It’s that time of year again - when a little daily chocolate helps us count down the days. I’ve been waiting months to upload this gem - a seriously good piece of work by the guys at Ruby Dog Movies.

Can’t let Sergeant Howie aka The Equalizer (who’s seen that-looks awesome) pass away without mention on the moon. My favourite “joke” (more of a Richard Whiteley-esque aside) at age 7 was ‘Why does Edward Woodward have so many ‘d’s in his name’? (Otherwise he would be Ewar Woowar, duh). Thus the great actor gained a special place in my heart before I had any idea who we was, what he looked like or what he did for a living. But who knew he had such a lovely singing voice?

See also: nice tribute from Edgar ‘Hot Fuzz’ Wright

I woke up at 4am this morning with Jefferson Airplane’s ‘Someone to Love’ twisting through my brain incessantly like a 1960s San Franciscan after a ’special’ mushroom risotto (surrealistic pilau?). But it reminded me what an un-freakin’-believably good album it is. Although it always seems to appear in my life after an emotional shitstorm like the awesome tornado at the end of ‘A Serious Man’- great movie by the way, go see- in which the song is pivotal (so that’s really why its in my head I guess). In fact you could say the song is the musical equivalent of the ending of the Wizard of Oz (to White Rabbit’s Alice in Wonderland). Here’s White Rabbit and Someone To Love in one very plump package (seriously though, buy the album).

And, as a special tribute to the album’s awesomeness- here are some surrealistic pillows;

This is old news for all you die-hard doctor fans, but I just caught up with this (via an old article in  Guardian). Pretty cool methinks. These are the brainchild of the talented and alliterative Garrett Gilchrist of Orange Cow Productions who invites budding fanimators to help out with the project, see HERE if you want to have a go.

But if fans can do this for no money then why not BBC, eh?

Well they did apparently in 2006 for DVD release of The Invasion (commissioned from Cosgrove Hall, home to Danger Mouse and Duckula), but now say it’s too expensive to make any more. Well Auntie Beebee, I don’t believe it- I reckon you could get a fair few for the price of two pints and a packet of crisps….

I promised many moons ago to put up more posts about ‘outsider music’ up (see here for BJ Snowden). This here rather lovely video more represents Daniel Johnston’s insideriness; he’s had a few dalliances with the music industry with famous fans, tours, festivals and releases. And a whole lot of press. But if you haven’t seen him before then you should watch this first- so you can appreciate the heart of the song without all those extra layers. Perhaps ironically I don’t really want to delve into his outsideriness in this post because a lot has been made of it and his songs are amazing and stand up for themselves.  But if you want to know more buy his records, look at his website (which features his artwork too) and then watch this fascinating documentary. (the song that kicks in about 35 seconds in is ‘Walking the Cow’, one of my favourites. By anyone, ever). In that order. Oh and go and see him on tour. He’s in UK next week. I’ll be seeing him at Queens Hall, Edinburgh on 4 November. He needs the money.

I’m too busy trying to dress like a normal human being so that I don’t get sacked or beaten, but if I could, I would dress like internets’ favourite ‘Tron guy’…

Tron 2 is on it’s way people. Dress accordingly.

…Da duh da

I don’t know what it is… but i think the new A-Team film may be the greatest thing ever. As long as that isn’t one of them Hum-vee’s in the smokey background there.

 via slashfilm

I read about this documentary called ‘The Cove’ then I waited (roughly) 30 minutes until I read it again. It may be one of the most bizzare things I’ve ever read twice in 30 minutes. I have not seen the film, but i really need to. I think you need to see it as well. That way I didn’t just make it up and I’m not crazy…

A lagoon off The Japanese town of Taiji is used as a dolphin meat-market 

The film is about the guy who trained the original dolphin that played Flipper. He leads a team bent on exposing the hidden dolphin trade which is a world wide thing which involves us in the ‘West’ getting the dolphins that are good at jumping through hoops and look pretty, while the rest get mashed up into paste.

Why?

1.)It has Carrie Fisher in it

2.) It’s about an Appalachian Clog dancer

3.) By the awesome name of Jesco White

4.) Who is wild-eyed and deranged and violent and a bit obsessed with Elvis.

5.) Did I mention it has Carrie Fisher in it?

6.)If the introduction at EIFF is anything to go by Edward Hogg is a shy, modest, charming, extremely talented, slightly drunk and rather gorgeous (British) actor in his first big role. One to watch, yes siree.

7.) It’s by a British first time director.

8.) It is unusual in that it is less a biopic than an ‘imagining’ (and what an imagination) of the life of a real live person

9.) The soundtrack is awesome, most especially tracks by the wonderful and very ‘unique’ Hasil Adkins

10.)You’ll see one helluva glue-sniffin’, gas-huffin’, banjo-duellin’, wood-burnin’, hog-pickin’, toe-tappin’, foot-stompin’, barnstormin’, honky-tonkin’, hell-raisin’ foggy mountain breakdown

OK, so you’ve heard this before but you’re bound to hear it again. And again. And again.

This guy likes the Wilhelm Scream so much he appears to be wearing the sartorial equivalent.

Newgrounds, as always, is a haven for some of the best Flash animation around. Take a look at Tarboy below, it totally rocks.

Check out the animators webby here. 

Here on the moon we are huge Werner Herzog fans. His brand of film making philosophy can be both funny and fascinating, and so with two new films on the horizon (both of which look great), it’s interesting to think what he could do with a TV format. Behold; Auto maintenance with Werner…

Check out WernerHerzogEatsTheWorld.com for more.

it is not sicknifikant.
  

Two strangers instructed me to smile on two consecutive days recently, which shook me up a little or made me grumpier, probably both… Think my reaction in both cases probably resembled a snarling chimp. But this little teaser for C.Y.E Season 7 (starts in US on 20 September, not sure about UK) did manage to put a more genuine grin on my face…

Can’t tell you how good this show is if you haven’t seen it. If you’ve watched it once and didn’t get it, I challenge you to watch four episodes and see if you feel the same… You’ll marvel at the deftly balanced plots, the amazing cast, the naturalistic yet completely absurd improvised dialogue and the best main character of any sitcom since, well, I’m finding it hard to think of any… I guess he’s a bit like Basil Fawlty and Alan Partridge except you grow to like Larry- maybe it’s easier to compare him to Buster Keaton.  After a while though you begin to think he has a point. He may have a socially dysfunctional and skewed logic but it is logic nonetheless, and perfect in it’s fully formed-ness. Also, LD has balls and unusually long balls at that.

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Had a rather depressing conversation with Rosscoe the other week whereby we were both racking our brains trying to think of female filmmakers and failing most miserably (Thelma Schoonmaker and Tina Fey being about the only notable exceptions- Leni Riefenstahl deliberately skipped over). But not long since, it seems like I have, entirely undeliberately, gone to see some rather good movies and (usually only when the credits are rolling) realised that they have been directed by a member of the sisterhood. It seems lack of Y chromosome no longer seems the excluding factor it used to be.  Maybe 2008/9 represent two curvacious lady lumps on the otherwise masculine body of of cinematic history. Maybe glass ceilings are out. Maybe the ladies have been around a long time but I just never realised before, or they just don’t get much press. Maybe the Mamma Mia glitter bomb made Hollywood realise that women- and not just teenage boys- can buy A LOT of cinema tickets. Maybe you have an opinion.

At the vanguard has to be Kathryn Bigelow’s Hurt Locker, much touted as the film of the year (5 stars Guardian, Empire, Uncut). And happily, it can definitely not be dismissed as a ‘chick flick’, being about explosions and bombs and such. Out this week I think, though I’m yet to see it.

But there’s many more out, or on their way from the womb-ed-ones…

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