November 2011: Open/Close

Open. The weather is hard to judge outside. Grey clouds and strong winds, but a heat which has you reaching to unzip. Then you stand in the cold with your flies down.

A bench awaits on one side of the street and sitting down a comfortable temperature settles down. Someone joins you on the bench, an old friend. The conversation is silent, but it doesn’t matter. Words aren’t needed.

It isn’t long though before another person sits down, and this person is not quite as nice. Conversation beings, desperate conversation. This person then sits further away. Move up. They stand and leave. It’s cold again. Too cold. Took stock one the wrong side. Time to leave.

Close.

Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry Collection

After being blown away by the one liner, magnum toting Dirty Harry, I just had to grab the box set with all the films. How could you leave Harry when you know there are another five adventures to see? Jumping in on a series which had constantly switching directors and increasingly large time gaps between releases, there is that concern over quality. Were the sequels just for milking, or do they provide some integrity to the classic original?

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong
 Format: Nintendo 3DS eShop Virtual Console / Game Boy
Price: £3.60
Players: 1
Genre: Platform/Puzzle
Release Date: 24th September 1994 / 16th June 2011 (vc)
Nintendo

The Donkey Kong on the Game Boy. Starting off as a remake of the original DK, we see Mario marching up those old levels to save his girlfriend Pauline from the giant ape. Four stages of climbing, barrel hopping and skirt chasing. Once the original game comes to a close, a huge array of levels open and a great adventure involving keys and doors begins. Opening each door becomes the aim of the game in hopes of getting closer to Pauline. Whatever happened to her anyway? Did Mario ditch her once royalty came into play?

No Country For Old Men

No Country For Old Men 
Release Date: 9th November 2007
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen 
Rating: 15
Miramax Films, Paramount Vantage 

Two million dollars. You find that lying around and you’re going to want to keep it. But with bad guys on the hunt, how far would you go to keep hold of it? No Country For Old Men asks this question, and the end result may not be quite what you’d expect.

One Piece Volume 54: Unstoppable

One Piece Volume 54: Unstoppable 
Story and Art: Eiichiro Oda
Release Date: 4th June 2009
Covers Chapters 523-532
Shonen Jump/Viz Media

Impel Down, the toughest prison in the world of One Piece, with level upon level of terrifying torture and tight security. With the sound of screams and the sight of blood being the norm, Luffy has his work cut out when he breaks into the place to save his brother, Ace. Can he avoid being locked up with all the other pirates, or will he manage to make this a successful jail break? Thankfully he has a few ‘friends’ to help him.

Entrails

The entrails hanging from your stomach suggest one thing. Today was not your lucky day.

Poem 72: Obey

Listen well.

Read me.

Buy this.

Watch that.

Play it.

Own one.

Join the club.

Consume.

Get married

Reproduce.

Make money.

Pray to your God, the pound coin sign.

Be just like everyone else.

This is living.

The Ides Of March

The Ides Of March
Release Date: 7th October 2011
Director: George Clooney
Rating: 15
Exclusive Media Group, Smoke House Pictures, Cross Creek Pictures, Appian Way Productions, Columbia Pictures

American presidential elections, how much do I know about these things? Bare basics I’d say from television shows and the occasional news article I’ve seen. Jumping into a film about this topic may not be the  greatest idea for those unaware, but The Ides Of March has George Clooney and Ryan Gosling in it. Together they can pull off any topic and bring some fun, political style.

Eat Shit

and cry.

Very mature and thought-provoking this week. Sometimes you just need to tell someone they must eat their own waste to feel good about life. I wouldn’t like to see a person do this though, that would be gross. Keep it to yourself!

Psychoanalysis

Irrational