Paul Alexander Mudie

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:43:38 GMT

From me, El and the Black Bunny, everyone have a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! :)

No Christmas with Shatner?

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:36:30 GMT

Yes, Yuletide is almost upon us, so it's time for me to seek out absurd Christmas albums to add to my small but powerful collection.

It occurred to me that there really should be a William Shatner Christmas Album! Alas, I must be in the minority, because no such album exists. Poo! I'd dearly love to hear The Shat's "interpretation" of those beloved Crimbo hits. :(

Ah well, I'll just have to go for Wurlitzer Christmas instead. :)

The UK is now vulnerable to alien attack!

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:06:07 GMT

It seems that the Ministry of Defence have decided to close their UFO unit.

They've decided after 50 years of reported sightings that UFOs pose no threat to Great Britain. Seems fair enough really. Apart from the occasional crop circle or anal probe, it's hard to see what threat the alien visitors pose to our national well-being.

Unless this is exactly what the aliens have been waiting for! Maybe they've just been mucking about with harmless lights in the sky to lull us into a false sense of security! Even now, they might be massing for a full-scale invasion! Watch the skies, and cover your anus!

Royal BS

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:49:36 GMT

Royal Bank of Scotland directors have threatened to resign if their bonuses are blocked.

As an account holder with the Royal Bank of Scotland, I say - let them resign! What the hell is the point in having my bank largely owned by the Government, if the Government can't or won't exercise some control over their elitist practices?

I think a message has to be sent here. Bankers need to learn that their pay and bonuses must be directly linked to the economy they helped to create. At the moment, they seem to feel that they exist on some elevated plane of existence, and the unfortunate conditions that exist for us poor pathetic mortals shouldn't affect them.

But no. They need to come down here and join us in the mess they've created. If by their unethical, negligent and foolhardy practices they have driven us into recession, then they should join us in bearing the brunt. They certainly shouldn't be rewarded for it!

The argument is that RBS have to give massive bonuses in order to stay competitive, or the "talent" will defect to other banks. So far, talent seems to have been in short supply in the banking world. Maybe if the directors had less money to play with, they'd be less distracted, and would be more able to concentrate on doing their jobs properly.

The Silly Age of comics

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:28:54 GMT

In the West, comics have historically struggled to get themselves taken seriously as a legitimate art form. Many people still believe that they're just for kids, even after several critically acclaimed comics and graphic novels have suggested otherwise.

But I think there's a reason for that prejudice, and it is stuff like this!

It just goes to show how far comics have come since the 50s/60s, helped in no small part by the huge success of many recent comic-film adaptations. But maybe it'll take another generation or two for the memory of such juvenile cheese as Superman's Pal - Jimmy Olson to fade from the public consciousness.

Kick-Ass : non-super superhero film?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:56:07 GMT

This looks quite interesting.

Although from what we see in the teaser, the heroes actually seem to be pretty skillful as masked vigilantes, which seems to undermine the whole point of the film. Or am I missing something?

Anyway, it looks like it could be fun. :)

Coronation Street Doppelganger!

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:40:06 GMT

I don't watch the programme myself, but a friend has just brought this to my attention! That bloke in the suit looks a LOT like me!

He seems to have normal ears, unlike my weird bat-like flappy ones. But apart from that, we could be twins! Yikes! O_O

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:24:57 GMT

Happy Birthday ihavecake! :)

I hope you're having a fabulous time in smelly old London, and are swamped with magnificent prezzies!

Baby Jesus Anti-Fornication Thong????

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:51:17 GMT

This is helping to cheer me up a bit.

Here's a taste:

Baby Jesus Anti-Fornication Thong
This undergarment will remind anyone who is tempted to fornicate to not forsake the Baby Jesus... He is watching, always watching.

Prof. Giraffenstein's Shop Of Creation Science!
Professor Giraffenstein is a Creation Scientist. That means he studies the Works of God in order to teach us about His Glory. The professor's best buddy is a little moth named Pepper, who is always asking him Creation Science questions. Join Pepper in learning from the good professor why Creation Science is INCREDIBLE BUT TRUE!

Mr. Gruff Atheist Witnessing Gear
Mr. Gruff is a sad Atheist goat who only finds solace in coffee. He's become as bitter as his favorite drink. If only he knew Jesus!

Help the Mr. Gruff in your life -- whether a co-worker or that uncle no one wants to talk about -- know Jesus with Mr. Gruff Atheist Witnessing Gear from OBJECTIVE: Ministries. They'll see themselves in his crotchety ways and seek your help to change.

I think I'm Mr Gruff, except I drink decaf...

It must be a spoof, surely? Surely these people can't be serious. Can they? Serious or not, it's comedy genius.

David Tennant in Burke & Hare?

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:49:15 GMT

This seems to almost confirm rumours that DT will co-star with Simon Pegg in John Landis' upcoming film about Edinburgh's famous murdering duo.

ANAL ALERT - The article makes the common mistake of calling Burke & Hare grave-robbers. They never robbed a grave. They were too lazy! At that time in Edinburgh, there was an illegal trade going on in which "Resurrection Men" would rob graves to supply corpses for anatomical research. But Burke & Hare came up with a cunning way to cut out all that tedious digging. They simply murdered people, and sold their bodies instead!

Anyway, it should be an interesting film, and it would be nice to see John Landis back on form.

Light-coloured jackets - third time lucky?

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:11:34 GMT

I hit the high street shops yesterday, and got myself a new black coat for winter, a couple of shirts, and yet another light coloured jacket...

My track record with such jackets has not been good. The first was a white jacket (not unlike the one in my icon), which I thought was rather snazzy. It was destroyed a few years back when I fell in some mud on the way home from my work's Christmas dinner/booze-fest. Alas, despite many attempts with various stain-removing products, the grass and mud stains just wouldn't shift.

The next was a sort of cream coloured number, as featured in this photo. It died recently on the trip to America, when some mouthwash leaked on it in my luggage, resulting in a nasty blueish stain. Ironically, it was so hot in America that I never got a chance to wear the jacket! It died needlessly. I took it to a dry-cleaner's, but they were unable to completely remove the stain. :(

But I don't give up easily, so I've bought another one. It's another creamy one, with a sort of velvety texture. I'm going to wear it and keep an eye out for mud and mouthwash, but maybe the fates have decreed that I'm just not meant to wear such a jacket? Maybe this time a bird will crap all over me, or I'll lean against some wet paint?

Who on Blu! - The Complete Specials Box-set!

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:10:33 GMT

There's been no official announcement yet, as far as I'm aware, but I just stumbled upon this!

There seems to have been some uncertainty about whether all of the 2009 Specials would be collected into a box-set, and I'm glad to see that they will! :)

I wonder if The Next Doctor will be included. If so, there won't be much point in putting it on a Blu-ray, since it wasn't shot in HD. Still, I hope the BBC include it in the set, even if it's just a standard DVD.

Hopefully some details of the set will be revealed soon.

Vampires are for girls and zombies are for boys?

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:36:14 GMT

This article by Charlie Higson is interesting, but I can't help thinking that his ideas are a bit simplistic.

I was certainly fascinated by vampires at a young age, but that was before puberty arrived. In thinking about what attracted me to those stories, I think it was more about the gothic trappings - I loved all the castles, bats and misty graveyards. But maybe subconsciously, it was always about the sex?

And I've never been all that bothered about zombies. There are some excellent zombie films, but in general the zombie sub-genre seems to be about gore and that's never really grabbed me. After you've seen one eyeball skewered on a rusty nail, you've seen 'em all.

So if Higson is right, I have gay tastes in horror?

They say romance is dead.

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:39:30 GMT

But in Portobello, we've proved them wrong!

This happened just at the end of our street. Alas, we were in America at the time, so we missed all the fun. :(

Surprisingly, the people involved in this incident are not our insane neighbours. Thankfully, they conduct their foul mating rituals behind closed doors.

YOU are Jack the Ripper?

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:58:07 GMT

I'm something of a Ripperologist, having read quite a few books about the Whitechapel murders of 1888. I'm also something of a gamer, finding that a bit of virtual mayhem on my PS3 helps me to unwind after a hard week's toil.

So, the idea of a game based on the Jack the Ripper case should sound quite appealing to me. Except, this rumour suggests that the game in question might put players into the shoes of the serial killer himself!

Now, the idea of Jack the Ripper being a Van Helsing style character is not entirely new. That's similar to the premise behind Kim Newman's novel Anno Dracula, in which "Saucy Jack" was revealed to be Dracula's Doctor John Seward, who had gone insane and was stalking and killing vampire prostitutes.

However, the idea of putting gamers in control of a real-life figure who brutally murdered 5 women (or possibly more) seems inappropriate, to say the least. These women may have been killed over a century ago, but that doesn't make the crimes any less abhorrent. To make their deaths the subject of something as frivolous as a computer game is one thing, but to make their murderer the hero of the game, that just feels sick and wrong to me. What next, a game based on the exploits of Ted Bundy?

Let's hope the rumour has it wrong. If not, I suspect this game will cause a lot of controversy as it's development continues.

New Who Logo!

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:58:08 GMT

So, the Beeb have unveiled the new logo for the 2010 series. I quite like it, and the Tardis-shaped DW is fun.

I gather from the delicious siamesegoth2 that this and other changes are having their usual effect on fandom - namely, a massive avalanche of wank.

Doctor Who is a programme that has evolved continually over the 46 years since it first started broadcasting. You could almost say that the only consistent thing about the programme is that it keeps changing. So, it should come as no surprise to anyone that the new team want to update the look of things a bit. Why not? New Doctor, new companion, new production team, new logo, new theme tune. These things have all changed many times over the years, and the programme still trundled along.

Here's a nice video that might give some confused fans a bit of historical perspective. :)

ETA - And speaking of Who, old and new, my copy of the Dalek War box set arrived yesterday! A double dose of Pertwee, with Roger Delgado's Master, and the Daleks! Whogasm! :D

Arse!

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:58:02 GMT

I suddenly realised yesterday that I'd forgotten to pay last month's credit card bill! Must have been because September seemed to just zoom by. I hurriedly wrote a cheque and posted it first thing this morning, but they'll charge me on the next bill. Oh well, luckily it wasn't a very big one, so the interest won't come to much.

Yesterday afternoon we trooped along to the Vue and saw Pandorum. It's sort of like The Poseidon Adventure meets The Descent, in space! A relatively painless way to pass a couple of hours, but nothing that's going to stick in my memory for a long time.

Then, after dinner we watched JCVD on Blu-ray. An odd film, with Jean-Claude Van Damme playing himself, returning to Brussels and being caught up in a post office stick-up. An interesting little indy film, which was really very funny and moving. Jean-Claude can act!! Why weren't we told?

Roman Polanski Arrested

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:58:07 GMT

Roman Polanski has been arrested in Switzerland, after being on the run for 31 years.

This is a tough one for me, because I really admire the man's films. In fact, Dance of the Vampires, AKA The Fealess Vampire killers, is my favourite film of all time! I also enjoy Cul de Sac, Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby.

I agree that he should be punished for what he did. Regardless of the specifics of the assault on the girl, and whether she consented or not, the fact remains that he had sex with a minor. He made a guilty plea, then jumped bail and fled the States when it looked likely he would serve a jail sentence.

It would have been better if he'd served his time in 1977, but I don't think guilt should fade with time. Nor do I think a person should be absolved of guilt simply because they are rich, famous or talented.

Does my enjoyment of his work mean I condone his actions? I don't think so. Still, it's not pleasant to enjoy something that was created by a man whose actions are morally repugnant. I think Polanski should face the music and take whatever punishment is coming to him. We'll probably both sleep better.

First Shark Sanctuary!

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:31:16 GMT

Following on from the panda business, here is some good news for sharks! The Pacific republic of Palau has declared it's waters as the world's first shark sanctuary! :)

It's disgusting to me that these beautiful animals are threatened because of something as senseless and unnecessary as shark fin soup. But nevertheless, that's the main reason why several species have been hunted to the edge of extinction.

Now of course, this is only good news for 130 species of shark that frequent those particular waters, and even those will still be under threat when they stray out into the open ocean. But still, it's good news and a step in the right direction. Hopefully one day, all the oceans of the world will be shark sanctauries.

As the President of Palau so rightly says, "...the need to protect the sharks outweighs the need to enjoy a bowl of soup."

Are Pandas rubbish?

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:02:49 GMT

Zoologist and BBC wildlife expert Chris Packham has got himself into a bit of trouble for saying that Giant Pandas should be allowed to become extinct. His point is that the animal is a "weak" species that would die out if left to it's own devices, but that we preserve it because it's cute and cuddly.

Now, this raises an ethical question. If a species is unable to adapt to it's environment and support it's own existence, should we intervene and preserve it?

I'd say that if we've destroyed the animal's habitat or hunted it to the point of extinction, then we have a moral responsibility. But if the species is just an evolutionary dead-end, as the Giant Panda seems to be, then maybe we should let nature take it's course. Countless species have died out over the millions of years since life first evolved, without any interference from homo-sapiens.

So, are we now appointing ourselves the guardians of life on this planet? If so, then great! But can we save all the endangered species? Can we stop the natural processes that are continually shaping our planet, changing climates and habitats? If we do that, aren't we derailing the process of natural selection?

So, Star Trek 2 might actually be ABOUT something?

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:04:50 GMT

Obviously the main job of the first JJ Abrams Trek film was to establish the characters and the world, and be entertaining at the same time. It managed that, but it didn't really have time to tell a decent story too.

Sounds like Abrams and co-producer Orci want to change that in the next one, and inject a little political allegory! Good news, I say. The first film was great fun, but the focus was mainly on action. It'll be nice if the next one relaxes and captures a bit more of that old 60s Trek feel. :)

Black Dynamite!

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:04:26 GMT

Although they were really just a cynical attempt by Hollywood to make some bread from African American audiences, I do love those early 70s "blaxploitation" films. Shaft, Foxy Brown, Blacula, Coffy, Black Belt Jones, Truck Turner. Oh yes.

And this looks like a fabulously funny homage, in the Grindhouse mode. :D

The Devil's Music gets a DVD release - finally!

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:46:58 GMT

I got an email from Pat Higgins, writer, producer and director of The Devil's Music, that film that was made aaaaages ago and briefly features my illustration, Ripper's End. It's finally been picked up for distribution on DVD in the States, and will be available to watch online over here in the UK.

From Pat's email:

Both releases are very different, and very exciting!

The US release is special edition DVD via Lono Entertainment (http://lonoentertainment.com/). Extras include Lost Tales of Erika Spawn Parts 1-4 (little video documentaries, 1-3 of which can be seen on YouTube already but we're holding back the last one), The Final Tour (20 minutes of deleted scenes), a director's commentary (which treats the entire documentary as real) and (hopefully) two particularly cool hidden Easter Eggs. This should be available to pre-order from Amazon very soon.

The UK release is.. (drumroll) via IndieMoviesOnline. This is an incredibly exciting step for both Jinx Media and IMO, It's the first time that IMO has launched a new movie direct (the rest of their fantastic catalogue have usually been seen at the cinema or on DVD already)

The movie will be able to be seen.. WITHOUT INTERRUPTIONS!! UNCUT!! FOR FREE!!.. across the UK by visitors to http://www.indiemoviesonline.com who are supporting the release with a big advertising push.

How big? Well, the movie's got a full-page ad on the inside back cover of the issue of Total Film that hits the streets on 22nd October for starters!!

I'm pleased that people will finally get a chance to see this, because it's really rather good. And also, I might get a bit of exposure from it, since my name features quite prominently in the end credits! :)

Giant Rat Found in "Lost Volcano!"

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:34:25 GMT

Look at the cute fuzzy beastie!

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 09:29:29 GMT

Happy Belated Birthday, matgb!

One of these days I'll wish someone a happy birthday on the actual day of their birthday! Until then, I hope retroactive wishes will suffice! :)