Life

As some of you may or may not know, me and Sarah have been trying to buy a house since I was lucky enough to get my job this summer. Without going into too much detail we’re now onto our second property (first one fell through) and now we’ve had a hiccup on that The process is very very slow, but we’ll get there. We’re both just so excited to finally be getting to move in with each other after being together for so long. So I ask everyone to keep their fingers crossed for us and hopefully we’ll get there soon!

My job is going very well, a lot of interesting projects to keep me busy so I can’t complain. If you follow me on twitter, I sometimes put random photos up, the last one being a view of the impressive scaffolding that has been erected up and over one of my current jobs.

Music

When I was at Sheffield Uni, in my final year I joined the student radio station, Forge Radio where I met our then current station manager Ross Haymes. This guy then lead me to Likes Lions, a band he drums in with his mates and they have just released their EP – Future Colour. I was lucky enough to get a copy via their twitter account @likeslions and I must admit I loved it. I had heard some of their stuff before, via their site etc… and I’m just impressed with them recorded as I was with their live stuff. Able to get their energy and enthusiasm over in their music, they have produced a brilliant EP which you can get hold of for whatever price you want!

I highly recommend you head over to their website now and see about getting a copy of Future Colour NOW!

And as always, some movie bits

Website To Check Out: The ‘Where Was It Filmed Database’

A new website has popped online with a useful, but lofty, goal: catalog as many filming locations for as many movies as possible so fans have the information at their fingertips. It sounds impossible, and most likely is, but the Where Was It Filmed Database is making a run at it anyway.

It’s a user generated site, such as the IMDB or Wikipedia, so in addition to just browsing around, users can head over to www.wwifdb.com and add in filming locations either from their favorite movies, movies shot near your hometown or whatever you can contribute. That info then gets put in the general database and hopefully, over time, most of the movies people might search will have a helpful map of filming locations.

Watch a New Halloween Short From ‘Trick ‘r Treat’ Director Mike Dougherty

I'm gonna get one of these for my dog... (When I get one!)

‘Super 8′ Easter Eggs

Super 8 is an amazing film and if you haven’t seen it yet, I stress you must! Click the picture below to see a list of easter eggs from the film compiled by /Film (Basically the place where I get all my movie info and tit bits for this site.) I picked up on a couple while watching the film (like the name of the fictitious chemical company in the kids film) did you spot any?

The 100 Greatest Movie Threats of All Time

Superman ‘Man of Steel’ Official Plot Synopsis Revealed

“In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time. Clark Kent/Kal-El (Cavill) is a young twentysomething journalist who feels alienated by powers beyond anyone’s imagination. Transported to Earth years ago from Krypton, an advanced alien planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question – Why am I here? Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha (Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Costner), Clark soon discovers that having super abilities means making very difficult decisions. But when the world needs stability the most, it comes under attack. Will his abilities be used to maintain peace or ultimately used to divide and conquer? Clark must become the hero known as “Superman,” not only to shine as the world’s last beacon of hope but to protect the ones he loves.”

Disney Exec Says Tentpole Movies are About Spectacle, Not Story. Is He Right?

In one word – YES! Whether it’s unfortuant or not, I think the guy has a point. Click the title above to see the full story, excerpts below;

During a talk at the Siggraph conference this weekend, Hendrickson talked up the benefits for studios of focusing on event movies that draw in larger-than-average audiences, and explained what makes a good tentpole. Referencing a chart of the top 12 domestic grossing films of all time, he pointed out that each one was a “spectacle film.” He used his own studio’s Alice in Wonderland ($334,191,110 lifetime domestic gross) as an example of how his theory plays out: “The story isn’t very good, but visual spectacle brought people in droves. And Johnny Depp didn’t hurt.”

(This seems to be a different list from the one Hendrickson is said to have shown during his presentation, since according to Variety, Hendrickson’s chart included Alice in Wonderland in the top 12; here, it ranks at #22. Nevertheless, it’s probably safe to assume there was a hefty amount of overlap between the two.)

Going off of this chart, it looks like Hendrickson is right to place a high importance on visuals, at least from a financial standpoint. Avatar, Titanic, the Lord of the Rings series, the Spider-Man franchise, etc. — almost all the top films prominently feature spectacular visual effects. It’s easy to guess why. Given the choice between paying to watch a big, flashy feast for the eyes that all your friends are talking about and paying an equal amount to see a small, obscure indie drama that’ll probably look almost as good on your TV at home, most filmgoers (myself included) would probably opt for the former.

100 Most Awesome Punches in Films

25 Actors Before They Were Famous, in 3 Minutes

Questions men dare not ask a doctor

Figures suggest women are much more likely than men to visit a doctor. Even when they do, men can find it hard to talk about what’s really ailing them. So what strange worries are on their mind?

Click here to find out more…My fav; Would circumcising my son reduce the overall length of this penis?

The 25 Greatest Unscripted Scenes In Films

There’s a lot of lore and misunderstanding with respect to what ‘improvising’ means with respect to filmmaking. I think there are some who take ‘improvised’ to mean that there is no script, or that actors go completely off-book when shooting a scene. And while there are a few directors who do shoot films like that — very few — most of the time improvisation on film means that an actor comes up with a new line or action in the context of a scripted scene.

Here’s a video that compiles twenty-five of the most influential unscripted moments in film. Some of these are things that weren’t in the script, but created on set between takes (supposedly Bogie’s “here’s looking at you, kid” line from Casablanca is one of those) and some are genuine spur of the moment creations.

Claudio loves Hero and Hero Claudio and nothing seems capable of tearing them apart. Claudio’s friend Benedick loves Beatrice and Beatrice Benedick, but (because neither will admit it) nothing seems capable of bringing them together. Only the intrigues of a resentful prince force Benedick to prove his love for Beatrice – by killing his best friend.

Driven along by a romance all the more charming for being unacknowledged, Much Ado About Nothing is a miracle of comic and dramatic suspense and gives us, in the bantering Beatrice and Benedick, two of Shakespeare’s wittiest, most lovable pair of lovers.

On Wednesday 17th August, me and Sarah were lucky enough to see Much Ado About Nothing at the Globe Theatre in London. For only a fiver you can see the play from the yard, the standing section in front of the stage and just like the old days, they’ve kept this section cheap, brilliant for a good evening out! We were very very lucky with the weather, with the rain stopping just before the play started, I should imagine it can be quite a downer if the rain had persisted.

So to the play itself, Much Ado About Nothing is a wonderful comedy about two pairs of lovers. A pair who do not know it yet and a pair who are so in love, their feelings for each other nearly destroy them. A brilliant tale, acted out by an amazing cast, made for an evening to remember. Me and Sarah can’t wait to go back and see another play at the Globe.

I can’t recommend enough that everyone should try to attend the globe at some point to see one of Shakespeare’s many plays, and at only a fiver you can’t really complain!

I would rip off someone’s jaw to see Juan of the Dead right now. That’s how cool this first trailer is for what Latino Review calls “Cuba’s 1st Horror Film” is. Written and directed by Alejandro Bruges, Juan of the Dead takes place 50 years after the Cuban Revolution, where the island is overrun by zombies the government swears were sent by the United States. Social commentary aside, it’s then up to one man to attempt to solve the problem. Part Shaun of the Dead (obviously) but with a grittier look more akin to something culty and cool like Six-String Samurai, you’ve gotta see this bad-ass trailer for Juan of the Dead.

The DeLorean, the Batmobile, and 5 Other Famous Movie Vehicles as Pixar Characters

Click the pic to see more!

‘Robots of Brixton’

Much has been made of the upcoming robot revolution — in which the machines will take over and humans will be forced to serve as slaves or worse for our robot overlords, naturally — but filmmaker Kibwe Tavares imagines quite a different future for the machines in “Robots of Brixton.” In his short, robots have become second-class citizens, performing the menial labor that humans disdain and residing in a nasty, run-down part of London. When the police come knocking, tensions between the robots and the authorities come to an explosive climax.

Click the title to see the film.

‘Transformers 3′ Action Sequence Recycled From ‘The Island’

Filmmakers often use stock footage to save money from traveling to capture an exterior of a city, house or location. Its a very common occurance which you likely never notice. Bay has used stock footage in most of films, sometimes borrowing shots from his earlier movies (here is an example from Transformers, a shot of an aircraft carrier that was borrowed from Pearl Harbor). My friend Alex from FirstShowing just pointed me to a clip on YouTube which shows that Bay recycled shots from an action sequence from The Island in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. I’m not sure how often this kind of thing happens, but my guess is that it happens probably more than you would think.

Lord of the Rings’ Middle Earth Recreated in LEGO

Click the pic to see more

A Short History Of CG Characters In Movies

Class is in session. Put away your cell phones, sit up straight, and watch this video that’ll teach you the history of computer generated characters in movies. Beginning with the stop motion animation in the original King Kong and the films of Ray Harryhausen, to how those films influenced massive jumps like Young Sherlock Holmes, The Abyss, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, let Professor Inrdshelby (a Vimeo username) take you on a tour. Check out the video after the jump.

Click the picture to see the film

Infographic: Jason Voorhees’ Body Count In All The ‘Friday the 13th’ Movies

Watch Every Death From the First Four ‘Final Destination’ Films

Final Destination 5 opens this week, and you really don’t want to go into this latest sequel in which death is not the end without knowing your Final Destination death history. So here, for the purposes of research only, is a supercut of every death in the franchise. And because character and story are hardly the point when it comes to these films, this is really the best way to catch up.

Go HERE to see the video.

University

First of all, I’m finished! Second of all I finished rather well! A couple of weeks I graduated with a MEng 2:1 (Hons) in Structural Engineering with Architectural Studies And I must admit, I’m rather very VERY pleased

Job

Well, as the regular readers will know, I was to start a teacher training course this september, but I am happy to say I have secured a job! You are now reading a post from a Graduate Engineer in the Building Consultancy department at Bidwells in Cambridge! The job enables me to do what I love, structural engineering; working on a range of jobs where I get both broad design and site experience I couldn’t have wished for anything better! With a proper pay packet and a business card with my name on it, I feel like a proper grown up now

So there you go, a busy few weeks which have really changed my life, literally! Also, at the moment, there is something big bubbling along, of which I may (hopefully) be able to tell you about soon!

I’ll try to update more often from now on, as well as blog a mix of movie news and random bits and pieces.

]]> http://harryburrows.wordpress.com/2011/07/31/hello-im-still-alive-what-have-i-been-up-to/feed/ 1 harryburrows 282175_10150280364408728_547103727_7450080_2173430_n http://harryburrows.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/random-stuff-while-i-count-down-my-days-of-uni/ http://harryburrows.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/random-stuff-while-i-count-down-my-days-of-uni/#comments Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:30:31 +0000 harryburrows http://harryburrows.wordpress.com/?p=658 ]]> Well here we are, just a few days until a 4 year adventure ends. This friday finally sees me finishing my degree I’m so excited, it’s been a fun, interesting, difficult and fulfilling four years, where I’ve met many good friends and have had some good times, but I can truly say I can’t wait to finish!

While I’m going to miss my friends, it’s finally time where me and my girlfriend Sarah can think about living together etc… and it’s really REALLY exciting I’ve got a few more adventures to come (will I be doing my teacher training? Can I find an engineering job?!?) so this may well not be the end of my learning, but it is sure an end to an era.

Until I’m finished completely, I have one more project to go, last presentation today and report due in by Friday, I hope me and my group can finish before then and look forward to this weekend being one of my last in Sheffield, may the fun begin then… So until then, I shall leave you with some random movie bits and pieces… Until next time ‘I’ll be back…’

VOTD: ‘George Lucas Strikes Back’

An amusing fake trailer titled “George Lucas Strikes Back” purports to reveal what really happened to the director between Episodes VI and I — and that he feels exactly the same way about Jar-Jar Binks and midi-chlorians as you do. Along the way, writer-directors Bridge Stuart and Mike Litzenberg also manage to work in a knock on Brett Favre and a nod to Oldboy.

Paper People

One of the most amazing website I’ve found, who are you going to make?

LOL: All the Other Superheroes Think Hawkman Is Too Lame For a Movie

15 Most Popular Autocorrects From April 2011

The 15 Biggest Box Office Bombs

What makes a movie a box office  “bomb “?  Just losing money doesn’t make it qualify. It’s the amount of loss from the production costs to ticket receipts that makes the difference.

For example, 2006’s Zyzzyx Road took in a shocking thirty (30) dollars at the box office, but since it cost only $1 million to make, it didn’t lose enough money to make the list.  And the 2000 John Travolta vehicle Battlefield

7 Insane Easter Eggs Hidden in Movies and TV Shows

Social Media: Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse

If zombies did start roaming the streets, CDC would conduct an investigation much like any other disease outbreak. CDC would provide technical assistance to cities, states, or international partners dealing with a zombie infestation.

‘Awake’ TV Trailer – Split-Reality Cop Drama

In NBC’s Awake, Jason Isaacs stars as a cop who finds his life split between two separate realities after a fatal car accident. At first, the idea seems a bit more drama based than you might expect, but as the 4-minute trailer rolls on, you get a sense that the two realities will later connect in some pretty cool ways. Awake will likely premiere midseason.

‘Terra Nova’ Full-Length Trailer

Fox has released a full length trailer for the Steven Spielberg-produced science fiction series Terra Nova, which is set to premiere on Mondays this Fall. The new television show “follows an ordinary family on an incredible journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a small part of a daring experiment to save the human race.”

JJ Abrams’ Fox TV Series ‘Alcatraz’ Trailer, Photos and Plot Revealed

Fox has finally released photos, a long-form plot synopsis and a trailer for the upcoming JJ Abrams-produced Elizabeth Sarnoff-written (Lost, Deadwood) television series Alcatraz. The “chilling new thriller centers on America’s most infamous prison and one-time home to the nation’s most notorious murderers, rapists, kidnappers and thieves.”

Infographic: How ‘Star Wars’ Changed the World

Five HUGE Differences Between the Comic Books and ‘X-Men: First Class’

Any good comic book fan should know at this point that a movie version of their favorite story is going to take some liberties. By now, it’s disappointment that simply comes with the territory. (Looking at you, ‘Watchmen.’) Along these lines, purists are raging about ‘X-Men: First Class’ before it even hits theaters.

And they’re not all wrong. The film, a prequel about the young mutants’ beginnings in the 1960s, is wildly different from the storylines in the comics. Though it alludes to the earlier films (‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ and ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’), it doesn’t abide by them. The story is altered enough to make any ‘X-Men’ fan gasp out loud in the theater. (As this one did!)

Here are five HUGE differences between the comic books and ‘X-Men: First Class.’

(SPOILERS AHEAD!)

JURASSIC PARK Jeep YJ Sahara MOVIE PROP REPLICA

What do you want to say to your future self?

What the heck is this now?

Usually, it’s the future self that reflects back on the past. We think it’s fun to flip that all around.

So here at FutureMe, you write a letter to your future. And then we do a little bending of the space-time continuum and we deliver it for you.

It’s kinda cool to surprise your future self with a letter from the past. Some words of inspiration. A swift kick in the pants. Or just thoughts on where you’ll or what you’ll be up to in a year, two years…more?

FutureMe.org is based on the principle that memories are less accurate than emails. And we strive for accuracy.

The above clip was taken from the second episode in a series titled ‘Secrets of the Superbrands.’ Presented by Alex Riley, the series explores the secrets of those big brands we all love (Apple, Diesel, Sony etc…) and how they pull us in and take our money. A fascinating series I recommend it to all, catch up via the BBC iPlayer here.

Award-winning Icelandic comedy series involving three men working at a petrol station in Reykjavik who battle boredom, strange visitors and their own customers.

I have just got into it and so far am up to episode 6, one of the best so far I think…

Olafur’s new-found fitness mania backfires when the protein drink he has been gorging himself on turns out to have some freakish side-effects. Georg is convinced that somebody has been stealing empty cans from the station’s recycling bins and puts his team on high alert. Click HERE to watch

I can’t recommend this programme enough and must insist you all go and watch it! Head over here to see them all on iPlayer, the last two episodes go out on BBC Four next Monday.

The break out Vitamin String Quartet ingeniously transforms today’s most popular songs and styles with the beauty and intensity of classical string instrumentation.  A must-listen for classical and pop audiences alike, VSQ’s diverse catalog brings the world of contemporary music to fascinating new life.

Comprised of a rotating collective top-flight Los Angeles musicians, The Vitamin String Quartet puts a classical spin on many popular genres of pop, punk, and metal and is widely known for its tributes to cutting-edge rock acts. VSQ’s innovative approach and dedication to seeking out great material highlights just how distinctive the string quartet is.

Read more on their website

I got into Vitamin String Quartet a while back when they brought out their first Muse tribute album, containing a number of covers in including ‘Time Is Running Out’ and ‘New Born’. I think what they do is brilliant, taking modern day songs and coming up with interesting string arrangements, with their latest Muse tribute album containing one of their best ‘Knights of Cydonia’. The thing is with Muse songs is that they’re very orchestral in the first place, with real depth and sweeping movements and therefore suited to these arrangements, I’m not saying Vitamin String Quartet suits all types of styles….

For example, they really do cover everything, from Lady Gaga to AC/DC, while not really my taste there is something for everyone!

Places you can buy/listen to some of their stuff…

iTunes

Amazon

Play

One of the albums I brought last night was Blood-Curdling Strings!: VSQ Pays Tribute to Horror Classics which contained a mixture of horror film music arrangements, one of which was the music from Halloween (one of my fav horror films.)