondering some movies I'd like to see and thinking about some whether I'll even bother once they're on DVD I'd like to ask for some movie recommendations.
I'm not after you favourite movie ever but something you've seen in the last 12 months or so (either at the cinema or on DVD/VHS) that you though was good.
As I say it doesn't have to be a recent movie, just something you yourself have seen recently. Knowing some-one who only saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show for the first time this month that would be the sort of thing to include.
So tell me: what have you seen recently that you think I should watch?
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/cool.gif) relaxed
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11th of July, 2006
01:07 am - Pirates
Mainly for pixie_pan
From the Pirates of the Caribbean night.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/yawn.gif) sleepy
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10th of July, 2006
03:54 pm - Aaarrggh!
Also saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest last night and attended, along with some others, in full piratical attire. I've learned that you can sit comfortably with your pistol in your belt in a cinema seat ;-)
Enjoyed the movie itself. While my inner pedant kicked in with the naming of the Captain of the Flying Dutchman as Davey Jones (WTF?), and having the British Infantry working for the East India Trading Company (WTF?2) it was still a lot of fun. I liked the allusion that as the Dutchman spends a lot of time under water it has slowly become encrusted with sea life and so have her crew.
The original cast are back and seem to be having a great time of it. It was nice to see Jack Davenport in a rather grubbier role than he's used to. And scarily Kiera Knightly looks better in men's clothing than she does in the women's, though it's quite possibly an admission that I should seek professional help.
The digital effects were very impressive for the most part (though some of the Dutchman's crew didn't quite work all the time) and the costuming was great. I think the best stuff was the feeling of not taking itself seriously in spite of the rather dark tone it had - if Pintel and Ragetti can sit in a long-boat discussing the etymology of "kraken" and its correct pronunciation, then you know there a lot of tongue being planted in a similar amount of cheek.
It's a popcorn movie but one of the better ones.
Current Mood: geeky
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6th of July, 2006
04:29 pm - Costume squee!
And while I think of it, I started watching The Duellists last night.
I'm only about half an hour into it but OMG the costumes!!!
I think I need a plastic cover on the couch when I watch the rest - or at least a bib :-)
Current Mood: impressed
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5th of July, 2006
03:10 pm - Movie quiz
I must be out of touch. Alternatively I've never bothered to look at the back of magazines much. However the picture on the back of my issue of Empire magazine caught my eye.
Probably inspired by the Virgin Music - Exercise Your Music Muscle, the mag had a picture populated with various references to famous movies. The three minis along the back street are obviously from The Italian Job and guy in the phone-booth is obviously Superman.
While hunting the net for a picture to share with you I discovered that not only are there THREE pictures, but that it's been out for a year!
So with that in mind (and without resorting to Google) see what you can get from these:
(WARNING: Not for those on dial-up)
The Town, The Park and The Beach.
Obviously there are/will be arguments over whether a crawling severed hand (for example) refers to The Addams Family, The Mummy's Hand or Evil Dead.
Current Mood: geeky
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22nd of June, 2006
11:08 pm - Casanova
Treated myself to a DVD this evening and got out Casanova.
While drooling over the costumes I quite enjoyed it. It's very light-hearted and a little camp without being too over the top. Even Jeremy Irons' 'villainous' inquisitor didn't get into the ridiculous stage.
And how gorgeous is Natalie Dormer!?! *sigh*
Heath Ledger seemed to be playing Heath Ledger in a costume, though I did love Omid Djalili turn as Casanova's manservant (and the constant use of "we" when talking to Casanova). Tim McInnerny's Doge seemed paper thin but I kept expecting Heath to turn round and say "Morning Darling". :-)
The scenery is breathtaking. It really makes me want to head over to Venice (in time for Carnivale would be great). I seems far more interesting then Rome.
Definitely a good film.
Current Mood: amused
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9th of June, 2006
08:20 pm - Steamboy
I missed Steamboy when it hit cinemas here last year and have been hearing some good things about it.
One of those things actually put me off though. Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira never really appealed to me. Yes there was some interesting visuals but it never grabbed me. So part of me was expecting something similar with Steamboy.
Oh boy was I happily disappointed!
13 year old James Ray Steam (called Ray by everyone) is third generation of scientific family. His father and grandfather have both been working on improving the capabilities of steam power with Ray's father believed to have been killed in a experiment several years ago. What they developed was the "Steam Ball" but the ethics of science have now divided this family.
The film has some obvious intentional anachronisms (it IS steampunk after all) but some of the more unintentional ones were a little glaring: such as the Great Exhibition being dated at 1866 rather than its actual 1851 or the inclusion of the modern Canadian flag.
Still, when Ray and Scarlett sneak inside Crystal Palace my first thought was "what I wouldn't give to be able to do that".
At just over 2 hours it's long by animation standards but the story holds all the way through. There's some great anachrotech ideas and some really strong characters.
I think this will be well worth watching again.
Current Mood: impressed
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5th of June, 2006
08:28 pm - Movie help
I'm hunting for some movies set during the Victorian era that aren't rehashes of a Sherlock Holmes story (although I thought Without a Clue was very funny) or something similar.
I know there are two recent remakes of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (neither of which I've seen yet) and an IMDB search shows me four versions of The Four Feathers since the advent of talkies.
I've tracked down a copy of the David Nivin Around the World in 80 Days as well as the Pierce Brosnan version (the recent Jacki Chan on I'm not touching).
Also found a copy of Island at the top of the World and Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
I haven't had a chance to watch Steamboy but it's on my to-do list.
Can anyone recommend other movies of a similar nature that are worth watching? Even if you think it's obvious that I'd have seen it tell me anyway. It may just jog a memory.
Current Mood: busy
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31st of May, 2006
11:50 am - X-Men 3
**Spoiler free**
Went and saw X-Men: The Last Stand last night with some friends. I really enjoyed the first two but I have to say I wasn't nearly as impressed with the 3rd installment.
I'll start by saying I used to read the X-Men regularly during the late 80s and early 90s. I stopped when Marvel was getting ridiculous with it's cross-overs and multiple title comics. The stories from the first two films, while being generally original, have stayed pretty close to the characters.
The newest movie starts out well but most of the characters seem to forget motivations and personalities in the second half of the movie. And without discussing plotlines the resolution that some characters end up with is most unsatisfying.
Visually the film was great (although I was sitting far to close to the screen for my own preference) and the flashback of 20 years to a younger Magneto and Xavier looked very good. Plenty of explosions and a ramping up of the violence factor made it pretty in-your-face.
I was disappointed with the lack of screen time some of the characters had. A couple were so superfluous as to have me wondering as to why they bothered in the first place. Cameos are always nice (and Olivia Williams as Dr. Moira MacTaggart would be welcome any time) but some of the "minor guest" characters just get in the way.
If you do go and see it make sure you sit through the credits.
Off to a preview screening of Poseidon tonight.
Current Mood: procrastinating
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27th of May, 2006
12:25 am - X-Men 3
Who's interested in seeing the finalé of the X-Men on Tuesday?
Hoyts Melbourne Central.
7.10pm
It is on half an hour either side of that so if people can't make the 7 but still want to go we could do 7:30 or something.
Anyway let me know if you're interested. Also if people want to catch up for food beforehand.
Right.
Bed for me now I think.
Current Mood: sleepy
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4th of May, 2006
08:43 pm - Lucasfilm finally caves!
This September: Original Unaltered Trilogy on DVD.
All I can say is about friggin' time!
After 3 versions of the original trilogy that Lucas just couldn't seem to leave be, Lucasfilm have finally bowed to the inevitable and will be releasing the originals on DVD.
Though the more cynical might suggest that Lucasfilm had always intended to release the original versions but wanted to milk fans of their money for the "Special Edition" DVDs first.
Not that Lucasfilm would ever do anything like that...
Current Mood: sleepy
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3rd of May, 2006
07:00 pm - More movie remakes
The Remake Era hits a new low!
Let's see, we've had The Pink Panther, Dawn of the Dead, The Stepford Wives, King Kong, Herbie, Ocean's 11, The Producers, The Time Machine and Psycho.
Still to come are The Omen, The Wicker Man, Logan's Run, Poseidon, Casino Royale, The Dirty Dozen and Porky's.
And the latest movie to be added to the list of "Why the fuck are they remaking this?" is:
*drumroll*
Revenge of the Nerds.
I shit you not.
EDIT: I've just been informed there's a remake of Clash of the Titans underway as well.
MAKE IT STOP!!!!!!!
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/livid.gif) Leave them the fuck alone!
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1st of May, 2006
05:55 pm - Return of the VHS tape sale
Last year I offloaded my crap passed on my old videos to those of similar tastes and now I'm doing it again.
$2 per tape plus postage. Though if it's anwyn18 she keeps paying until she works out where she lives this time. :-P
Tombstone
Dogma (which pink_kan asked about but never did anything about getting).
Die Hard 2
The Hunt for Red October (ex-rental copy)
The Great Race (NTSC format)
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (ex-rental copy)
The Dark Crystal
Titanic
Shakespeare in Love
Young Sherlock Holmes and the Pyramid of Fear (ex-rental)
Star Wars original trilogy boxed-set (widescreen)
Any questions let me know and I'll do my best to answer them.
Current Mood: blah
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24th of April, 2006
10:55 am - Movie watching
Got some movie watching in over the weekend.
( Thoughts on Jackson's King Kong and Napoleon Dynamite )
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/thoughtful.gif) contemplative
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