Survive Style 5 + Review

Now here is an interesting piece of entertainment! I came across this film after seeing an amusing looking clip from Jonathan Ross’s Japanorama on BBC 3. Imagine Vinne Jones playing his usual tough man role in a cool Japanese film with crazy cartoon style characters and a severely twisted and imaginative plot, mix it all together, add a few squirts of blood and you have Survive Style 5 +!

The film features amongst others:

• A man who repeatedly murders his wife, only for her to continually reappear in his house after every killing.

• A woman who imagines some of the most bizarre and humorous adverts ever created
  

• A man who is left to live as a chicken after the man who hypnotised him is murdered onstage.

• A group of weird and eccentric thieves with a penchant for playing cards.

• A psychotic hit man (played by Jones) and his sidekick who will kill anyone for the right price.

Throughout the film, the characters paths cross and the storyline slowly unfolds with insane genius. In one scene a woman attacks her husband using her arms as missiles; in another, a couple of friends drink water through their head after removing their toupees! Somehow it all begins to make sense as the film progresses, but unlike so many movies it’s impossible to predict what will happen next.

I would recommend this film to anyone who likes their films out of the ordinary. An amusing and enjoyable way to pass the time. Highly recommended!

Create a Successful Website

From humble beginnings, Johan De Silva has turned his web design project into a critically acclaimed movie review website. I caught up with Johan to discuss his success.

Q. What made you decide to produce a movie website?

A group of friends wanted to raise awareness of movies and not just popular movies in the press but also cult and independent. Many of them already worked in the industry and a few were simply starting out. We wanted to review good films and also meet and get an insight into the creators and actors.

Q. How does your site differ from other sites?

We give more detailed reviews written by clever and humorous editors and backed up with related interviews from directors and the cast as well as interviews and trailers. We also keep our navigation as simple as humanly possible.

Q. How long did it take before your site became a success?

We didn’t have much of a budget to start with. Our PR model was simple; we put back any revenues straight into promotion. We made noise about our Future Movies and developed relationships with other websites swapping news information. It took at least two years to begin to get the recognition Future Movies deserves including a positive comments in the press and a spot on ITV’s Web Review by Jason Bradbury.

Q. What films would you recommend from the past couple of years?

Everyone has individual tastes and if I had to generalise I would have to say “Whale Rider” is a mighty fine movie which I enjoyed immensely and would appeal to a wide demographic. It’s a New Zealand made film based around one girls struggle to be accepted in the native religion of Kiwi’s. My personal tastes would point to film’s based around real events such as in the Brazilian gangster film City of God or clever films like “Memento” but you can’t please everyone be it a too complex story line or having to read subtitles.

Q. What tips would you give to someone who wants to start their own website?

You have to find the correct niche; have something different yet something interesting that people want to know about.

It is important to develop relationships within other websites loosely related to your niche especially content sites.

It is important to keep up with technology but at the end of the day it is your content is what really matters. The web is still new and opportunities are arising so create something engaging and be prepared to spend some money wisely looking at return on investment (ROI).

Be patient because Search Engines like Google prefer established sites over new sites.

You also can’t do everything yourself. If you need editors like I did then get the best you can get and reward them. You will become friends but know where to draw the line on performance from the beginning.

Visit Future Movies to see what all the fuss is about.

Weight Loss Winner

I FINALLY MADE IT… Stepping onto my scales yesterday I was surprised to see my target weight of 12.5 stone (175 lbs) staring back at me from the dial of my scales – one week ahead of schedule of the September 19^th deadline!

From Monday to Friday for the last couple of weeks, my daily food intake has consisted of a bowl of cereal for breakfast, a piece of fruit for lunch and a smallish size dinner, allowing myself to be decadent at the weekend. Who says you can’t enjoy yourself on a diet?

Because I have cut down what was an unhealthy intake of sugars and other carbohydrates I have found that my energy levels are more stable and I no longer crave after chocolate - a big problem of mine!

Another change (apart from the slowly loosening jeans) is that I feel I have gained a great sense of control over myself. Where once I would eat whatever I liked, whenever I liked, I now tend to think a bit more (but not obsessively) about the consequences of my food habits. For someone so unhealthy that can only be a good thing.

I can honestly say that this challenge was mentally one of the most difficult experiences of my life as I enjoy a good burger more than anyone, but it was also a great test of my will power, and I really feel that I have achieved what for me was the impossible!

To read about my original challenge see My Weight Loss.

Chimichanga Review

My review of restaurants took me, my wife Michiko and a friend, Marc, to Chimichanga Brighton Marina Village. Stepping inside, the first thing noticeable is the inviting atmosphere. The décor is modern with a definite Mexican theme, without being decadent or tacky as so often can be the case with this type of restaurant.

We were seated promptly and politely and having asked for wine and tap water we were presented with a huge jug – more than enough for three people. From the food menu I selected the orange and honey glazed chicken, my wife chose the rib-eye steak and my friend had the Mexican style chicken and chorizo pasta.

The wait for the food took enough time to have a decent conversation, but not too long that we became restless, during which we were able to soak up some of the atmosphere. When the food did come it was well presented – mine was sizzling on a skillet, Michiko’s was served on a wooden board and Marc’s in a Mexican style bowl and every dish was delicious.

Having sampled and enjoyed all three dishes I will go for the steak on my next visit – it was one of the best tasting steaks I have tried since sampling Kobe Beef in Japan and cooked to perfection, being still rare in the middle.

We considered the price to be very good value for money, with the meal for three coming to about 45 pounds including a tip. The only gripe we had about the whole experience was that it took longer than expected to pay for our bill at the end of the meal, but to fair to the waiting staff, it was busy and they were doing their best. In conclusion, Chimichanga comes highly recommended although you would be well advised to book on busy Friday and Saturday evenings.

Le Grand Voyage Review

Recently, I watched a film called Le Grand Voyage which I had picked at random from the local video store – it turned out to be an interesting and thought provoking road movie about a father and son.

The father (Mohamed Majd) is deeply religious and insists that his agnostic son Reda (Nicolas Cazalé) accompany him from France on a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, a journey that is essential for all people of the Muslim faith who are able, at least once during their lifetime.

The storyline is fairly simple but I found myself captivated by the on-screen relationship between father and son; both with entirely different views of the world but brought together by their goal – Mecca. As the two travel over differing terrains through the European mainland, all the way to Middle East, the viewer is shown the contrasting ways of life in neighbouring countries.

Along the way, the pair meet a couple of interesting characters – firstly the spooky elderly woman who appears from nowhere and who travels in their car without speaking, and later, a Turkish man who befriends them and shows them the sights and sounds of Istanbul.

Towards the end, the film manages to convey the great sense of unity of the thousands of people arriving in Mecca from all over the world, with striking cinematography and some real footage. The acting is excellent throughout and at times very moving, and challenges the negative preconceptions that many people have of the Muslim faith.

One of the best films I have seen in the last couple of years.