Happy Face

The King of Kong Oh man, what a film. Documentary that follows the two greatest players of Donkey Kong in the world. It follows the Rocky template and it's not just a case of cramming these people into that story, it's a very valid comparison to make. The current champion (Apollo Creed) is Billy Mitchell, he's been champion for 25 years, he's been the best all his life and he's taken his winning mindset into the boardroom to own a successful hot sauce company that does very well. He's talented and arrogant with it, nobody has come close to his score since he set it in 1982, he's close pals with everyone at the official high score arbitrators which is a mutually beneficial friendship as they court the publicity his talent brings them. The challenger (Rocky) is Steve Weibe, a thoroughly nice bloke that wouldn't say boo to a ghost. He was laid off from his job and struggled to find work to support his wife and kids. He thought Mitchell's record was beatable, so to give his long days purpose he invested in a DK machine and began working at it. From this moment on you can just hear Eye of the Tiger playing. Steve breaks down barrier after barrier in his attempts to get to the top, he submits a tape of a new hi-score that smashes the record, but it's rejected on a technicality. He does it again in person at an official contest, only for the authorities to accept a higher score from a very dodgy tape submitted by their bosom buddy Mitchell. At the contests he's an outsider, Mitchell's cronies are constantly trying to trip him up while keeping Mitchell informed via mobile phone (he hasn't got the bottle to take on the contender face to face). Slowly but surely though, people begin to see through Mitchell, the hard work that Weibe puts in starts to win over not only the authorities but also Mitchell's closest friends. Weibe finds work as a science teacher at the local school, but remains committed to becoming the best at an obvious cost to his personal life, Mitchell on the other hand is never seen practicing, he has no doubt he will always be the best. In the end everyone in the film as well as the viewing audience wants the little man to come good, Mitchell's constant no shows and Weibe's grit swinging favour to the underdog. The look of contempt on Mitchell's face, when watching his best pal talk respectfully about the challenger is worth watching it for alone. I'll not spoil the ending, you think you know, but Rocky was make believe, this is real life. Suffice to say, you don't have to be J69 to enjoy a film about classic arcade machines. They're just the back drop to a film about people, competition, obsession, desire and true sportsmanship. Trailer

What could be a better theme than our faith in Lord God, and the glory of not being taken in by the devils work that are the fake fossils sent to test us. Hallelujah.

Sorry fella.

this is england is next on my list. have you seen it? i've only read good reviews of it I saw This is England before Dead Man's Shoes. At the time I thought it was brilliant, but now having seen both I can say it's not a patch on Dead Man's Shoes, which is colossal.

The Namesake Simple story of a Bengali couple in an arranged marriage that start a new life in the US. They have a couple of kids and the story shifts onto their first son who strives to integrate fully as a typical American youth, at the expense of familial ties. Have to say I was choked by it. Excellent performances from both the parents.

I'll not be too quick to trust any of these 'reviews' then.

I'd be gutted if I'd paid £86 for that, let alone £86,000. I hope it was any good so I can see the DVD, but if it was as slow as the set-list suggests it'll never see the light of day. No Heartbreaker? No Communication Breakdown? Only one track off III? That's a fucking outrage. Yeh i guess it was two hours long and they cant please everybody , but it will be a dvd. Apparently 'Good Times Bad Times' was shite. It just sounds so limp. I wouldn't mind what they played if it was a setlist to wow an audience. I that it was cast iron for them to start with... It's been a long time since I rock-and-rolled It's been a long time since I did the Stroll Ooh, let me get it back, let me get it back, let me get it back ..and a couple of other fast ones to have it moving from the get go. I guess Good Times Bad Times isn't a bad opener like, track 1 album 1 and all that. Mebeez it worked.

I'd be gutted if I'd paid £86 for that, let alone £86,000. I hope it was any good so I can see the DVD, but if it was as slow as the set-list suggests it'll never see the light of day. No Heartbreaker? No Communication Breakdown? Only one track off III? That's a fucking outrage.

Christ that sonds dull. Black Dog is the only track that really rocks. Kashmir is huge, but not yer rock and roll. For Your Life? Wonder how many people in te audience have even heard Presence.

They're neither of them Dustin Hoffman. or Klaus Kinski or Orson Welles or Marlon Brando or Jack Nicholson or Takashi Shimura

You know what'll sort that? Sleep. Being on here at 4.30am of an evening would suggest your patterns aren't as they should be.

Recent research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggests that taking multivitamins more than seven times a week can increase the risk of advanced and fatal prostate cancer. Some analyses have suggested that beta-carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E supplements may shorten life rather than extend it

£179.99 Robbed... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-HTS3357-Mu...g/dp/B000RT88P8

I feel like Elaine in The Frogger. Anyway, Happy Birthday girls/boys (delete as applicable)

Never mind pissing us about, what about the fucking cost? Just the same as the directory enquiries 'monopoly', now it costs a shitload more to the end user. Nice one. Back off Brussels!

Think sky get to show more highlights of other games. Do they not show extended highlights for selected games? Isn't it just because they've paid for the Saturday/Sunday afternoon packages which were more desireable?

Wasn't the point of splitting it into 3 packages to end Sky's monopoly? I can't see ESPN being able to buy all the rights up. The problem I have is that if you get 3 pay channels showing games, that's 3 separate subscriptions, which rather than protecting the consumer is pissing us about. If they MUST split it out, then each package should consists of specific clubs away games, so you can buy up the games you want to see safe in the knowledge which channel has them all season.

Zodiac Nigh on three hours that absoloutley flew by. Like a cross between All The Presidents Men and Psycho. I was gripped and scared shitless. The Bourne Ultimatum That Waterloo scene is tense as anything...and it's just men walking. Excellent stuff, enjoyed every second. Eastern Promises Not as good as History of Violence.

And i thought it was a film about a rat that was a chef! The rat chef stuff is just to keep the kids entertained.

Started watching it and had to turn it off. Some of the acting was embarrassing and so was the story. It's meant to play like a 1940's Dashiell Hammett film. Not really known for naturalistic acting or dialogue. Anyway horses for courses. Ratatouille Brad Bird goes higher and higher in my estimation. I don't know where the story was when he took over the project for Pixar, but the film he's made it into is superb. It dares the viewer to criticise given that one of it's points is that even the most average art has importance beyond what most of it's critics will ever achieve. It's also willing to endorse valuable criticism though (when it validates the new against the held consensus), but since this isn't a boundary breaking film and Pixar/Bird have ALWAYS been associated with pushing the envelope, there's no doubt some will see it as fair game for a bit of a bashing, comparatively speaking.

Commentary on Match of the Day after the Birmingham goal goes in "you can feel the pressure rolling off the stands onto the pitch" ...while the fans are chanting "Newcastle, Newcastle, Newcastle".

SUNDAY 9TH DECEMBER STAR WARS – EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES 4.10pm ITV1 Worth watching for Yoda kicking arse. BONNIE AND CLYDE 9pm ITV3 A landmark. One of the most important films of the 60's. It ushered in the best decade in film. MONDAY 10TH DECEMBER THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL 12.55am Channel 4 Critically acclaimed mongolian film about a tribes attempts to reunite a camel with the mother that rejected it. BREAKING THE WAVES 12.55am Film4 Hilariuous Lars Von Trier film about a womans sick relatrionship with god. TUESDAY 11TH DECEMBER 21 GRAMS 9pm Film4 Alejandro González Iñárritu gets further up his own arse with every film he makes, but this was only his second feature, so it's far better than the the lamentable Babel, while not reaching the genius of Amores Perros. PATHS OF GLORY 1.15am ITV4 First of 2 early Kubrick films being shown on ITV4 this week. This WW1 courtroom drama looks at a case of cowardice against men selected at random from an entire batallion who were unable to advance as instructed. Of course the men face up to this honourably while the weasily generals are shown to be the true cowards. Some seminal moments, such as the long tracking shot through the trenches and the scene with soldiers enjoying a German song that bookend the film. WEDNESDAY 12TH DECEMBER THE KILLING 1am ITV4 The second Kubrick film to be shown is his first theatrical release. While it isn't quite up there with POG, it's a classic heist film. Told out of chronology long before Tarantino made it fashionable again, it's well worth a watch. THURSDAY 13TH DECEMBER THE BOURNE SUPREMACY 9pm ITV2 Shits on Bond. SPIDER-MAN 2 9pm Five US Shits on Batman. JU-ON: THE GRUDGE 1.10am Channel 4 Shits in my pants.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/12/...e_how_to_a.html

Am I being biased, or is this match report a little harsh on us...and inexplicably kind to Birmingham... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle3022209.ece