Category: Entertainment

Top 10 Beatnik Novels

5. Howl – Allen Ginsberg

Encapsulating the overall artistic tendencies and intentions of his own work as well as that of his beatnik peers, in 1955 Allen Ginsberg, already a prominent figure within the scene, released this seminal series of poems. There are 3 parts altogether, with each having a real go at each of the attritions which act to ‘dehumanize’ our noble species. Upon the poems’ release, Ginsberg found himself in court defending his work from censorship after claims that it was intentionally obscene. So what if it was?

4. Naked Lunch – William Burroughs

Always sure to cause waves, William Burroughs’ ‘Naked Lunch’ was originally published in Paris in 1959. Having received reprint several times since, the work has gone on not only to cement itself as a bona-fide slice of American literature/culture but also its author as one of the best of his time. Focusing on the relationship between the arts and the many potential obscurities surrounding, the novel is driven by narrator William Lee, a junkie who (in true beatnik fashion) travels about the place under various pseudonyms. As a hardened drug user himself, it’s not too hard to draw the conclusion that Burroughs has based much of the narrative upon his own experiences.

3. The Dharma Bums – Jack Kerouac

Easily passable as the godfather of beat writing, Jack Kerouac’s famous novel, first published in 1958, is an autobiographical take on his first experiences of the Buddhist ideals which would go on to influence him in future years. Based during the Massachusetts native’s time living on the West Coast (California I believe) in the mid-1950’s, The Dharma Bums documents the duality of Kerouac’s existence up until that point. As is common with many of his works, each of the characters are based upon real friends and acquaintances.

2. Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger

A deeply influential works, Catcher in the Rye is the tale of a 16-year-old protagonist named Holden Caulfield, who bails on his Pennsylvanian prep-school to spend some time in New York’s dark underground. Although released in 1951, the book continues to be one of the most popular in recent decades- still selling some 250,000 copies annually. The novel has been subject to much controversy over the years, with several notorious criminals attributing an obsession with it as justification for their acts, perhaps the most notable of these being John Lennon’s killer Mark Chapman.

1. On the Road – Jack Kerouac

Yes another Kerouac work, this time falling into a deserved top-spot. On the Road may just epitomise this literary movement as a whole, if not then it’s certainly the only starting point for those of you who may have found themselves take influence over the course of this list. Defining what was meant by the ‘beat’ movement, On the Road is of course a tale of travel, adventure and discovery- with much, if not all, of its quirky content derived from autobiographical accounts of Jacks travels with friend, and beatnik peer, Neal Cassady.

May 24, 2018
5 Super Funny Football Moments

Football fans will love the videos Smashing Lists collected from the interwebs that are enlisted here below. This is as funny as football can be.

April 17, 2018
10 Flop Films Based on Best Sellers and Award Winning Novels

This list is a collection of 10 movies which were based on bestseller and award winning novels but failed to do justice to the novel and to satisfy the critics and the audience.

10. The Pelican Brief

Source The Pelican Brief is a legal-suspense thriller written by John Grisham. The first edition of the book was published in 1992. The story begins with the assassination of two philosophically divergent Judges of the Supreme Court and the confusion that arose in a politically divided nation with their death. It stayed at no. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list for quite some time. The film is directed by Alan J. Pakula and stars Julia Roberts as a young law student. It had average response as compared to the success and fan following of the novel. The famous aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes rated it as 5.5/10 based in 47 reviews from critics. It had a rating of 6.4/10 on IMDB based on 35 reviews from critics and 65 from users.

9. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Source It is a young fantasy novel written by Rick Riordan. This adventurous novel, based on Greek mythology, was published for the first time in 2005. It describes the adventures of modern day twelve-year-old boy who is the son of a mortal woman and the Greek god Poseidon. He sets out on an adventure to settle a battle between gods. The book has been a great success and over 2.7 million copies have been solved. It made an appearance on The New York Times children’s Best Seller list and was listed as one of the Young Adult Library Services Association’s Best Books for Young Adults. It received many other awards also. It also made an entry in the Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best Book’s list. It was highly praised by the critics. Common Sense Media said

“There are two levels of fun in The Lightning Thief. One is the fast-paced quest of a young hero and his friends to save the world” and added “another level of fun here – laughing at the wicked ways the author has updated the gods and monsters for the 21st century”

The New York Times praised The Lightning Thief as “perfectly paced, with electrifying moments chasing each other like heartbeats”. Chris Columbus directed a movie based on this novel. The movie was released in 2010. The film got mixed to negative reviews. It had an average score of 47 out of 100 from Metacritic. On IMDB it has a rating of 5.8/10 based on 169 reviews from critics and 259 user reviews. Rotten tomatoes gave it a rating of 5.3/10 based on 131 critic’s reviews.

8. Nights in Rodanthe By Nicholas Sparks

Source Nights in Rodanthe, written by Nicholas Sparks was published in September 2002 by Warner Books to a commercial success. The novel was Spark’s first one to hit number one on the best-sellers chart. The novel was complemented and praised for it’s emotional depth by the critics. Sheri Melnick of Book Reviews admired the novel by saying,

“No doubt bookstores should sell this tearjerker with a box of tissues, as even the most unemotional of readers will be hard pressed not to cry.”

In 2008 an American/Australian film was released with the same name, based on the novel . The movie mostly got negative reviews. Rotten tomatoes rated the movie as “rotten”, with a score of 29% based on 106 reviews.Metacritic scored the film as 39/100. The movie grossed $84,375,061 worldwide despite being critically panned.The Times of London included Nights in Rodanthe on its 100 Worst Films of 2008 list. The novel tells the story of a doctor who on his way to see his estranged son sparks with an unhappily married woman at a North Carolina inn.

7. The Golden Compass

Source The Golden Compass is a novel written by Philip Pullman in his trilogy, His Dark Materials. The novel is known as Northern Lights in North America. The novel was publised in 1995 and won the Carnegie Medal in 1996. It tells the story of a girl Lyra Belacqua who sets out on a journey in search of her missing friend, Roger Parslow, and other kidnapped children. She saves them from a mysterious organization, conducting some dangerous experiments. The novel was well received. It was adapted into a radio drama by BBC, a video game and a film with the name, The Golden Compass. The movie has a rating of 6.4/10 on IMDB based on 620 user reviews and 280 crtic ‘s reviews. Even the super stars like Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig couldn’t translate the novel into a film good enough to do justice to the novel.

6. The Postman

Source The Postman, is a sci-fi novel by David Brin. It was published in 1985. The novel was awarded first prize in the John W. Campbell Award’s for the best science fiction novel of the year in 1986. It also won the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. It was also nominated for Hugoand Nebula awards for best novel. It has translations in many languages including Japanese, German, Russian, Hungarian,Turkish, Italian and Bulgarian. The book is about symbols and civilization and narrates one man’s quest to rebuild civilization by resuming postal service. It has three sections and each section deals with different symbols. A film adaptation, directed by Kevin Costner was released in 1997. The film was a flop with a rating of 5.5 on 10 on IMDB based on 73 reviews by critics and 341 user reviews. The New York Times gave a negative review criticizing the movie for its “bogus sentimentality” and “mawkish jingoism”. It is scored at 10% on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 3.8 on 10 based on 31 reviews from critics.

5. Skipping Christmas (Christmas with the Kranks)

Source Skipping Christmas is a comedy novel written by John Grisham. It was published by Doubleday on November 6, 2001 and reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list on December 9. The story is about a couple that decides to skip Christmas until their daught comes home. In 2004 a movie was released with the name, Chritmas with the Kranks. The movie was directed by Joe Roth. It was a complete failure and was universally panned by critics. It was rated as 4.7 on 10 on IMDB based on 93 critic’sreviews and 177 user reviews. It received a “rotten” rating of 5% on rottentomatoes.com, based on 131 reviews. The film had an average score of 22 out of 100, on metacritics, based on 33 reviews.

4. The Lovely Bones

Source The Lovely Bones is a wonderful novel by Alice Sebold. It is a very sensitive novel published in 2002. It tells the story of a teenage girl who was raped and murdered. After her death she watches from heaven as her family and friends struggle to move on with their lives. The novel received much critical praise and admiration. It was a bestseller. 20,000 copies were anticipated to be sold but over a million were sold and it remained on the New York Times hardback bestseller list for over an year. Katherine Bouton in The New York Times Book Review wrote:

“This is a high-wire act for a first novelist, and Alice Sebold maintains almost perfect balance”.

In 2009 a film was released based on this novel. The film was directed by Peter Jackson. The film was not appreciated by critics and on average received mixed to negative reviews. It had a rating of 6.6/10 on IMDB based on 258 reviews from critics and 425 user reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rating of 5/10 based on 221 reviews from critics.

3. Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events

Source This is a story about three wealthy children whose parents were killed in a fire. They were sent to a distant relative, who plot to kill them to seize their fortune. It is a series of children novels written by the novalist Lemony Snicket. The first part was released in September 1999 and since then the books are among the favourites of children. The series has been a commercial success worldwide, spawning film, video game and merchandise. There are 13 books in the series and more than 60 million copies have been sold till date. The series has translations in 41 languages. The first part in the series, The Bad Beginning won multiple awards, including the Colorado Children’s Book Award, the Nevada Young Readers Award and the Nene Award^.The sequels like the first part also received multiple awards and nominations. Among these are three IRA/CBC Children’s Choice Awards, a best book prize at the Nickeldeon Kid’s Choice Awards and a 2006 Quill Book Award. The film adaptation of the novel, directed by Brad Silberling was released on December 17, 2004. It stars Jim Carrey. The film was not received well on the box office. It has a rating of 6.9/10 on IMDB based on 168 reviews from crtics and 558 user reviews.

2. The Da Vinci Code

Source The novel captivates the readers by narrating the mystery of a murder inside the Louvre and clues in Da Vinci paintings. The curiosity leads to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years. This detective mystery novel is written by Dan Brown. It was published in 2003. The book is a worldwide bestseller. Around 80 million copies were sold as of 2009. It has been translated in 44 languages. It is the best selling English novel of the 21st century and the second best novel worlwide. The New York Times, The New Yorker and Salon.com gave it positive reviews. It won Best Book Sense’s Book of the Year Award in 2004 in the Adult Fiction category. Sony’s Columbia Pictures adapted the novel into a film which was released in 2006. The novel had made millions of fans in 3 years and the movie disappointed the fans. The Da Vinci Code received poor reviews from critics. The famous site Rottentomatoes gave it an average rating of 4.8/10 based on 218 reviews. The critics’ consensus as gathered by Rotten Tomatoes is:

“What makes Dan Brown’s novel a best seller is evidently not present in this dull and bloated movie adaptation of The Da Vinci Code.”

The film was poorly received at the Cannes Film Festival, where it debuted. On IMDb the movie is rated as 6.4 on 10 based on 319 reviews from critics and 1911 user reviews. The critic Michael Medved gave the film one star (out of four). According to him:

“…all the considerable acting talent in the film is wasted…” and “the plot twists and sudden reverses … seem silly, arbitrary, and entirely contrived – never growing organically out of the story-line or the thinly sketched characters.”

1. New Moon

New Moon Source New Moon is a fantasy novel by author Stephenie Meye from her Twilight series. The book was released in 2006. It hit at #1 on both the USA Today’s and New York Times Best Seller Lists. In 2008 over 5.3 million copies were sold. The series is extremely famous among children and youngsters. New Moon won the Senior Young Reader’s Choice Award in 2009. It has it’s translations in numerous languages including Czech, Thai, Russian, Arabic and Norwegian. Advance reading copies were being sold on ebay for $380. Hillias J. Martin of School Library Journal admired the book, saying,

“Less streamlined than Twilight yet just as exciting, New Moon will more than feed the bloodthirsty hankerings of fans of the first volume and leave them breathless for the third”.

Norah Piehl of Teenreads.com said,

“In the middle, the story sometimes drags, and readers may long for the vampires’ return. The events of New Moon, though, will leave Meyer’s many fans breathless for the sequel, as Bella finally understands everything that will be at stake if she makes the ultimate choice to give up her humanity and live, like the vampires, forever.”

Chris Weitz directed the film based on the novel. The film was released on November 20, 2009. The novel’s fame gave the movie the biggest opening in th box office but the reviews were mostly negative. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 28% of 203 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 4.6 out of 10. New Moon has a rating of 4.5/10 on IMDB based on 248 critic’s reviews and 874 user reviews. Time Out New York rated the film as 3 stars out of 5, declaring it “acceptable escapism for those old enough to see it yet still young enough to shriek at undead dreamboats”.

http://flyawaybookreviews.blogspot.com/2010/08/nights-in-rodanthe-by-nicholas-sparks.htmlWinner of the Carnegie Medal in 1996

April 9, 2018
Top 10 Most Dangerous Sports

Sports are meant to be fun, right? A bit of friendly competition, a bit of bonding…and sometimes a trip to the ER. Most sports run the risk of an injury or two and some are more dangerous than others. There’s no definitive way to rank which sports are most dangerous, but we’ve used data from the NEISS 2010 Survey on ER admissions to find the sports with the highest number of injuries in a year. Of course, this doesn’t account for the fact that some sports are more popular than others – hockey is generally acknowledged to be pretty hazardous, but the total number of injuries doesn’t come anywhere near the more popular sports simply because fewer people play it. Also, there are some activities that are both functional and competitive – like cycling and skateboarding – but for the purposes of the list we’ve decided to include them. And before you decide to stop your child playing any sport ever, bear in mind that every total list is less than 590,118 – the number of people injured by chairs and sofas that year. So, it’s game on as we discover the Top 10 Most Dangerous Sports!

10. Lacrosse

For many years written off as a relic from Enid Blyton’s school stories, lacrosse has had something of a comeback lately, with the formation of the Major League Lacrosse in 1999. It is still a relatively small professional scene, with only eight clubs, but there is a thriving amateur circuit which is probably where all the injuries come from – 90,634 of them in 2010. It is classified as a “collision sport” by the NCAA but, according to one lacrosse parent, around 40% of the injuries come from sprains and strains rather than from contact. Womens’ lacrossse is largely non-contact, and mens’ requires protective gear so it’s less to do with being clobbered by sticks and more to do with the physical exertion of playing. It’s relatively safe, but there were still over 90,000 injuries in a year – a lot for a less widespread sport, although it does all include figures for rugby and “miscellaneous ball sports”.

9. Skating

For some reason, the list differentiates between Skating (81,050 injuries) and In-line Skating (16,701) but combining the two gets you a grand total of 97,751. For both sets, the highest rate of injury occurs in 5-14-year-olds, suggesting that a lot of those injuries happen when kids are learning to skate and therefore falling over a lot. Another study of 186 roller-skating injuries gives the average age as 25.3, but also says skaters had a higher chance of being injured if they didn’t do other sports, “especially on their first try”. So it’s only dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing – the problem is the stage you go through when you’re trying to figure out what you’re doing…and that’s where the fractures and soft-tissue injuries occur…

8. Snowboarding and Skiing

There’s a few of these kind of “attach yourself to something and go somewhere at speed” kind of sports in the list, which will surprise absolutely no-one. These winter sports only come so far down the list because they’re very location-specific – if this was done by state, it’s unlikely that Florida would have huge amounts of snowboarding accidents. Still, the total is an impressive 103, 274 and 38,585 of those are in the 15-24 age group – again, not too surprising. As a third unsurprising fact, men make up around two thirds of all snowboarding (and skiing) injuries – so we can guess that a lot of these injured people are young men. a population group known for their love of speed and showing off. But that’s just a guess, of course…

7. Skateboarding

And here’s another of those injury-inducing body attachments. Skateboard injuries totalled 130,627 in 2010 and again it was teenagers and young people hurting themselves, with 58,891 in the 5-14 age group and 56,190 in the 15-24 group. Again, there was also a clear male/female divide, with 110, 131 of those 130,000 injuries being men. You also have to give some kudos to the 185 pensioners that damaged themselves skateboarding – and hope they didn’t do any major damage. Obviously, skateboarding is a mode of transport as well as a competitive sport but we’re counting it because the majority of people that skate do it for fun rather than for commuting. Although that fun seems to end up in the ER a lot…

6. Swimming

All these sports come with inherent risks, but swimming is the only one where you put yourself in danger by just entering the sports arena. Humans aren’t ideally designed to breathe in the water, and so it’s possible for even experienced swimmers to get into danger in the pool if something unexpected happens. But it’s not drowning that causes most swimming injuries – it’s the repetitive strain of doing the same strokes for miles on end and this is the main risk for competitive swimmers. There were 202,051 in total in 2010, although that also takes into account injuries caused by pool equipment. Enough to make you want to stay on dry land.

5. Soccer

Of course, these sports are far more dangerous when there are other people involved, and contact sports like soccer are a prime source of injuries. The total for soccer is 226,142, which is quite high considering it’s a bit of a minority sport in America – there are just 11 teams in the professional league, the North American Soccer League. It’s unclear how many people play it at an amateur level, but those injuries have to come from somewhere – the 95,854 in the 5-14 age group suggest that a lot of them are due to kids having a kick-around rather than professional players. Those tackles can be quite vicious, even when it’s just a game in the yard!

4. Baseball/Softball

Adding hard bats into a game only increases the chance of injury, doesn’t it? That’s what the injury statistics for baseball and softball – 282,008 – tell us. But bats actually feature little in the list of common baseball injuries, which include shoulder muscles tearing (from pitching), knee injuries from running and fractured skulls from balls moving at 100mph. The combination of fast running, fast swinging and people moving in different directions is clearly quite hazardous and once again it seems to be the younger players that get themselves hurt – 114,004 of the injuries are in the 5-14 age group. You can imagine there’s a lot of running the wrong way and banging heads together between bases!

3. Football

One of the most notorious games for injuring teenagers is football. Despite all that protective equipment, 199,414 of them managed to sustain an injury in 2010 which probably led to a lot of time off school. But again, it’s dwarfed by the number of injuries in the 5-14 group – a massive 240,879 – and there are even 1,644 injuries in the 0-5 group – obviously the best way to sustain a national game is to start them very young. All of which leads to a total of 489,676, of which 462,506 were male. Remarkably, however, only 10,801 of these injuries required a hospital admission – that’s just 2% of all injuries, and less than the number of hospital admissions in that year for injuries related to opening cans (13,014). So it might seem like a very dangerous sport, and there are a lot of injuries but the volume of injuries is to do with the sheer popularity of the sport, and it seems that serious injury is rare. Still, strap the protective equipment on your kid before you let them play on the team.

2. Basketball

You wouldn’t think that basketball would outdo football for danger, would you? But with a daunting 528,584 injuries, it does. The peak here is slightly later than football, with the majority being in the 15-24 group (258,225) and a further 102,212 in the 25-64s. But that’s not to say the kids don’t still hurt themselves – another 165,240 clock in at the 5-14 range. So, what’s so dangerous about basketball? Well, there’s the impact that jumping has on your body – compressing bones and putting strain on muscles – and the physical exertion of the constant dribbling when in play. A lot of the injuries are strains and sprains, with the hamstring being a common muscle to damage but, like football, you have to consider how popular basketball is when looking at the volume of injuries.

1. Cycling

Now cycling may seem like a bit of a cheat, being a mode of transport as well as a sport, but considering that the national rate of cycle-commuters is just 0.61% (but on the rise), we can assume that most people who cycle do it for leisure rather than to get to work. And the vast majority of bicycle-related injuries are in the 5-14 age group – 206,546 out of the total 541,746. There’s also a frightening level of injury in the 0-4 age group, with over 28,000 preschooler visits by to the ER in 2010. Bikes are dangerous. They are high off the ground, relative to your height, they are vulnerable to the smallest dent in the road surface and they have to share space with cars and lorries – at least they do in cities like London, where 6 cyclists have died in the last few weeks. But for an independently-minded kid, there is nothing more convenient than a bike and so they remain popular with the 5-14s, even when they keep falling off them. But take comfort – 506,749 of those were “treated and released” to go crash again, so although bike injuries are common they’re rarely serious. Still, a safe winner of our “most dangerous sport” title.

March 28, 2018
Top 10 White Rappers

Over the course of the past few decades, hip-hop has risen to become one of the more prominent popular music genres. Though its prime cultural origins lay upon the streets of The Bronx, New York City, the genre has spread far and wide since its conception in the early 1970’s. Created largely by the predominantly African American communities which inhabited the area at this time, hip hop was crafted off the back of block party culture. During such parties, a DJ would be charged with providing a concise stream of appropriate music for the enjoyment of the assembled crowds. Genres of choice typically centered around soul, reggae, dub and funk music, leading to experimentation amongst DJ’s, who began to isolating beats and coming up with their own fresh ideas. Eventually, the music acted to incorporate vocal parts, and hip-hop began its journey towards its current form. Whilst the genre belonged solely to black artists back then, in time people of all ethnicities provided input. Today, hip-hop is arguably far more based around the particular social background of an individual, as opposed to strictly being relative to their race, religion or ethnicity. In celebration of this perspective, let’s take a look at some of the most credit-worthy Caucasian hip-hop artists or ‘rappers’ to have emerged in recent years.

10. Brother Ali

Brother Ali is a white hip-hop lyricist who was born and raised in the United States’ ‘Midwest’ region. Born in Wisconsin in 1974, he settled along with his family in Minneapolis, Minnesota aged 15 in 1992. It was around the same time that Ali (birth name Jason Newman) converted to Islam, and began practicing the religion habitually. Influenced further by a school trip to Malaysia focusing on the study of the lesser exposed liberal side of his new found religion, Newman soon turned to hip-hop as a medium through which to vent his views and opinions. Ali is also an albino, a fact which often dictates his portrayal in the popular media.

9. Sage Francis

Native of Providence, Rhode Island and founder of Strange Famous Records, Sage Francis (real name Paul Francis), has been releasing highly acclaimed music since 1996. Born in Miami, Florida in 1976, Francis first gained widespread recognition within the hip-hop community on the back of a win at the Scribble Jam ‘emcee’ battle in 2000. By 2002 he had signed to Hollywood based punk-rock label ‘Epitaph Records’, making history as the first rapper to do so. Releasing five albums since then, and touring the US extensively, Sage Francis has become one of the most notable white rappers in the industry at present.

8. Lunar C

Perhaps the youngest MC on this list, Lunar C is one of the most recent rappers to emerge from the UK’s thriving underground hip-hop/grime scene. Born Jake Brook in Bradford, West Yorkshire in 1990—he began performing under the pseudonym ‘Lunar C’ as a teenager, competing in battle raps and releasing his first mix-tape ‘The Lunar CD’ in 2010. Though an accomplished songwriter, Lunar’s true talents arguably lie within the field of improvised competitive rap battles. Competing in six consecutive battles for UK based battle league ‘Don’t Flop’, Lunar remains unbeaten. All of his battles can be found on YouTube, and are extremely entertaining.

7. MC Serch

Born Michael Berrin in Queens, New York, 1967- MC Serch has been a functioning hip-hop artist since the mid 1980’s. Coming from a Jewish family, he began his musical career as a student of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Founding rap trio ‘3^rd Bass’ with Pete Nice and DJ Richie Rich in 1987, MC Serch went on to release three studio albums with the group through the infamous Def-Jam imprint, as well as solo effort ‘Return of the Product’ in 1992. Recently, Berrin has stuck to production and DJing as opposed to rapping, however earlier this month it was revealed that 3^rd Bass are set to reunite in order to tour in celebration of the 25^th anniversary of the groups pivotal ‘Cactus Album’.

6. Cage

Born Chris Palko in Wurzburg, Germany- Cage is an American rapper based out of Middletown, New York. Active as a rapper since 1991, Palko found notoriety as a result of his run-ins with the law as well as his raw and subversive material. Making a steady impression on the East Coast underground throughout the 1990’s Palko’s debut album emerged after he signed a deal with Eastern Conference Records. Entitled ‘Movies for the Blink’, the album made some serious waves upon its release in the summer of 2002. Since this time, Cage has gone on to release three more full lengths, with another LP, entitled ‘Kill the Architect’ scheduled to be released in the next few months.

5. Slug

Hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Slug (real name Sean Michael Daley) is best known for his membership of hip-hop collective ‘Atmosphere’. Beginning his career aged 16/17 in 1989, Slug initially took a backseat when it came to Atmosphere, providing the beats whilst reflective member Spawn took control of the lyrics. Eventually however, Daley found himself to be much more confident when it came to carrying out the duties of a hip-hop MC. Numerous collaborations and invitations to appear on mix-tapes later, and he was at the forefront of a thriving rap scene. In the time since the very earliest days of Atmosphere, Slug has released some 20 LP’s as part of the collective, as well as numerous others as part of various collectives. Currently, he operates his own record label ‘Girl Records’, which focuses on releasing rock music, to which Daley is apparently also very partial.

4. Asher Roth

Born and raised in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, Asher Roth has been active as a rapper since 2005. During this time, the 27-year-old has struck record deals with the likes of Universal, Schoolboy, SRC and Def Jam, leading to a whole lot of international exposure and the release of one critically acclaimed album (2009’s ‘Asleep in the Bread Aisle’) and a host of EP’s and mix-tapes. Roth is known for his comical confrontation of the fact that he was raised in the suburbs, and seeks in many ways to end the stereotype that hip-hop may only be created honestly from those dwelling in tough inner-city areas.

3. Mike Skinner

Known primarily as the mastermind behind British hip-hop’s household name ‘The Streets’, Mike Skinner was born in Birmingham, England in 1978. Skinner began experimenting with music at a very early age, and by his teens had developed a passionate interest in hip-hop music. Soon, he was honing his skills as a producer too, and began recording bedroom demos via a home set-up that he created from scratch. Whilst still attending school, Skinner worked a series of dead-end fast food jobs in order to fund his passion, sending off regular demos and maintaining hopes of starting his own independent label. After several years toiling away perfecting his work, The Streets eventually signed a distribution deal with UK based Locked On records and released debut album ‘Original Pirate Material’, in 2002. The LP was a hit amongst fans of hip-hop, grime and garage in his native UK, and soon spread to a trans-Atlantic audience also. Over the next decade, Skinner released four more albums under the moniker, becoming one of the UK’s most celebrated artists in the process.

2. Beastie Boys

An infamous name in world hip-hop; Beastie Boys are a group of Jewish rappers who formed in New York City, 1981. Originally a punk-rock act- the band made the transition to hip-hop following the genres gathering of momentum in the late 70’s/early 80’s. Maintaining many of their previous rock and roll quirks, Beastie Boys forged their own piece of what was then a predominantly black genre. Signing with Def-Jam records in 1984, after its formation at the hands of their then DJ/producer Rick Rubin, the ensemble released their highly coveted debut album ‘License to Ill’ in 1986. From this point onwards, the group were catapulted into the limelight, gathering a reputation as one of the most exciting contemporary acts on the planet.

1. Eminem

Arguably the biggest name in hip-hop currently, Eminem was born Marshall Mather’s in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1972. Doing most of his growing up in Detroit, Michigan, Marshall became involved with the cities underground hip-hop scene at a relatively early age- toiling his way through a series of medial jobs and creating music whenever possible. He received his first break aged 25 following a 2^nd place finish at 1997’s ‘Rap Olympics’. Upon the strength of his performance, Interscope Records requested a demo tape from Mather’s, with this material in turn securing him a record deal, as well as being responsible for getting Dr Dre on-board as a potential producer. Since the release of his major label debut ‘The Slim Shady LP’ in 1998, Eminem has risen to become the most acclaimed hip-hop artist of the current generation. Releasing six solo albums, as well as three as part of the ensemble ‘D12’, he has become a household name within popular music.

March 2, 2018
Top 10 Greatest Fight Scenes

At the heart of every great movie, there’s a great fight scene. Some, like “Pride and Prejudice” may involved people in crinolines arguing over the state of Lizzy Bennett’s dress. Others involve nunchucks. If you prefer the latter kind of fight, we have some treats for you! Hand-picked below are what we believe are the ten greatest fight scenes of all time. Everyone has their favorite, and if yours isn’t here I apologise now. But for drama, skill or just pure comedy here are our choices of the Top 10 Greatest Fight Scenes.

10. The Karate Kid: Daniel Larusso vs Johnny Lawrence

Here’s a classic of the “films about fighting” genre. The eponymous kid is facing off against Johnny, a fighter from the Cobra Kais, a karate gang that have been hassling Daniel all through the film. He’s fighting on a part-injured knee, after another Cobra Kai dealt him a low blow and left his trainer to mystically heal it. A tense fight ensues, during which it looks like Daniel is being walked all over by Johnny as onlookers threaten him with body bags and mean things like that. But then the stirring music starts, Daniel takes up the crane position and ker-pow! He wins! So very 80s, but I would challenge anyone to watch it and not be a little bit stirred.

9. The Princess Bride: Westley vs Inigo Montoya

Now, this fight has a little bit of everything – snappy dialogue, some fancy swordwork and even a couple of twists. Oh, and a remarkably fake looking backdrop. From the opening gambits ( “You seem like a decent fellow, I hate to kill you”, “You seem like a decent fellow, I hate to die”) it escalates into a full-on, jumping, swooping, twirling duel. Halfway through, they both reveal that they are fighting deliberately left-handed in order to make it more fun and once they swap hands, the action ramps up again. The eventual outcome is perfect – Westley wins, but refuses to kill an “artist” like Inigo. Instead, he just knocks him unconscious and runs off. Sheer brilliance.

8. Star Wars – Revenge of the Sith: Anakin Skywalker vs Obi Wan Kenobi

Now, don’t dismiss me for giving any credit to any of the Star Wars prequels. I can mock Jar-Jar with the best of them, trust me. But there are good moments in the pre-trilogy trilogy, such as this confrontation between Anakin (soon to become Darth Vader) and his former mentor, Obi Wan. Sparks fly (literally), there’s a lot of fast-paced lightsaber action, and there’s a great moment about 3 minutes in where they both jump onto a gas-pipe thing and wobble there for a bit, not really doing anything, before jumping back off.

That’s an unusual bit of realism in a fight that takes in lava lakes, collapsing structures and Ewan McGregor just looking damn manly a lot. It also seems to go on forever, but it’s not a bad use of 8 minutes or so. As you’d expect, there’s also some very stirring music and, yes, some painfully wooden dialog. It may not be a classic film, but it’s a classic scene.

7. Rocky:Rocky Balboa vs Apollo Creed

It’s another classic “fight” movie, and this showdown was often aspired to, but never bettered in the subsequent films. The “Italian Stallion” took on the “Count of Monte Fisto” in a classic underdog challenge. Balboa seems to be knocked down at one point, but he gets up again….and still loses in the end. But don’t worry, there’s a rematch or two.

What made this fight classic was not only the unexpected ending, but also the stirring music and the palpable tension. And also the way that both men gleam in an almost unreal way. But before you worry that it’s glamorizing violence, consider that Rocky emerges with eye damage and Apollo with internal bleeding. It’s not all shiny sweat and stars and stripes shorts you know…

6. The Matrix Reloaded: Neo vs Agent Smiths

The Matrix was ground-breaking in many ways that we just don’t remember nowadays. Many of the effects, such as the slowed-down fight sequences, have been copied hundreds of times but in 1999 they were extraordinary. So when the sequels came out back-to-back a few years later, the Wachowski brothers had to come up with something new. Neo’s main enemy had been established as Agent Smith, so what could be scarier than a whole army of Agent Smiths? There’s some kind of plot device to set it up, but the resulting fight is pacey and cool, as the Agents just keep coming. Neo looks confused, as he is prone to do, but takes them down with some awesome flying kicks and a pole. Another fight won against the odds.

5. Casino Royale: James Bond vs Various Goons

James Bond has always had some impressive fights scenes, but Casino Royale was the gritty “reboot” after the silliness of the Pierce Brosnan years, and the fight scenes are fittingly visceral. The staircase fight isn’t the most elaborate fight in 007 history – it’s not on top of a moving train or underwater or anything fun like that. But it’s brutal, it’s fast-moving and features some great acting by Daniel Craig as he mercilessly strangles “Generic Goon #2”. One of many moments in the film where it was clear just how un-touchy-feely this Bond was.

It’s another fight where the hero is outnumbered but still manages to triumph, and there’s a woman who only stands around looking helpless half the time rather than the whole time. She even joins in towards the end.

4. Shaun of the Dead: Survivors vs John

And now for something completely different…. This fight warrants a mention not because of its elegance or brutality, but because of its comedy brilliance. To the opening strains of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” (“toniiight I’m gonna have myself a real good time….”), our heroes stand poised with pool cues as zombie pub landlord John stumbles towards them. As the music kicks in, they start battering the old man with the cues in time to the music.

There is something just genius about an old zombie man being beaten up to the accompaniment of Freddie Mercury’s enthusiastic vocals. Top moment comes when heroine Liz batters him with a fire extinguisher on the line “Woah woah woah woah woah explode!” before unleashing a barrage of CO2 in his face. Definitely the best comedy British zombie fight scene ever.

3. Kill Bill Vol 1: The Bride vs The Crazy 88

If other fights seem difficult to win, try being Uma Thurman as she takes on 88 masked psychopaths. Still only recently revived from a coma, she somehow manages to take them all on and win. There is swordfighting, ninja skills, removing appendages with one swift grab, and a few handily-placed axes. And one comedy moment, where a not-so-crazy 88er looks scared and backs away, only to receive a merciful fling into a nearby pool instead of death.

Unusually for Tarantino, it’s not all soundtracked – the first few minutes you can hear nothing but the swishing of sounds and cries of pain. Not unusually for Tarantino, it’s absolutely soaked in blood and gore – not one for watching in front of your 4-year-old (and I speak from experience). There are two versions of this scene floating about – one in full color and the other fading from black and white to color. Both are pretty cool.

2. Enter the Dragon:Lee vs Han

Another seminal fighting-based movie, with marital arts taking center stage in Bruce Lee‘s final film (released posthumously). The ending is particularly classic, with Bruce taking on the villain in a hall of mirrors, being swiped at from every angle by a bladed hand. Lee’s character (also called Lee) is disorientated at first and then smashes the mirrors and impales Han on his own spear. It’s just an example of a master at work, with every move precise and targeted. Unlike some of the modern action sequences, it’s not about effects and showy moves, it’s just lightning-quick skill. All the more poignant for being so soon before his death.

1. Fight Club: “Jack” vs himself

But for the ultimate fighting movie, where there is fight scene upon fight scene you can’t get better than 1999’s Fight Club. Superficially about men beating each other up, it carried a much deeper meaning and a clever plot twist at the end that skewed the rest of the film. It’s tough to choose one fight scene from such a violence-ridden film but for sheer originality, the prize has to go to Edward Norton for beating himself up in front of his boss, when his boss is trying to fire him. Not only is it surreal and unusual, it’s also incredibly brutal – Edward Norton’s unnamed character (often referred to as “Jack”) shows himself no mercy as he smashes himself through glass shelves and tables, all the time begging for mercy from his bewildered looking manager. A modern classic.

February 13, 2018
Top Ten Games for Android – Page 2 of 2

5. GRAND THEFT AUTO III

The sprawling crime epic that changed open-world games forever. Welcome to Liberty City; where it all began. Rockstar Games celebrates the 10th anniversary of one of the most influential games of all time. The critically acclaimed blockbuster Grand Theft Auto III comes to mobile devices, bringing to life the dark and seedy underworld of Liberty City. With a massive and diverse open world, a wild cast of characters from every walk of life and the freedom to explore at will, Grand Theft Auto III puts the dark, intriguing and ruthless world of crime at your fingertips

4. ASPHALT 6: ADRENALINE

Race the world. Feel the adrenaline. Feel the thrill of arcade racing like never before in the newest adrenaline-pumping game of the Asphalt series. You can build your dream collection; discover 42 cars and bikes from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Ducati and other world-class manufacturers. Collect them in your own 3D garage. You can also race your friends, leave the world in your dust, challenge the best, and take advantage of several tuning options to push your vehicle’s performance to the top shelf.

3. DRAW SOMETHING

The most popular social drawing and guessing game on Android! Play the Free version of Draw Something, the most popular social drawing and guessing game on Android! Experience for yourself the laugh-out-loud game your friends are raving about! Plus get these special bonuses: 900+ Words to Draw and 5 FREE Bombs. All you need to do is actually draw something, send it out to an opponent and wait for him to guess exactly what your drawing was all about. It’s pretty much like a virtual Pictionary.

2. TEMPLE RUN

Run for your life! The addictive mega-hit Temple Run is now out for Android! All your friends are playing it – can you beat their high scores?! You’ve stolen the cursed idol from the temple, and now you have to run for your life to escape the Evil Demon Monkeys nipping at your heels. Test your reflexes as you race down ancient temple walls and along sheer cliffs. Swipe to turn, jump and slide to avoid obstacles, collect coins and buy power ups, unlock new characters, and see how far you can run!

1. ANGRY BIRDS

Use the unique powers of the Angry Birds to destroy the greedy pigs’ fortresses! The survival of the Angry Birds is at stake. Dish out revenge on the greedy pigs who stole their eggs. Use the unique powers of each bird to destroy the pigs’ defenses. Angry Birds features challenging physics-based gameplay and hours of replay value. Each level requires logic, skill, and force to solve. If you get stuck in the game, you can purchase the Mighty Eagle! Mighty Eagle is a one-time in-app purchase in Angry Birds that gives unlimited use. This phenomenal creature will soar from the skies to wreak havoc and smash the pesky pigs into oblivion.

February 9, 2018
Top 10 Fictional Schools

My son has just started school and I was pretty sure I knew what to expect – he’d be solving mysteries and sneaking out of the dormitories for midnight feasts. But so far, it just seems to be learning about shapes and things. Doubtless the fact that he’s not at a boarding school will also impede his ability to have midnight feasts as well, but the whole thing is disappointing for someone brought up on traditional school stories. Of course, he could go to the new kind of school, where everyone breaks into song spontaneously in the corridor all the time but those don’t seem to exist either. So, let’s just leave reality aside for a moment and celebrate the Top 10 Fictional Schools.

10. St Trinian’s

If it’s mad escapades that you’re looking for, look no further than the naughty schoolgirls of St Trinian’s. Starting life as a series of cartoons, the antics of the smoking, drinking schoolgirls became first books and then a series of films. We’ll ignore the recent remakes, on the grounds that they were rubbish. Typically, a St Trinian’s girl would know how to use a hockey stick (as a weapon) and how to roll up a school skirt to reveal the maximum amount of leg. As a cross-dressing Alistair Sim said in the films: “In other schools girls are sent out quite unprepared into a merciless world, but when our girls leave here, it is the merciless world which has to be prepared” Not a school for the faint hearted.

9. East High School

Unlike the other schools on the list, East High is not strictly fictional. But the version of the school that is familiar to millions through the “High School Musical” movies is very different to the real version. The actual East High is located in Salt Lake City, Utah (the movie is also filmed at other schools in the area) but the film is set in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Also, the real school doesn’t have ridiculously good-looking teenagers doing spontaneous dance routines in the hallways and only communicating with each other through the medium of song. Still, the real school has quite a busy tourist trade now, as fanatical pre-teens flock to see the spot where Troy and Gabriella sang together. Not quite a fictional school but it might as well be!

8. Trebizon

We’re back in the world of English girls’ boarding schools now, with a series of books set at the Trebizon School. Written in the 80s and early 90s as a kind of modern update of the Enid Blyton tales, it still seems dated now, with stereotyped characters (Tomboy Tish, Sensible Sue) and stilted dialogue. But it seems fun enough, with the focus on tennis and hockey as well as surfing on the Cornish beaches. And, in the school story tradition, there was a mystery to solve every term. What was remarkable about the Trebizon series is that occasionally the endings were actually surprising, unlike most children’s books where the “twist” can be seen a mile off. They may not be bang up-to-date but they’re entertaining reads.

7. William McKinley High

But don’t invest in that hockey kit yet – here’s another tempting fictional school you might want to consider. Based on the HSM model of spontaneous showtunes, the school in “Glee” sees more than its fair share of drama…and music. Where else would the school assemblies feature a fully-choreographed Britney Spears number? The teachers are unusual too -from sarcastic coach Sue Sylvester to overly sincere Spanish teacher Will Schuester, who spends approximately 1% of his time teaching Spanish, 90% of his time coaching the Glee club and the remaining 9% chasing and then rejecting various womenfolk. Don’t send your child there if you want them to get a good education, but do consider it if you want them to have a lively romantic life and awesome high-kicks.

6. The Chalet School

The Chalet School is an English boarding school in everything but location. Set in Austria because one of the main characters was ill and needed the fresher air, the school moved around a lot during the Second World War and only briefly stopped in the UK. The 60 books were written by Elinor Brent-Dyer and followed the story of the school’s founding members as they grew up and had their own children (who were, of course, educated at the Chalet School too). A children’s classic of the “jolly hockey sticks” genre, it does read as slightly sexist and unrealistic by today’s standards but it has its own charm. Nearly 90 years after the publication of the first novel, the fan club “Friends of the Chalet School” are still extolling the virtues of climbing mountains and having fun with your chums.

5. Grange Hill

A world away from the clean air and pure living of the Chalet School is Grange Hill. A British TV series set in a North London secondary school (similar to a high school), it was gritty and dealt with the issues that teenagers faced in the mid 80s. One character’s heroin addiction eventually led to a single (“Just Say No”) and the Grange Hill cast appeared at the White House to secure Nancy Reagan‘s backing for their anti-drugs campaign. The series actually ran for 30 years, from 1978 to 2008, but never quite regained the highs of that mid 80s trip to Pennsylvania Avenue. During that time, it saw hundreds of “students” pass through the school doors, and a myriad of issues covered from dwarfism to rape. If you did want to send your kid to a fictional school, this probably wouldn’t be high on your list.

4. Sunnydale High

Talking of schools you probably wouldn’t send your kids to, how about one where students “skip straight to the obits” when reading the school paper? Yes, it’s Sunnydale High, as featured in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and its attractive features include a sunlit courtyard and a freakishly high mortality rate. There’s also a bell tower that’s perfect for students wishing to shoot themselves, a gym where cheerleaders occasionally combust and a cafeteria where the food sometimes turns into snakes. Oh, and a gloomy library stocked with nothing but books on witchcraft and demons. And it’s also a hole in the ground, following the finale of series 7. But don’t let that put you off – they have a lovely prom, apparently. With barely any hellhounds.

3. Malory Towers

There are many stories set in girls’ boarding schools in Britain but this is perhaps the definitive one. Written by Enid Blyton, it follows the story of “hotheaded” Darrell Rivers, who gets herself into trouble all the time, thanks to her temper. But at heart, she’s a “good egg”. Midnight feasts are compulsory, Lacrosse is the game of choice and there are larks aplenty. But there are some dark issues covered, even in the first book when Darrell almost kills a girl called Sally, who is later proved to be a compulsive liar, pathologically jealous of her baby sister. There’s a lot of rage pent up in this school by the sea. But somehow it has become the blueprint for every school story written ever since, and the planned destination of every small girl who had ever packed a suitcase and declared themselves “off to boarding school” Or was that just me?

2. Bayside High School

In some ways the American equivalent of “Grange Hill”, “Saved by the Bell” ran from 1989 to 1993 and was set in Bayside High School, but was an altogether lighter proposition than the gritty British show. True, there were occasional serious issues dealt with, like drugs and divorce, but it was mostly just a gang of kids getting through high school as best they could and the fun they had along the way. The clothes were bad, the hair was even worse, but it was cool in its own, very geeky way. The exploits of Screech, Slater, Lisa, Kelly, Jessie and Zack spawned several spin-offs and has even made it onto lists of the best comedy shows ever. If you had to choose a TV school for your child, you could do worse than Bayside.

1. Hogwarts

But why settle for an an ordinary school when you could choose a magic one? True, the student mortality rate equals that of Sunnydale High and there may still be a basilisk lurking around the basement somewhere, but think of all the cool things they’d learn! Floating pencils, summoning silvery things to ward off things you never knew you had to worry about…all great life skills that they can take out into the workplace! Of course, the big disadvantage is the exclusivity – it’s invitation only, and if you wait until your child’s 11th birthday for the letter confirming their place, then you’ve probably missed out on applying to other educational options. So, if you suspect your child is all-Muggle (or a squib), then Hogwarts isn’t the place for them. Good luck in explaining why their school will have no broomsticks or magically-appearing food. But if they seem too disappointed, remember that not attending Hogwarts greatly improves your chances of surviving to graduation!

February 5, 2018
Top 10 Most Underrated Movies

Movies, as an art-form which acts to embody the last century of human culture, are an extremely subjective affair. While there are many separate institutions in place with the solitary goal of determining the most celebration-worthy releases year in, year out- this entire practice could be regarded as an exercise in futility. At the end of the day, individual taste should, and in most cases does, have far more influence than any amount of acclaim or hype ever could. It is this fact that surely allows our film industry to be so vast in the first place, with so many tastes to please- the possibilities when it comes to original filmmaking are fundamentally endless. With this, it could be said that each person you ask will not only have a loose list of movies that they regard as the best of all-time, but a list of those that they believe deserve way more recognition than they have received thus far. This list is an example of both the latter and an exercise in futility. Basically, I compiled a list of 10 films which I feel are far better than the critics have let-on. Either you’ll agree or you won’t, but seeing as I’ve already resigned myself to the bottomless pit that is futility, I care not.

10. Apocalypto (2006)

It doesn’t take the most in-tune of souls to observe the landslide which has engulfed ol’ Mel Gibson’s career of late. Despite rising to prominence as one of the 1980’s most popular action-adventure go-to guys, the American/Australian has spent the last decade or so slowly falling off the wagon, so to speak. With the whole drink-driving/anti-Semitic comments made to a police officer thing, poor Mel’s reputation amongst his a-list peers has gone right downhill. When such a thing occurs in Hollywood, a combination of isolation and rejection usually takes hold, driving an individual into further would-be beaver-puppet-toting obscurity. While 57-year-old Mel’s days in front of the camera may be drawing to a close, few can deny his prowess as a director behind the camera. A personal favourite work of his being 2006’s ‘Apocalypto’, a tale of sheer despair and against-all-odds perseverance set against the stunning backdrop of pre-Spanish conquest South American jungle. Wonderful stuff.

9. Atonement (2007)

Based on the 2001 novel of the same name from English author Ian McEwan, Atonement is a sombre tale of love, sin and war set stunningly over six decades commencing in the 1930’s. Documenting a severe crime, or rather the accusation of one, and its consequences upon three main characters throughout a lifetime, this is a brooding tale far from offering the blockbuster action packed qualities many have come to expect from today’s ‘good’ movies. With an expertly selected cast including James McAvoy, Keira Knightley and Saoirse Ronan, Atonement is an extremely slow-burning affair, which may explain the lack of pundit enthusiasm upon its release.

8. Casino Royale (2006)

I may be cheating a little by including a James Bond movie; however I genuinely believe Daniel Craig’s first foray into the world of the slick MI6 agent to be massively understated amongst fan and critic alike. Fair enough, it is a remake of an already depicted Bond plot, and fair enough- Pierce Brosnan was an outstanding Bond, but there comes a time in every Bonds life when he must step aside and make way for a new, younger though equally as swarve and enviable model. Stepping into such shoes is a task most fail to recognise in terms of its sheer pressure and implication, and I for one feel Mr Craig did, and continues to three movies in, an excellent job.

7. The Godfather Part III (1990)

Now, of all the items on this list- I expect this one to cause the most conflicting opinion. When it comes to this, arguably the greatest trilogy of movies ever created, there are two main sects of popular opinion. The first acts to categorise the third movie as a world apart (and behind) its predecessors, condemning it to an eternity of comparisons which I personally feel to be unfair as well as irrelevant. The second sect, which with every day that passes I believe more and more I may be the sole member of, sets-aside any form of comparison on the strength of several contributing factors. The first of which being that it arrived almost two decades after parts one and two, and the second that part III never was intended to be considered alongside parts one and two. Director Francis Ford Coppola and writer Mario Puzo wanted the movie to be called: ‘The Death of Michael Corleone’, though the studio would not accept such a title.

6. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

Before I commence my case for this Russel Crowe starring, Peter Weir directed majestic Napoleonic war era naval epic, I should probably point out that it was nominated for ten Oscars and won two of them (Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing). With such accolades under its belt, ten years on from the movie’s release it may be fair to say it’s not exactly the most underrated piece of cinema in existence. Despite the Oscars (which we already established back in the intro are in fact futile and meaningless), Master and Commander remains, at least in my opinion, wildly underrated. Not only does the movie document one of the most important eras of European history (everyone forgets about Napoleon trying to take over the world just because Hitler did it 120 years later), but its aesthetically stunning, historically flawless and simply action packed in the best possible way.

5. Office Space (1999)

A movie I only checked out very recently despite having heard of it several times previously. Upon inspection of the synopsis, this definition-of-quirky 90’s comedy doesn’t exactly sound like the most interesting or original of specimens. A satirical take on the monotony of day-jobbing in which several characters intertwine, a love affair spawns and life-long friendships are formed. Going in, this is all one may expect from the entire 89mins of runtime. However, what viewers are actually met with is one of the most enlightening, comical and relatable tales ever committed to film. Completely unadventurous in the best imaginable way, Office Space tracks the day to day life of one computer software company employee, Peter Gibbons (played exceptionally by Ron Livingston), and his journey from self-aware depression to unhinged freedom and the gaining of Joanna’s (Jennifer Aniston) affections. If you ever feel weighed down or caged in with the way your life’s going, this movie is certainly worth a go.

4. Almost Famous (2000)

This semi-autobiographical piece from renowned music writer turned filmmaker Cameron Crowe follows the quite miraculous adventure of a young schoolboy in the 1970’s. From a brief liaison with prolific rock critic Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour-Hoffman ), 15-year-old William Miller is offered the chance to head out on tour with up and coming rockers ‘Stillwater’, charged with reporting back to Rolling Stone Magazine. This coming of age comedy/drama is an absolute must-see for any fans of the 1970’s rock scene, and in turn pop-culture itself. I could write for hours on the films merits, however its best for all of us if you just go and watch it- right now.

3. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Steven Spielberg Directed, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken and Leonardo DiCaprio starring: I’m going to have a very hard time convincing anyone that this movie is in any way underrated. A biographical crime movie documenting the exploits of 1960’s fraudster Frank Abegnale Jnr, Catch Me If You Can was originally intended for production in the early 1980’s, however book rights were unable to be secured until the late 1990’s. The mix of period perfection and the general quality of Abegnale’s extensive story makes this movie a personal favourite. Far too much comparison to other, perhaps less frivolous Spielberg works amongst critics, do it the opposite of justice.

2. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

A staple horror movie for any child of the 1990’s, The Blair Witch Project is not only a cult classic, but a pioneering piece of work within the recently established ‘found-footage’ genre within contemporary horror cinema. The movie is presented as the recovered footage of several young college student filmmakers on a mission to create a documentary about the legend of the ‘Blair Witch’, local to rural Maryland, in 1994. With a budget of $22,500, Director Eduardo Sanchez does incredibly well to animate both his three main characters and the sinister legend of the witch. Shot in a creepy greyscale and containing a host of ridiculously believable situations, shots and interviews- the movie succeeds in being one of the most scary yet unrevealing of all time, at least in my opinion.

1. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

A must-see for any fond follower of independent cinema, Little Miss Sunshine is the charming tale of the hapless Hoover family of New-Mexico, and their many internal issues and conflicts. Centred around their journey to a Californian beauty pageant, into which daughter Olive is entered, the Hoovers are forced into a lengthy road trip together, resulting in an equal amount of comical and hugely dramatic occurrences. With one of the most complimentary casts I firmly believe I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching (Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, Paul Dano, Steve Carell, Abigail Breslin, Toni Collette), it’s a heartfelt yet fully engage-worthy piece of modern cinema.

December 20, 2017
Top 10 Novels by Sidney Sheldon

I’m sure all of you are familiar with this remarkable writer. It was his books that got me hooked on reading in the first place and I loved every novel I ever read from the late Sidney Sheldon. He was born on the 11^th of February 1917 in Chicago, Illinois and died at the age of 89 on the 30^{th of} January 2007 in Rancho Mirage, California. He worked as a novelist from the year 1969 to the year 2007 and would generally write novels based on crime, suspense, mystery and thrill. He happens to be the seventh bestselling author of all time. The name of the books are followed by blurbs so you get an idea of what the book might be about. I hope you enjoy the read!

10. If Tomorrow Comes

Lovely and idealistic Tracy Whitney is framed into a fifteen year sentence in an escape-proof penitentiary. With dazzling ingenuity, she fights back to destroy the untouchable crime lords who put her there. With her intelligence and beauty as her only weapons, Tracy embarks on a series of extraordinary escapades that sweep her across the globe. In an explosive confrontation Tracy meets her equal in irresistible Jeff Stevens, whose past is as colorful as Tracy’s.

9. The Best Laid Plans

He wanted power. Oliver Russell is fated to rise to the pinnacle of power, the office of President of the United States. She wanted revenge. Leslie Stewart is his betrayed fiancee, a woman dedicated to a single purpose-the downfall of Oliver Russell. Amassing her own media empire, marshaling all her forces against him, she stands poised to destroy Russell on the eve of his most dazzling triumph. From Sidney Sheldon, the unchallenged master of bestselling fiction, comes a story of blazing ambitions and thwarted love that enthralls and surprises with every page..

8. Bloodline

Sheldon’s sweeping saga of greed and betrayal, sabotage and danger, and the ties that can kill… Roffe and Sons is a family firm, an international empire filled with desperate, cash-hungry family members. At its head was one of the wealthiest men in the world, a man who has just died in a mysterious accident and left his only daughter, Elizabeth, in control of the company. Now as this intelligent, tough, and beautiful young woman dares to save — not sell — Roffe and Sons, she will have to outwit those who secretly want her power, and the unknown assassin who wants her life

7. The Stars Shine Down

In a dazzling global setting from London to New York, Reno to Rome, one woman will find everything she has won–her fortune, her fame, the man she loves–shockingly endangered by a secret with the devastating power to destroy her. HC: Morrow.

6. Tell Me Your Dreams

Computer whiz Ashley Patterson is convinced she is being stalked. Coworker Toni Prescott has a penchant for Internet dating and little time for anyone else. And Alette Peters prefers quiet weekends in the arms of a beefcake artist. They know virtually nothing about each other–until the three women are linked by a murder investigation that will lead to one of the most bizarre trials of the century.

5. Master of The Game

She is the symbol of success, the beautiful woman who parlayed her inheritance into an international conglomerate. Winner of a unique position among the wealthy and world-renowned. And she’s a survivor, indomitable as her father, the man who returned from the edge of death to wrench a fortune in diamonds from the bleak South African earth. Now, celebrating her ninetieth birthday, Kate surveys the family she has manipulated, dominated, and loved: the fair and the grotesque, the mad and the mild, the good and the evil — her winnings in life. Is she the… Master of the Game?

4. Rage of Angels

Jennifer Garner’s life as an attorney takes an unexpected turn when she is wrongly accused of being involved with the Mafia headed by Micheal Moretti. Adam Warner, who is running for the senator’s position brings the love quotient to the proceedings. In trying to save her son’s life Jennifer gets involved in the unlawful dealings of the Mafia and Moretti himself.

3. The Doomsday Conspiracy

When a mysterious weather balloon crashes to earth in the Swiss Alps, the head of the NSA handpicks Robert Bellamy to track down and identify the ten known witnesses to the event. A man whose obsession with his covert assignments has cost him the only woman he can ever love, Bellamy now faces the impossible. But as he searches for clues from Rome to Budapest to Texas, this mission blows up in his face — and rips the lid off an incredible conspiracy that stretches around the globe and even into space…
Alone and betrayed on every side, Bellamy must run for his life — holding an astonishing secret and the key to the planet’s very survival.

2. Nothing Lasts Forever

Three young doctors-their hopes, their dreams, their unexpected desires…Dr. Paige Taylor. She swore it was euthanasia, but when Paige inherited a million dollars from a patient, the D.A. called it murder. Dr. Kat Turner. She vowed never to let another man too close again-until she accepted the challenge of a deadly bet. Dr. Honey Taft. To make it in medicine, she knew she’d need something more than the brains God gave her. Nothing lasts forever races from the life and death decision of a big San Francisco hospital to the tension-packed fireworks of a murder trial. It lays bare the ambitions and fears of healers and killers, lover and betrayers. As the story surges toward its unpredictable climax, Sidney Sheldon proves once again that no reader can outguess the master of the unexpected.

1. Windmills of The Gods

She’s on the glinting edge of East-West confrontation, a beautiful and accomplished scholar who has suddenly become the new US ambassador to an Iron Curtain country, a woman who is about to dramatically change the course of world events – if she lives. For Mary Ashley has been marked for death by the world’s most proficient and mysterious assassin, and plunged into a nightmare of espionage, kidnapping and terror. Only two people – both powerfully attractive and ultimately enigmatic men – can offer her help. But soon she comes to believe that one of them is out to kill her.

December 16, 2017