Waffle from my World

All hallows eve amongst us. But I don't really buy in to that, and merely use it as an excuse to watch a 'scary' movie...

After much deliberating I decided to watch this particular movie...

COMING SOON...

The weather has recently turned colder from a mild, but never boiling season of Summer. Whether climate and temperature actually affect the transmission of viruses I do not know. But since turning cold, I have been blessed with what is always described as the 'Common Cold'.

Tell anyone you've got a cold and you'll be ridiculed for even mentioning it. It's only a cold, it won't do you any harm. No long term damage will come of it. So why does it make you feel so bloody dreadful, the sensations such a virus inflict on you make you feel very unhappy, depressed and in what can only be described as major discomfort.

To blow or not to blow, that is the question. A runny nose is so paramount in a cold sufferers symptom list. If you blow it your nose becomse sore and feels like it's throbbing. Choose to let it drip and face the front of your head being tickled with the finest of fibres ultimately causing 'AH CHOO'! You will clear up the mess.

Drinking water, hot tea, sachet's of 'Beechams for Cold and Flu Turbo Extreme Edition', amongst swallowing an array of 'Cold and Flu Symptom Relief' pills. Our bodies are thrown in to turmoil as it battles to decide whether the Virus is the largest threat, or being drowned by paracetomol, ibuprufen, phenylephrine hydrochloride.

For what is considered the most mundane of ailments, that nobody should take a 'day off' for the common cold proves it still lives up to it's name in my case. It is common for me - every year as far back as I can remember, and I get one usually within the first several weeks of winter, meaning it tends to be cold.

Original concept and very funny, but Gervais must give us something new for his Hollywood career to flourish!

The premise is silly and ridiculous, but an oasis for amusement. A world where everybody tells the truth, it's just never come up that one should want to or think of telling anything but the truth. Cue a string of gags involving personal and cutting insults that Gervais' breed of comedy is akin to.

Jennifer Garner is great as the shallow, ditsy love interest that ultimately realises that a 'genetic match' is not the pinnacle of a life long loving relationship. Rob Lowe is superb as the equally shallow - but horrible, arrogant and successful nemesis to Gervais' usual glum, depressive and loveable loser character.

If you like Gervais 'brand' then you will definitely get a lot of laughs and will leave the cinema with a smile. If you think Gervais is a one-trick pony, then you won't really be seeing anything new here. Many lines have been used in his sit com 'Extras', and the mean spirit of the insults used by his characters are nothing new at all.

This is Gervais' directorial debut, with which he does a fine job and is clear he imagines each scene as he is writing it with meticulous detail. The film has a nice flow and passes the duration pleasantly.

I did enjoy this film a lot, and the laughs were thick and fast throughout. Short Fat Brian made me feel guilty about laughing, but that's an example of what the 'chubby little loser', Gervais does so well. Guilty uncomfortable laughing.

I hope he's got more up his sleeve as I don't think Hollywood would allow him another without some drastically new material.

Look out for Merchant and Barry from Eastenders!

Having to pick one of three Blockbusters to see at the time. I'd read mixed reviews of Transformers 2, and some even less favourable ones for Terminator 4. I opted for the safe bet of JJ Abrahm's reboot of Star Trek. Not being a fan of Star Trek, I was purely pinning this on JJ's reputation after the success of Cloverfield. Was it the right choice?

Setting up the back story for the film and for the two main characters, Kirk & Spock. We are taken through a slideshow of events to bring us up to the present (the movie present). Entwined with the tragedy of Kirk's family and the destiny of Spock's homeworld: the fun begins.

There's space, explosions, time-travel and all sorts of science-fiction going on amidst the most important factor of all: the drama. Pine is great as a young Kirk, pushing his luck and gambling his way through life and proving success through trials and tribulations with his unorthodox methods. Spock by the never doubted and excellent Quinto brings a fine performance of the mongrel Human/Vulcan character.

The plot is dense enough without being over the top or difficult to follow, giving enough breathing space which allows these characters to be thrown in to the blender as it were. They grapple and fight and get to know one another, ultimately proving one formidable bunch of misfits. You really get to know and empathise with them during the films duration giving depth where Hollywood Sci-Fi is so typically shallow and theme park ride.

The slate has been wiped clean and has begun again with a fine piece of Sci-Fi cinema. Ignore the old Star Trek; this is a reboot. In this case is no bad thing as it takes elements of the old and injects them with new invention and creativity. By the end of it I wanted to see more, and couldn't believe the experience was over. At 125 minutes it is as long as it needs to be and gives much promise to the now inevitable sequel.

Very highly recommended if you like Sci-Fi!

Coming soon...

A rivetting finale for the series of X Factor, giving a very close neck-and-neck in way of favourite for the two acts in the running for the winner of 2008!

The young Irish, big-haired scamp; Eoghan Eggnog Quogg Quigg, although having a massive following with all the 'High School Musical' generation, was simply in a different league to the premium offered by the Jack The Lad Swing boys and Alexandra Burke. A limited vocal range, but excessive hair, and big wide-eyes made him a big hit along the way with the little girls that watch the show. This wasn't enough, for a winning Eggnog!

For the first time since Leona Lewis, a true potential for world-class vocal talent from Alexandra was always going to be a firm favourite to win. However with a shortage of 'new' boybands, merely returning middle-aged Take That and the like as competition in the world of pop at the moment: JLS are easily the best in this market for talent and mass-appeal for a long time. They can all sing, despite over-reliance on Aston being lead singer, they compliment each other harmonically and if you like that sort of thing, look the part too.

The winners song; the beautiful 'Hallelujah' written by Leonard Cohen, that has alread been given near-perfect treatment by Rufus Wainright. My vote was cast on the act I not only felt strongly about, but based on the artist that I would likely buy and listen to the music of should they release an album. That vote was for, and by no coincidence I am sure, became the winner. I was genuinely pleased, though with Leona Lewis already charting across the globe will it become a crowded arena? We shall see...

As Leon Jackson released an album following last years win; that I wouldn't buy if it was in Woolworth's absolute final day sale with 99% off the price, so to have Same Difference and Rhydian. This in mind, it is inevitable JLS will get the break they deserve and are capable of.

Should you wish to purchase Europe's fastest selling download-single and the UK Christmas number 1 you can do so by our pals at Play.com here:

Woolworths has been going for nearly 100 years and is now soon to be removed from the centre of towns and cities forever! There's no other shop quite like it; they sold CD's, clothes, confectionary, games, household items, stationary, tools, toys & videos. They had an online outlet for a wider range of products, offering virtually anything delivered to your door, or to be collected from your local store.

Now it is no more, a poor, bankrupt pile of debt; £300million worth of debt to be honest. I feel I have to question this disaster in business; how do you not get to £10million, or even £100million in debt without alarm bells ringing? Surely some hefty revamping of the business was due long before this bombshell! Marks & Sparks were massively in trouble a few years ago, but all things considered they've turned things round by changing their produce and expanding their food range.

Yes it's the credit crunch, financial crisis, and the pound is weaker than ever so we're all heading for a financial nuclear winter of misery and misfortune. This in mind, even a company as enormous as Woolies should never have ended up in or been allowed to have gotten this deep into a chasm of negative fortune!

I like the idea and principles of the company in question. They stock the latest in home entertainment, do a varied range of clothes, particularly appealing and reasonably priced for children’s clothing. They sell Pick 'n' Mix, to my knowledge in every store! Over a lifetime of being a British high street presence, and now it's all over. So what went wrong?

In a world of internet shopping; for anything from beds to xylophones, with no town and city centre rates and staff to employ; the costs of running retail businesses can be reduced significantly. Savings can then be passed on to customers. Why buy a CD in Woolies for £10.99, when you can buy the same online for £8.99 including delivery (often billed as 'free'). No need to travel into town, burn a gallon of fuel queuing in town centre traffic and trying to park the car, then to be fronted with a £5 bill to leave your car somewhere no safer than a cobbled road south of the Thames! This applies to clothing, computer games, anything at all! I, as am sure many do, browse the high street for ideas and inspiration to then find things cheaper online. Crafty maybe, but particularly in turbulent financial times more people have been and will continue to do more so. Pic&Mix.com anyone, has that been done yet???

All of Woolworths' 800-strong empire of buildings will likely be sold off for not much, to a supermarket chain. You can already buy pretty much anything in Tesco and Asda. As lifestyles in the UK increasingly become driven by ever-more work, longer hours and less time with our loved ones, this is surely the future. Gigantic supermarket department stores: 417 stories high where you can buy all your groceries, slippers, a new or used car and a penthouse in the Bahamas all under one roof! And for being loyal to said Ultra-shop you get 0.0000001p back for every pound you spend so after 10 years of buying necessities you can treat yourself to some cheap Cava Brut absolutely free!

A true shame we've lost such a big British chain and I pity the poor souls that will soon be jobless during the season of so-called 'good will'.

RIP Woolworths PLC

Thinking slightly ahead, with a winter break next year, one cannot fail to see the advertising campaign by Ryanair boasting flights as low as 99p each way, running up until the end of February next year! Obviously this isn't on all flights, but with a small amount of browsing on Ryanair.com you can quickly find some unbelievably cheap flights to various destinations in Europe. Or can you?

Overwhelmed with the fact that I can now travel to France, Spain, Germany and Poland for less than the cost of an hour in any city-centre car park, I am torn with which location to opt for. I go for Poland, and why not - I've never been there and travelling broadens the mind and all that guff! I progress to the payment stage and it then informs me that there is nearly fifty-pounds of tax on top of the barely a pound advertised price.

Now, if I am wrong then I shall eat my hat, my socks and my old upper school rugby top! Tax is a percentage of a price that supposedly pays for something else, i.e. the services of your country, the Member of Parliament's vast expenses scheme, and the bailing out of banks that have proved that they have the financial savvy of a newborn child! Assuming a flight is 99p, and tax is £50 then 5000% is the extortionate tax rate applied to your previously desirable number. Even mortgage rates have never been that high! So why and how is this allowed to happen?

Even a clever advertising campaign or gimmick that uses taxable allowances and benefits to bring discounts to consumers is legitimate and welcome, but something that is blatantly a trick and a con in order to get your attention to buy is immoral and one would have thought, illegal, in this country and every country - even Belgium!

There are more hidden costs, should the £50 tax not scare you away when you confirm acceptance to this criminal and elusive fee; you pay to take on luggage, as an extra! Other than business travellers, which this offer is not in any way aimed at, who would go to France for the weekend and not take any luggage? So another eight pounds on top of your fifty-quid tax and your amazing, tantalising offer of a flight to a European destination for 99p is now nearer to a hundred pounds than it is to the starting advertised price!

A true example of rip-off on multiple levels!

Who is Ryan anyway? I don't think anyone would bother saving him if he were James Francis Ryan, I know that for sure. After such propaganda campaigns shouting about flights costing less than a litre of Diesel, who can blame them!

The Bond Franchise was given a good kick up the behind with the release of 2006's Casino Royale. What is commonly termed as a 'reboot' should definitely be applied as they stripped away the stupid, far-fetched gadgets and cheddar-laden one liners for a raw and gutsy iteration. Bringin us an MI6 agent that gets battered and bruised, is shot and injured whilst fighting to save the world.

The contrasting changes made Casino Royale a marmite experience. Some of the veteran Bond fans did not want to lose all the gadgets of fantasy and the frivalous lusting with multiple women per film. Others; tending to be younger fans appreciated the raw action and violence scenes and the struggles and pains Bond is put through.

Quantum Of Solace is continuing this rehash of the typical movie formula. Bond doesn't say much, he's a man of actions and is thrown in to impressive car chasing, boating shenanigans and of course massive explosions! The story is based on Ian Flemming's short story of the same name, and with this in mind doesn't really give much substance to the lengthy run time.

The plot is simplistic and is just one long revenge ride with M cussing Bond continuously for his disapproved of behaviour.
The idea that an undercover organisation is starving world countries of water by buying up all their land is pure hokum and can only be taken on face value as an action laden romp with any contrived plot device imaginable as an excuse for the 007 agent to shoot someone, blow something up, and exchange glances with the ‘baddie’.

Solace is by no means a bad slice of cinema, it just is not nearly as special as it could have been, and lacks the depth and panache of its predecessor. Craig again is excellent as bond, performing some physically demanding stunts and really making his own interpretation of James. Mathieu Amalric is appropriately sinister and scary looking and well fitted as his main foe; Dominic Greene. Camille played by the beautiful Olga Kurylenk plays a fresh faced and fiery character, proving a good match alongside Bond on their quest for revenge.

If you liked Casino Royale, you will certainly find this worth a watch. It just will not be going down as one of the true classics in the series. From start to finish you will be impressed by the action, but possibly let down by the formulaic plot.

Evolution is a process where only the fittest gene pool prevents an organism’s extinction. In essence cloning can undo natures work in the great battle that is; the survival of the fittest. Dinosaurs were wiped out by an extinction level event, so it is thought. The Woolly Mammoth became extinct, as a thick hairy layer was not needed in the ever warmer climate in which it was resident. The Dodo was hunted by man into extinction. For right or wrong; an extinct species did not survive because a natural force or action marked it for removal from existence.

In recent days news has reported that scientists have been able to clone a mouse from a carcass that has been dead, on ice for 16 years. Dolly the sheep was cloned back in 1996, which was a massive breakthrough in the science community. Should anyone, whatever the motivation, be allowed to interfere with something that has so many moral implications?

There are all manner of genuine reasons for cloning; including medical research, improving livestock production and stem cell reproduction. Stem cell research gives the promise of the most gain, and fundamentally the most controversy. The reasoning behind such extensive investigations and experiments is that manipulating stem cells provides the building blocks to create useful blood cells, bones and even organs.

One big fear behind cloning and cell manipulation in general, in stark contrast to all the wonderful promise it gives to the human race is its potential for misuse. Do we know enough about this nature-meddling to trust is as a means to improve medical science? What's to stop an army of 'super-beings' being developed and cloned for warfare? Should you be able to choose the gender of your unborn child?

Dolly the cloned sheep died of an unlikely progressive lung disease for her age of seven. Particularly in the conditions she lived in. Was there something not quite right in the cloning process? Will we ever know is the fact of the matter. The post-mortem investigation just showed a younger than usual sheep with an unfortunate lung disease. It did raise the fact that breaking the laws of nature in such a manner may not be as easy or trustworthy as scientists thought. Dolly gave birth to four lambs in her life: their current health is not known.

The future will likely bring far better organ donors, and improved research conditions for the understanding and cure of diseases. Whether this 'weird science' will be misused has yet to be seen, but it is not improbable that such activities to utilise this technology are happening now, and will in the years to come. The term 'doppelganger' has not until recent times had such a truer meaning behind it. Interesting developments are sure to scatter headlines in the future of mankind for some time.