Spearhead: Live, Reloaded and Uncut 1.3b

No one moves like Michael Jackson

When people usually associate me with something or someone, they automatically think ‘Michael Jackson’. I guess the reason that happens is because I make it very clear that he is my favourite musical artist, I often reference his songs and imitate his dance moves on a regular basis that even if I have met someone for the first time and they don’t know much about me…by the end of the day they will realise I love Michael Jackson.

So it was no shock to me when about 5-10 of my friends sent me messages on Facebook and sent texts to my phone saying that the King of Pop had been pronounced dead. The first bit of information I got regarding Jackson was when I was on Facebook and one of my friends had written that he had been taken to hospital because of a supposed heart attack – this was written on his Facebook at around 10:45pm (GMT) and I just took it as a rumour and thought nothing of it. Little did I know that it was more serious than I first thought, and by the time it had got to 11:20pm I had texts, Facebook messages and phonecalls from people saying he is rumoured to be dead. So I tuned into the news and there it was…images of the hospital where Jackson was supposedly dead. At the time, the news stations said that Jackson had been taken into hospital but didn’t say that he was dead. Then all of a sudden, the information changed and in a big red box with white letters said ‘JACKSON DEAD’ and the news reporter then said in a very surprised and sad voice, “If you are just joining us ladies and gentleman, I regret to announce that the pop star Michael Jackson has died of cardiac arrest”. At that point, my heart just sank and I started to shake…how could this be possible? This was Michael Jackson…he isn’t supposed to die! This man…my hero…my role model…let’s just say that I found it hard to believe. I just sat there listening to the news reporter going over and over again that Michael Jackson had died – my nan was also sitting with me just as shocked as I was.  As we continued to watch, more and more text messages were appearing on my phone…my phone was constantly vibrating with messages from people saying ‘watch the news, MJ is dead’ and ‘is it true that MJ is dead?’ and etc. I answered all of them with the truth, some even asked me how I felt and again, I said the truth. I was speechless and shaky…but no tears had been shed.

I continued to watch the news broadcast until 4am which by then,  PR had announced to the Los Angeles community that Jackson had died and Jermaine Jackson had also made a statement for the media broadcasters confirming the sad and tragic news. They also showed images of Jackson’s body being transported, by  helicopter, to a van where the vehicle will transport his body to the autopsy clinic where they will begin tests to find out what killed him. The tests are still going on at the moment and, according to many news sources, the results won’t become clear for at least 6-8 weeks. Many suspect his prescription drugs killed him, others say it was stress, a few suggest it was his doctor that killed him…whatever the reason is, I am sure it will be revealed when the autopsy is done.

Once news had spread around the world about his death. The radio and music television channels immediately postponed regular programming and played all of Jackson’s music back to back for hours…some even for days. They were providing tribute to the man that brought smiles and memories to millions which was happy to see. Most of my Facebook friends had changed their status’s to paying respect to Michael although some weren’t as nice as others. My friend, Daniel Jefferey, made a very good point. He stated that he finds it ironic how the people who praised Jade Goody and called her a national hero are sick and tired of hearing about Michael Jackson and don’t care. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but if people think Jade Goody done more for charity or for people in general than Michael Jackson then they are even more naive and stupid than me. According to various online information sites, Jackson supported well over 35 charities and even had his charity foundation entitled ‘Heal the World’. He was even rewarded for his contributions by being allowed to visit the White House and be presented an award by then President Ronald Reagan. What did Jade Goody do again exactly…ah yes throw racial remarks…classy.

Michael Jackson had many of his singles featured in the UK Top 40 and now holds the #1 album in the country with ‘Number Ones’. It’s nice to see that people are paying tribute by buying his music rather than illegally downloading it! Most, if not all, of the UK television broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky1) provided an hour long documentary celebrating Jackson’s music and controversial personal life right up to the announcement of his death. I thought it was just enough information to make people realise who the guy is, and I now eagerly await a Michael Jackson biopic film to be released soon…or within the next few years!

I talk about how Michael Jackson has affected the general public and the media outlets but haven’t really dived into how it has affected me personally. As mentioned, I was speechless and shocked about his death but I haven’t shed any tears yet…I generally find it hard to cry unless it’s the funeral…I guess I am a cold blooded stone! Michael Jackson has been in my life ever since I was about 5 years old, I remember watching ‘Moonwalker’ and was totally mesmerised by the ‘Smooth Criminal’ segment – I just wanted to know how he did that anti-gravity lean! From then on, when I was about 8-9 I stumbled across my Dad’s ‘Off The Wall’, ‘Thriller’ and ‘Bad’ albums. I admit that I didn’t really like the ‘Off The Wall’ album when I was younger and so I found myself going back and forth with the other two albums! Out of the two I would say ‘Bad’ was my favourite at the time. Everyday, after school, I would come home and stick the CDs in the stereo and read the words (as they were in the album booklet) and mime to his lyrics while really listening to the music. I often imitated the instruments that were played in his music, the one that captured my interest was the music used in ‘Another Part Of Me’…I thought that song was absolutely fantastic when I was a kid! While his singing and music had captured my heart…it was his dancing that really caught my eye…

My Michael Jackson obsession had become obvious to my parents and my Grandparents and so they bought me his Greatest Hits album as well as the video which contained all the videos! From then on, I was hooked! Me and my friends (Spencer Campbell, Ian Andrews and Kenan Tezgel) often came to my house and we would practice doing the dance moves. It’s pretty strange how a bunch of 7-8 year old kids are listening and trying to be like a guy who had reached his prime about 10 years ago and yet still think he was better than anything being played on the radio back in that time! I often practiced alone when my friends weren’t round…and I remember seeing the moonwalk and decided to practice. It took me a long time before I perfected it…hell…I am still trying to perfect it now!

Even though I loved Michael Jackson and some of my friends did too, it would not come without criticism from the other classmates who dissed him in front of us and often slammed us if we tried to say a good word about him. The teachers never really got involved and I often wondered why – it wasn’t until years later that I knew why…the child molestation incidents! Soon, it was just me and Ian that were the die-hard fans of Michael Jackson and then eventually it looks like it was just me being the sole survivor once me and Ian got to high school. I admit, once in high school, I became a closet Michael Jackson fan rather than an outgoing one…I couldn’t face being bullied in school for liking him. I realised this when in literacy with Mr. Taylor he asked us to list our Top 10 songs and I put ‘Smooth Criminal’ at #10…boy did I get laughed at. From then on, I just kept the fanboy in the dark and that was where I started listening to rap music…a music genre that I still listen to and am so passionate about!

I still listened to Michael Jackson and everyone knew I could dance like him, but it just wasn’t seen as cool or the right thing to do/be. I remember the ‘Living with Michael Jackson’ documentary that was shown in early February 2003 and the next day it became the subject that everyone had been talking about. I think it was from that documentary that I found out about his mannerisms and his naivity. Everyone was making jokes about him and I joined in, I was just following the crowd and hoping not to get beat up or be called names! It wasn’t until 2006 where my love for Jackson reached the heights again just as it did back when I was 7-8…this time I was exploring songs of Jackson’s that I had never heard before. Songs such as ‘Can’t Let Her Get Away’ and ‘Who Is It’ I had never heard of when I was a kid had suddenly grown on me and I found myself liking them more than the more well known singles! It was a good year!

Once university started I was more confident on being open about me liking Michael Jackson and it was accepted! For the next 3 years, everyone realised that any bit of Michael Jackson news they heard or anything else related they would call me, text me and tell me. I often always heard about it before they did but it’s nice to know they cared! My friends would criticise him in front of me, but by this point I had become neutral…I laughed at the Michael Jackson parodies that MadTV would do and, at the same time, support the court case of 2005 in which he was acquitted of child molestation charges again. People would come up to me hoping to get a fight out of me, but they would be left disappointed when I would be neutral with them! Fact is, Michael has problems but he never lets them show in his music…which is what he should be remembered for!

So here I am, still a massive fan and always will be. I have posters hung up, I am even listening to his music now as I type this! As for my opinion on what killed him…I will answer that when the autopsy results come back!

As a participant, researcher and fan of the hip-hop culture I was pleasantly surprised that there was going to be a film based on The Notorious B.I.G’s life. Now I must admit, I know more about Biggie’s cult icon status and what he has done for Bad Boy Records and for rap music than actually sit down and listen to his music properly (bad me! I know!), I mean I know of ‘Big Poppa’ and ‘Juicy’ but I don’t actually have them on my iPOD as such. I guess that is because I was brought up on the new school era of rap music (basically hip-pop) that I just find it difficult to listen to the old school stuff…although I am getting there slowly! Nevertheless, in the back of my mind I was expecting this film to be a big old stereotyped, cliched and tired representation of black rappers doing what they do best…and unfortunately yes this is the case.

Don’t get me wrong though, ‘Notorious’ is itself a rap song. It tells Biggie’s story, and it does it very well, you don’t lose track of who is who and the flow is very smooth. We start in 1997, then head back to 1983 and then follow up to 1997 again. It’s a very interesting and exciting story, even though it may have altered differently for film purposes’s sake, it didn’t bore me! The characters all had their own personal and unique traits about them, you can see why Biggie got into trouble all the time – they are all a handful! From Tupac to Sean Combs to Faith Evans…they are all in here…each providing hassle for the big man himself. The performances though range from sheer brilliance (Jamal Woolard – Biggie) to at times awkward (Derek Luke – Diddy), Woolard captures Biggie perfectly from the way he looks to the way he breathes! I was so astounded with his performance that during the film I began to believe that Biggie had come back from the dead and portrayed himself! Go see the film just for his performance alone!

The story and characters though are, as mentioned, cliched and stereotypical. Basically Big drops out of school, does drugs, does a bit of rap on the side, has a kid when he’s 15, goes to prison, writes more rap, gets out of prison and gets noticed, makes an album, it does well, he has sex with Lil’ Kim, has sex with Faith Evans, has another kid, etc etc! Sound familiar? Isn’t that what every rapper does now to get to the top? Sounds a lot like Tupac’s life right? Ha! But then I guess the cliches and stereotypes cannot be ignored as this is a biopic, and its job is to represent what actually happened. So I guess this happened. I tell you though, you can bet that this won’t shed black people in a good light! One part of the narrative I did enjoy watching was how Tupac and Biggie eventually started out the whole East Coast/West Coast rivalry that the media was going insane about. Yes, I knew of it but on a very general level and it was good of the film to improve my knowledge of how the feud all came to happen.

I guess the film does have its positive messages, but at the same time it projects some insanely bad messages and morals too. The good message is that anyone from the steets can make it big…and yet it promotes that the only way you can do that is if you sell drugs, go to prison and have sex with many beautiful women. It’s basically a film that rubs in the faces of all the good, hardworking honest people saying ‘Fuck you, I got to the top by breaking every damn law and sin’. Don’t get me wrong, Biggie is a good rapper and he did provide for his wife and children and he did care for his mother deep down, but my god…after I came out of the cinema…all I wanted to do was to be like Biggie…I tell you my girlfriend wasn’t impressed! Thank god media effects don’t affect me much, but not alot of people are like me so they will inspire to be like that.

I found the film to be fun, interesting and insightful into the short life that was of Biggie Smalls. Yes, it has mixed messages and I question the choice of actors in terms of their acting and how they looked to their counterparts, but nevertheless I believe people should watch this movie…even if they aren’t interested in hip-hop culture. Get a glimpse of a world where sex, drugs and offensive lyrics are the only way to get currency!

Rating: 4/5

*Light go down…crowd goes silent…the pyro goes off…theme song hits…lights go up…crowd is excited…I walk out…crowd goes silent…hell even the announcers say “who is this?”*

Um…yes hello! It has been a long time…September 2008…my god! Ok, hands up in the air I got lazy but I have also been very very busy! I will be shooting my 3rd year film project soon and pre-production for that has been hell. Me being the cinematographer includes lots of drawings and colouring in…yay!

This will not be a long post…but it’s a placeholder (ha, remember 2006?) to let you know that I am back and I am ready to commit to this marriage! No really I will! I’ve had my affair with other websites and Tomb Raider Anniversary and I am now ready to make this thing work!

So…keep an eye out

*Just a little note first, sorry for the lack of updates! I’m a terrible blogger I know! But during the summer I was working 40-45 hours a week and, even with a day off, I didn’t have time to come update this blog! But hopefully, now I’m on 25-27 hours a week and considering I’ll be heading back to University soon. I should have time to write more meaningful posts…actually I’ve been reading into Postmodernism and stuff…so you can probably expect a post regaarding that subject area! …now onto the review!*

Let me just say this, after watching this film I actually wanted to try weed…seriously guys, if you know me in real life or you’ve read entries on my old blog, you’ll know I am 100% anti-drugs! Don’t worry, I don’t judge people who take drugs at all, you know it’s their thing and all. Each to their own is all I say! But after watching this film, I actually felt like trying weed because the way the director portrays the drug is something really somewhat harmless and fun and yet so dangerous it contradicts what I just said! Very rarely do I remember quotes from films I’ve recently seen but something Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) said stuck out for me. He says, “weed makes everything better, it makes music better, food taste better, hell it makes sex better”. Brilliant!

To be quite honest, I was really drawn in to the film’s story and content. I tried to pay attention in regards to film language and the certain concepts that are associated with it but you know what? Screw it! This movie is fun, funny and intelligent! Having watched films such as Superbad, Knocked Up and Juno (all of which had involvement from Judd Apatow – a genius!) I have to say that this is another hit in my books. With me being absolutely fascinated with character chemistry and their traits, Pineapple Express doesn’t disappoint as the characters are, strangely, quirky yet stereotypical and the chemistry is yet again, strangely, original yet expected! Saul (James Franco – of Spiderman fame! Yes I’m surprised too!) steals the show here as the typical drug dealer and stoner friend. Franco makes this character incredibly loveable and believeable to the point where you wish you were there with him…in person, just so you can laugh at the next stupid thing he says or does and be there…he is the force behind the movie’s experience. That’s not to say that the other characters don’t provide that, I’m sure they do to some people, but to me, it was Saul.

The most incredible thing about films that involve Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen is their ability to promote and credibilitise (is that even a word? ) the meaning of friendship and buddies in a refreshing way. It was brilliantly shown in Superbad, and it’s bettered itself here in Pineapple Express. Pay attention right at the end when Dale, Saul and Red are at the diner having a conversation, it’ll put a smile on your face for sure! Well, I hope so as I felt this was a brilliant scene to not only end the movie, but to put emphasis on the foundation on friendship. But throughout the film, you grow attached to how Dale and Saul’s friendship grows and gets stronger. They seem like an unlikely pair and I thought that at the beginning but then you start to realise, they have more in common than you and I think and then figure out, that simply, they are freakin’ awesome together!

The movie is somewhat stereotypical in terms of its characters and possibly story but it’s brilliantly portrayed as something we have never seen before. What they have simply done is improve, not change rather, but improve. Whether it’s because times have changed or the audience have changed remains debateable but they do it well! Yes, this is a pop culture movie…it will shock parents due to its “explicit” use of the drug, yes this movie is made for the kids and also the adults who still are kids deep inside. Enjoy this movie, don’t worry about anything else, sit back, relax and just intake…trust me, after this movie, you’ll want a joint!

Rating: 5/5

She leaves Odeon forever on the 29th August…and I happen to be on holiday from the 22nd to the 30th. Not to mention that her birthday night out is on the 25th and I’m going to miss that too…that’ll be the second time I’ve missed it (last year I was in Florida!) and it sucks.

I’ve got to say something…rather soon otherwise I may yet again miss a chance of a lifetime! I’ve got her a present and card…I hope maybe that will trigger something. She said today how she is tired of waiting around for a guy…and how her friends tell her ‘one day’. She also said to me that I’ll find someone ‘one day;…what does this mean? Is she a friend or potential future girlfriend? Does she like me? She’s said at least 5-6 times now how I make her laugh. Is that a sign? She says she likes being on shifts with me? Is that another sign?

Once she gets the card and present…and how she reacts to it…maybe then I can get the fucking balls to say something…god damn

So I got my second year university results on the 11th…and I managed to get a 2:1 overall which equates to a B. I should be happy I guess but if I’m being really honest…I don’t actually care . Man, I remembered the days when I actually used to get scared and excited about getting exam results and stuff! Nowadays, the novelty and magic has gone, no longer am I excited or scared…now I just treat it like any other letter…open it, read it, go back to doing what I was doing before I read it.

I was also unsuccessful in getting a weeks work placement in the BBC involving Television Cameras. No biggy, just means I need to gain experience another way! Plus, there’s always next year, so just got to stay positive!

Yeah, short entry this time! Nothing more to say!

I suppose it’s time for a life update I guess rather than just do movie reviews and stuff! Wow, I don’t write much here do I? There is a reason for this I promise! Mostly though it’s because I’m lazy, but sometimes it’s because I work loads and so I’m too tired to write. But tonight is a special episode because I actually did finish work about an hour ago and am now in the mood to write I guess…so here we go!

I tend to not really talk about what happens in my life to people, if I do then it’s just simple things like ‘Oh, I went to Asdas’ or ‘I just came back from work’ and etc. Thing is, I’m not a private person at all! I’m open to tell things if people just ask you know! See, I have this thing and it’s pretty much stuck with me for a while now. I personally don’t like telling people all the stuff that happens in my life because:

1. I already know what’s happening in my life and don’t fancy the idea of repeating it to myself
2. People have their own lives to worry about, why would they want to hear someone else’s?
3. I view my life as boring and naff…nothing exciting ever happens. Hence why I tend to go ‘did you hear about so and so…’ because my life is pretty lame! Haha!

I guess this entry is a special case, may as well let people know what’s happening…I don’t mind if you care or not, doesn’t bother me! I’m only doing this because I only have two entries so far!

Let’s start with work. Work is still great as always, I still love and enjoy it. Although I’m not looking forward to Saturday night as I shall be working my first ever Pick ‘N’ Mix close! Arghhh! I mean, generally, Pick ‘N’ Mix is quite easy…it’s the coffee machine that scares me! I have no idea how it works…well I sorta do. I know how to flush it and that’s about it. I have to clean it and there’s a specific way you do it…god dammit! Hopefully, one of the managers will come and help me…if not then maybe the guy closing floor can help me. Also, on Wednesday I am doing something rather special which is usually done by the Team Leaders…basically I have a nice but horribly early 8am – 4pm shift doing delivery stuff. Basically, all I have to do (according to what my boss told me) is sign for deliveries, take the stock upstairs to the storage room, drink tea and biscuits, and maybe update them in the system? I think so anyway. But yeah it sounds simple enough right? I guess so but I gotta use those big trolley things to carry stuff…how the hell do I use one of those??? I hope I get told otherwise I just know I’m gonna screw up! Anyways apart from that, it’s all good. I’m still the punching bag but that’s good…means I can joke around with them haha.

As for University, second year hasn’t been as great as the first year, but hopefully the third year will be much better. I’m not sure why I didn’t enjoy the second year, I’m sure it wasn’t the course…I got a feeling it was the people but I’m not going to dwell on it y’know. Also, when the hell are my results going to come? I need to know if I passed or failed man, jeez. I hope they arrive before August…if not then that sucks

As for personal stuff. I guess there’s nothing new on that front. Still single, still have no sex appeal, still the same geek. I’m pretty sure that when I’m 25 or 26 years old, I will become depressed that I STILL don’t have some sort of girlfriend and will end up getting with the chick no one wants or to some mail order bride…just to make my life complete and fulfilling and worth living. Ha. We’ll see!

Oh and Charlotte, if you read this, I have read your blog entry you know. Your little Facebook statuses don’t fool me you know, the subtle-ty you used to have has disappeared or lowered in quality…what happened? Anyways, I practically told you that whatever you do…any action you do…will result in consequences (good and bad ones) and some will either make you happy or sad or whatever emotion you seem to have each week (not a piss-take I swear!). Yeah, I lost alot of respect…but who cares, you got your boyfriend back which you oh so desperately wanted to happen. I still like you and all, so at least you got that to know. As for not talking to you anymore…well I do my best to avoid MSN as I hate going on it now. It’s crap. I much prefer Facebook wall posts! . It’s not intentional but because I am so clever I probably know what you’re thinking, “why don’t you facebook me then?’…and you already know the answer to that. You know what I’m like, I never make the first move…I wait till people talk to me ‘cos then I know they are interested in talking to me . It’s a weird analogy I have and I don’t know how I got it, probably from primary school or something.

Sucks to hear about your job though and how much you hate it. You have the power to get up and quit but you don’t. All this year you’ve told me how much you hate it and how you want to do something new but you’re all talk and no walk man. I think you have problems with leaving comfort zones and stuff like that…and I, personally, get baffled why people don’t take risks or don’t go out there and explore other parts of the country and/or world. Do something with your life and find something you’ll enjoy rather than do what most idiots do and stay put…hoping something good will come and make it more exciting…the world won’t come to you I’m afraid…no matter how great newspapers/tv news, movies and games do such a job. You have to experience it, rather than just hear or see about it. I don’t know, your decision.

You can’t please everyone, sooner you realise that and apply it. The faster you can stick a middle finger to the world and do what you feel is right…which you did…as you say; you followed your heart, and now you complain how everyone’s abandoned you? Consequence man. I warned you that you’ll probably piss off some people and you said ‘I know’ so you shouldn’t really have an issue. Can’t have it all. Very hard to juggle between a partner and friends, and I’ve had people tell me how they’ve lost their best friends because of partners and stuff. But hey, I’m sure there are some who can balance the two

There you go, life update and a response. Now stop harassing me Raj!

You know, whenever I tell people about my job, they usually look at me as if I’m insane to be working in such an institution…but then again, many actually tell me how cool it must be because they believe I get to see the latest releases before anyone else…well, they are almost correct I guess.

My job? Oh yes, well I work at a cinema…Odeon to be exact. Whilst I do get to see some of the new releases before the public, it’s not always so simple. I remember back in August 2007 when the staff saw Rush Hour 3…it was on a Monday when it got released the Friday before, so you see, sometimes we don’t get that lucky! We also get 50% discount on the food and drink…which is good I guess considering the prices the normal joe public have to pay! I pay £3.07 for a Hotdog and a large Tango Ice Blast drink whereas the public pay £7.75 (I think…we had a price increase recently and I have yet to check!)…yeah go me! I pay cheap to get fat and to rot my teeth…woo!

Working at a cinema isn’t as bad as people think, and I correct those who laugh and mock me by going ‘haha, you scoop popcorn’. Yes, I do scoop popcorn…and make drinks, cook hotdogs, cook nasty processed cheese, and prepare salsa for the nacho lovers out there and more. It’s simply more than just serving popcorn! Other things I do include ushering people to their seats, cleaning, doing some paper work. I mean, it’s a pretty easy job once you know how the system works and all. There are still some things that I don’t know what to do (just last week, I learnt how to change mop heads haha! Better late than never huh?) but in time I will know…the way I see it is if I haven’t done it before….then how am I supposed to know? I’m one of those people that observe people and then mimic their actions. So usually, when I don’t know how to do something I ask another person to do it for me…to show me…so in future, I’ll know what to do. That’s how I learn…I don’t have common sense! I’ll happily admit that!

So that’s pretty much what I do at the cinema – it may sound boring and chore-like but really it’s pretty relaxing…well on a quiet day at least! Haha, when I first started working there on the 22nd June 2007, I arrived at a pretty hectic time as ‘Shrek the Third’ previews were being shown with the actual release date being the 29th…so I was pretty much thrown in the deep end. Actually, I’m glad that I arrived during that time, as I learned the ins and outs of the place quicker you know? I was mostly on concession/stand/retail and this is why I prefer to be put on those shifts simply because I consider myself to be quite experienced in that area.

Speaking about first days and stuff. I tell you, I was scared as hell! I remember it as if it was yesterday…started at 3pm so I could get trained and fill out loads of paperwork and stuff; that lasted till 5pm when I was assigned to usher people to their seats…very nice and easy so far. I thought ‘I could get used to this!’ and then within 30 minutes of doing that…I was brought on concession! It was a busy night and I had been assigned Damien (Odeon’s leading hottie and excellent worker ) to help me and watch over me. He really helped me, and for that I thank him, he didn’t think of me as a retard when I was asking him ‘how do I prepare nachos?’, he showed me and stuff. Really nice guy – he still is, and he still helps me with stuff I don’t know haha! Infact, we talked about my first day recently and he was so surprised that I was enthusiastic and really nice as usually he gets people that aren’t that friendly and unwilling etc. So that was nice when he said that, boosted my self esteem up a tad there ya-haaaa! After the first night, I felt tired…and I felt like I screwed up alot! I hated being on concession…that damn evil till! Kinda ironic now how I love being on it huh? I guess it’s true what they say…the more you do it, the more confident you become. Yep…that’s what’s happened!

People say I’m crazy for loving this job. Maybe I am a little crazy…maybe I’m just too naive! Or maybe I see past all the bad things about it and just take notice of the good things. In my experience I have had some great times at Odeon in terms of customers, orders, staff I’ve worked with, team leaders on my shifts etc. Of course I’ve had the bad times, but not many! Infact, I reckon the only period where I saw everything as bad was the week after I came back from Florida where, during that week, I managed to: break the popcorn machine, have £5.71 go missing from my till – and have it replaced from my wages, spilling Pick ‘N’ Mix everywhere on my first shift back from holiday and other stuff….silly stuff you know. Ok, to be fair, time to time I do stupid stuff like tip the mop bucket over and take ages getting the bins ready and stuff – but hey, everyone is different!

I also get told that it’s the people that make Odeon so damn great…which is true, but as mentioned, I do actually love the job itself. But in regards to the people…wow! What a fantastic group of people I’ve worked with so far! Most don’t take themselves so seriously, most know how to take a joke, most do joke around with me which is good…seeing as I mock myself and joke around alot! They’re a good looking bunch too! Haha, I remember the first two weeks of working there, I couldn’t believe how many attractive girls there were! My Lord! So so so pretty! I think I had a crush every week haha! Of course it’s gone down to one now…miss Hayley…god so pretty. Anyways, as Catrin says, ‘It’s not gonna happen!’…she’s probably right…every girl I’ve had a crush on doesn’t see me the same way…Lotty doesn’t count because I didn’t have a crush on her…I was just attracted to her haha . But hey…you know the saying…you never know! Here’s to some summer romance happening *raises glass*

I’ve made some great friendships at Odeon, although I fear they will be lost when I leave in September…pretty much what I can expect when I leave Uni…I’m always going to be a person who doesn’t have a lot of friends because I keep moving about. I mean, I’m highly considering going to America to get my masters degree rather than head to London because as everyone knows, I want to live in America and so if I go to study there…I stand a better chance of staying put there and building my life there. BUT I’ve got most of the guys on Facebook so I can always send them a message to see how they are and stuff haha. We’ll see how it goes!

I’ll probably end up crying when I leave, ‘cos I’m such a girl haha! Na but seriously, I am going to miss the place. I’m going to miss having bets with Cat, having deep chats with Hayley, Lara and Damien, getting attacked with a bin bag by Dan, getting attacked with clingfilm by Alix, getting called a ladies man by Hayley, being called a good worker by Louise, being called a walking closet by David, making silly mistakes, doing temperature checks, checking the ladies and gents toilets, serving large combos, deep cleaning the Tango Ice Blast machine…sigh…all will be missed.

Muchos Love Odeon!

It’s almost been twenty years since The Last Crusade (1989) and during that time, the whole concept of what would become of Indiana Jones 4 has been what filmmakers and critics call ‘development hell’. Many scripts have been proposed to Ford, Lucas and Spielberg over the years and each one has either been rejected or has been accepted – but later on finally joined the rest of the rejectees! So, here we have Indy’s fourth adventure (considering the movie timeline and context); The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I have to say, when discovering that Indiana Jones 4 was going to be made, I was a little intrigued how it would pan out. I mean, for instance, we have to consider the main man himself! Sure, in the movies he can be whatever age the institution wants him to be but, in contrast, you have to consider the actor who plays him. Since the last adventure, Ford has aged…now it’s not for me to say if he’s aged well or not but he has definitely aged! So, one has to wonder how this would affect the lovable role model…could he still be legit and credible? Can the hero still have the characteristics he has and use them as natural as he did in the first three adventures? Possibly…

In the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the latest adventure takes place nineteen years after The Last Crusade. So, it takes place in 1957 and, if you didn’t know, this was the period where the Russians were often viewed by the Americans as ‘baddies’. The change from Nazis to Russians is a good idea I guess considering Indy is an American hero and so it would be blasphemy if the enemy was someone that wasn’t a huge enemy of America so I can respect that…even if it’s a little cliched and cheesy! Before entering the wonderful world of Odeon Cinemas, I was worried how quickly it would be until I could adjust myself to world of Indiana Jones after all these years and you know what? I was brought into it within the first line of the film, I won’t tell you what it is he says but if you’ve seen the past three films and have grown accustomed to Indiana’s sense of humour…then you’ll love what he says! Throughout the film, there are many typical Indy quirks and characteristics that are represented either through nostalgia or things that are and are not in his favour. For instance, you’ll defiantly see situations where snakes come into play and when Indy gets his whip out. That’s all there and they’ve represented this well where it’s very humourous and gives you ‘that’ feeling…you know what I’m talking about! The type of feeling that makes you wish you were the man himself. But you also get that other feeling too, usually felt when a character has been kept in isolation and a loophole for so long, the feeling that makes you smile and opens your mouth with ‘welcome back [insert character name, object, location]…we’ve missed you!’

The film heavily draws on nostalgia in terms of engaging its audience and as an element for the franchise. For instance, in the opening scene we are introduced to a shot where we see Indiana Jones’s head and shoulders in a shadow form on a car with the infamous music score playing in the background…whilst this is happening, Indy is putting on his hat and I’ll admit, this is nicely done and a great way of introducing a character that has been in isolation for a long time! Other instances include when Indiana and Marion Ravenwood (played by Karen Allen) are stuck in a quicksand pit and Mutt (played by Shia LeBeouf) uses a snake to help pull them up…as we all know, Indiana is scared of snakes and so this is a nice reference to the character’s flaws and fears and a good continuance of this humerous trait. Last spoiler now (I promise!), at the end when Indy’s hat ‘travels’ to Mutt we are lead to believe that he’ll continue the franchise but as he goes to put it on, Indy snatches it off him and puts it back on his head. Again, a brilliant use of showing that there can only be one Indiana Jones and that his adventures aren’t ending as of yet!

In terms of storyline; the storyline is typical Indiana Jones. You shouldn’t really have any trouble following the plotline, infact the storyline is quite fun and enjoyable as a spectator as Indy goes through caves, jungles, a fake street, deserts and the classroom! Although, personally, I didn’t find it as engaging as the other films but nevertheless, it’s a fun adventure. At times, the film goes go a bit over the top, far-fetched and silly…(I’ll leave you to decide which scenes back up my thoughts!) even for an Indiana Jones film! I found that parts of the storyline were so over the top that I felt discharged and lost…maybe this is why I said that this wasn’t as engaging as the previous films. The film can be very funny though, which is executed well and the message is clear throughout the film in which it’s basically telling the audience that you can do anything and take anything no matter what age you are and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull plays on this fact and establishes it as a joke, in which the supporting characters make several remarks about his look and age during the storyline, and as a moral message – which I thought was done pretty well.

The film does have an impressive cast, aside from Harrison Ford reprising his role as Indiana, we have Karen Allen who plays Indiana’s love interest Marion Ravenwood (who was the leading heroine in Raiders of the Lost Ark), Ray Winstone as Mac (Indiana’s adventurer friend whom he met during World War II), Shia LeBeouf as Mutt Williams (a greaser…but is also something else too…) and Cate Blanchett as Irina Spalko (the Russian villainess). For me, Ray Winstone had the best performance portraying the ‘British traitor-friend-traitor-who knows-anymore’ character Mac. He brought some sort of charm and yet at the same time he brought dislike to the character which I think is marvellous. Unfortunately the same can’t be said to Allen whom I thought was ‘weak’ as Marion and felt as if she was put in there due to nostalgia and/or lack of ideas for alternatives. Shia LeBeouf and Cate Blanchett I thought did well in their roles, but as said, Ray Winstone was the stand out for me!

Generally, Indiana’s latest adventure isn’t bad but it’s not exactly great either. It is exactly what big summer blockbusters are expected to be…a popcorn flick. This isn’t a bad thing though, as really, all of the past films have been exactly that! The film is impressive in terms of CGI and Special Effects and the storyline is fun…albeit a little far out even for Indiana. I pray that there will be no more Indiana Jones films after this one, as I believe this franchise has run its course in terms of film but that’s no need to say that it can live on in other forms of media such as videogames, comics and books – infact, I’ll gladly welcome it!

Rating: 3/5