I Want To See These Things, volume 2

In June, I did a post on here about what films I was looking forward to seeing. I've now seen three of those six films, and only two of them let me down slightly, so that bodes well. So, yeah, here's some films that I'm now looking forward to for the rest of this year. Note that Wreck-It Ralph (Which I'm really, really up for) has had to be cut because it's not out in Blighty until Feburary next year, despite getting a November release in the United States, which just isn't fair.

LOOPER
September 28th
This film was clearly made for me. It's a big budget, clever science-fiction story with a mind-bending plot and probably my two favourite actors in the whole of America. While Bruce Willis is hardly an Oscar-winner in the making, I can't help but find him an engaging and endearing screen presence, and as for Joseph Gordon-Levitt? Well, I've already spent enough time gushing praise upon him this morning for me to be up for doing it again. So, yeah: Looper. I can't wait. It's going to be great.

RUBY SPARKS
October 2nd [Actually it's out October 12th. Whoops.]
It's an odd little quirky romcom thing. I love those. Especially ones where I believe that the lead character could easily be me. This one has a bloke who's a good but a bit hopeless writer in the lead role, who begins writing about a character called Ruby Sparks who, somehow, comes to life. I saw the trailer screened before The Watch and instantly lost all interest in a film I'd had an eye on for months. I just know I'm going to love this film. I'm so excited.

THE MASTER
November 9th
La la la, la la la... I know nothing about this. I heard it was looking good, and decided I wouldn't even read a synopsis. I saw it getting universal acclaim. I decided I wouldn't look at anything other than this poster. I may watch the first nine seconds of the trailer so I can walk out if needs be to keep the film secret. It's going to be brilliant, and I'm going to enter it fresh. La la la, la la la la...

SKYFALL
October 26th
It's a Bond film. I don't really have a choice but to be looking forward to this. Nor does anybody else. Nor do I need a reason, nor to justify it. I'm going to continue writing this sentence, but it's a bit redundant, really. This'll be the last one now, just so that the paragraphs look a bit more balanced on the page.

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
October 3rd
The day after Ruby Sparks. THE DAY AFTER. [Or maybe not -Edit] Another touching film with a heart and soul. This one has a one-up on poor old Ruby in the shape of the cast, however, as, frankly, I think it's a fantastic set of young actors. Percy Jackson himself takes the lead role, with Hermione Grainger next up, alongside Kevin, who we probably need to talk about. (Also Neku in my imaginary TWEWY movie, for which I thought I'd published my pitch on here) So yeah, I like the look of it. I'm going to see it. I'll probably like it.

THE SAPPHIRES
2nd November
I don't actually care about the film at all. The story sounds a bit standard-issue and the trailer isn't particularly inspiring. But it's got Chris O'Dowd in it. And Chris O'Dowd could make anything and I'd watch it. That said, I forgot to Sky+ Moonboy yesterday. That was daft of me. I should go looking to see if there's a repeat on soon. Can't afford to miss too much Chris O'Dowd.

END OF WATCH
November 23rd
No, sorry Jake Gyllenhaal, no matter how hard you try, I can't stop seeing you as Donnie Darko. Shave your head, be a cop, run around shooting stuff, whatever. You're a troubled teenager who sees a creepy bunny rabbit. But this film is suppose to really rather good, based on the critical reception, and also has Anna Kendrick in it. I think she's brilliant. As such, I'm also kinda looking forward to seeing her have a bit of a sing song in Pitch Perfect, but didn't want to put it on this list. Probably because I'm a man.

THE PAPERBOY
November 17th in France, hopefully soon after in the UK
The last sentence of that previous paragraph shall make for a rather odd juxtaposition with my next: I'm a Zac Effron fan. I think he's a good actor, plain and simple. So this is him, alongside Matthew McConaughley and John Cusack, doing quite a gritty picture. It's received mixed reviews, but I'm interested. Admittedly, I'm not actually excited about it in the tradition sense of the word. At all. I'd just like to see it. And I wanted to make a list of 10.

HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET
Friday
I've heard this has an interesting twist at the end. Hence, I'm up for it. To say this time last year I'd point-0blank refuse to see a scary film, I'm beginning to develop a taste for horror that, while not sadistic, has certainly helped me feel as though the statement at the end of the End of Watch thing was actually true. This's also got Jennifer Lawrence in it, and she's quite good at that acting thing, and was in The Hunger Games, and was quite good in that. So yeah. It's out Friday. I'll be watching it. I may like it. It may be rubbish. We'll see.

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
December 14th
I feel obliged to stick this on my list, despite not really being that bothered about it, to be honest. My main interest in the film is that it's setting up the sequel, which has Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of a dragon. And I love Benedict Cumberbatch. I bet it'll be far too long and full of needless nonsense, but still better than the other two, which will only be saved by the voice of Benedict. But it'd a big film, so it has to be on my list. It's the law.



There's then plenty of other things I'd like to see but don't want to write a paragraph on, things like Lincoln and Wreck-It Ralph that have slipped into 2013 over here and also Pitch Perfect, but I've already said enough about that. Though I do think Anna Kendrick is superb, and that is also probably a good point to end on. Good night!

My Lions Squad- 4th September

Gatland is currently doing a press conference and he's just been named as the Lions coach. Obviously this is a chance for me to do what is now going to be a regular thing, considering how often I think about it- It's my Lions 39-man squad, starting with the test 39 and working out. I'll compare and contrast with the squad I pick now, at the start of the season, with the one I select after the Six Nations, Autumn Internationals, and then ultimately just before the squad is named. It'll be exciting. Let me begin...

1. Gethin Jenkins
2. Ross Ford
3. Adam Jones
4. Richie Gray
5. Ian Evans
6. Danny Lydiate
7. Sam Warburton
8. Sean O'Brian

9. Ben Youngs
10. Jonathan Sexton
11. George North
12. Jonathan Davies
13. Brian O'Driscoll
14. Ben Foden
15. Leigh Halfpenny

16. Rory Best
17. Paul James
18. Alastair Kellock
19. Justin Tipuric
20. Mike Phillips
21. Toby Flood
22. Jamie Roberts

23. Ken Owens
24. Cian Healey
25. Mike Ross
26. Dan Cole
27. Alun Wyn Jones
28. Paul O'Connell
29. Tom Croft
30. Ben Morgan
31. Toby Faletau
32. Stephen Ferris
33. Mike Blair
34. Rhys Priestland
35. Stuart Hogg
36. Rob Kearney
37. Alex Cuthbert
38. Manu Tuilagi
39. Tim Visser

Likes of Alex Corbiserio, Donnacha Ryan, Ryan Jones, Jamie Heasliip, Connor Murray, Dan Biggar, Chris Ashton and Ashley Beck on stand-by. Oooh it's difficult to select.

EDIT: AAAGGH! I forgot all about Denton & Rennie! I'd consider both of them playing in the tests! This is next to impossible. The backrow is riddiculous.

Films by most memorable line

After the 'jump', there shall be a list of the films I've seen up to this point this year along with the one quote that's stuck with me the most. I haven't looked any of these up, so some may not be absolutely correct, whilst others may not actually have some. I don't know. I haven't done it yet. It's probably just the first phrase from that film that comes to mind. Many may have been engraved thanks to the trailers.

Oh, and I don't intend to update this, but may do a second 'Volume' in, say, December or something when I'll probably've seen a shedload more films. Anyway-

Here are the options for a TWEWY sequel

On April 18th 2008, a Nintendo DS game called The World Ends With You was released in the UK to some level of critical acclaim. Within one month, it found its way into my handhelds' cartridge slot and within six months I'd clocked up over 100 hours on the thing. Since then, I've gone beyond 200 hours and reached the rare distinction of 100% completion, especially impressive considering the sprawling nature of the game. It was the intelligent plot, original battle system, stand-out soundtrack and wonderfully well-written script that took this beyond being any other action-RPG and straight to the top of my 'Favourite Games of All Time' list.

So when Square-Enix this morning put out a website that was so obviously, blatantly teasing a follow-up to TWEWY, I actually made an excited squeaky noise then struggled to pay any close attention to the website as my eyes were filling up with happy tears. Since then, I've spent half a day analysing what little there is on said website, which other people had already done before me. So, instead, I decided perhaps it would be better to fantasise. Here are my ideas for what a sequel to TWEWY could be like, and what I'd like if they took that approach. Let me begin-

Ospreys in the 2012/13 season

It's been just over two months since Dan Biggar knocked over that kick and I'm still on cloud nine. Quite how the Ospreys managed to come through and win that particular match is beyond even my comprehension, and I've watched the full 80 minutes a good 5 times through. Shanes' two tries may be an obvious highlight, but I think it's just as worth noting the immense defensive effort from the likes of Ryan and Alun Wyn Jones, plus the way Justin Tipuric disrupted Leinster at the breakdown. That Ospreys side in the last few weeks of the season were a culmination of exactly what a fully-functioning rugby team needs to be, similar to any All Blacks side you'd care to mention. The pack dominated the set piece, the back row tackled like machines, the 10 kicked his goals and the wingers finished marvelously.

Things I've Watched at the Olympics

I watched most of/all of these things. I'll get bored of the concept quickly an not update it.

Opening Ceromony
Badminton- Mixed Doubles- Japan v Poland
Basketball- Womens- China v Czech Republic
Handball- Womens- Russia v Angola
Judo- Mens- Japanese bloke v Ashley MacKenzie(Great Britain)
Swimming- Mens 400m Medley- Third Heat
Swimming- Mens 400m Medley- Fourth Heat
Swimming- Mens 400m Medley- Fifth Heat
Table Tennis- Mens Prelimary Round- Wang (USA) v Song Nam (PRK)
Fencing- Womens Prelimary Round- Sheppard v Troiano (Both GB)
Badminton- Mixed Doubles Prelimary- Great Britain v Russia
Shooting- Womens 10m Air Rifle- Final
Basketball- Womens Pool Match- Canada v Russia
Handball- Womens Pool Match- Spain v Korea
Gymnastics- Artistic qualifiers
Table Tennis- Womens Prelimery- An Aussie v a Czech
Cycling- Road cycling race (Admittedly for about 10% of the race)
Football- Womens- Sweeden v Japan
Swimming- Something with women
Swimming- Something else with women
Swimming- 400m Mens Final
Swimming- 400m Womens Medley Final
Swimming- Some other stuff, I'm not really paying that much attention to the event titles.

It's World XV Time!

Well, that's it. The rugby season is over. Everything seems slightly pointless now, as we wait two months or so as nothing really happens but boring pre-season friendlies, obscure signings and rumours suddenly become interesting. There must be a better way to entertain the rugger-centric part of my brain in the meantime. Oh, I could always address the classic 'World XV' question. Yes, I'll do that. In my opinion, here's the best player from each position in the world. That's all.

15. Israel Dagg
Close but no hypothetical cigar: Leigh Halfpenny, Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino

The stand-out player in the All Blacks' World Cup triumpth in my opinion, and has backed it up since by simply being a brilliantly rounded fullback. While Halfpenny has been incredibly solid since his move to the back and Amorosino remains one of my favourite players in the world, Dagg combines the Welshman's defensive qualities and kicking with the pure flair of the Argentine. Makes up for his ultra-slappable face.

14. George North
Close but no hypothetical cigar: Tommy Bowe, Vincent Clerc
I was sat in the north stand of the Millennium Stadium as, during this years Six Nations, Italy made a loose kick that went straight into the hands of George North. North turned round and looked to counter attack. The collective sense of excitement and anticipation was something I hadn't felt since Shane Williams was at his pinnacle in 2008. In the 11 shirt, Wales once more had a winger who could turn a game. He characterises both the typical Welsh number 14, a spark with great feet who could start and finish tries, as well as fitting the current blueprints for a 21st century winger- A Lomu-style lump who finishes like it's nobodies business. The best teenager to ever play the game. End of.

13. Brian O'Driscoll
Close but no hypothetical cigar: Conrad Smith, Jonathan Davies
I'll admit it: The great mans' powers are fading. I'd argue the case for him being greatest outside centre of all time, but in the recent test series against New Zealand you could almost see this shirt swinging in Conrad Smith's favour. I was looking for a picture of Smith to put here. Then I remembered the Heineken Cup final and how instrumental O'Driscoll was in breaking Ulsters' spirits. Perhaps he's become more likely to have quiet games, but when O'Driscoll's on top of his game, he's still the arguably the best player in the world and as such deserves this shirt.

12. Seilala Mapusua
Close but no hypothetical cigar: Sonny Bill Williams, Jamie Roberts
Somewhat of a controversial choice here, but I think Mapusua is an absolutely remarkable player. While Sonny Bill Williams is close to having built an all-round game and Roberts provides even more crash-bang-wallop than the Samoan, I doubt we'll ever see a more creative player in the frame of the former London Irish man. He offloads like Williams, crashes it up like Roberts, picks lines like Fofana, tackles like any Samoan and has alarmingly deft hands and an eye for an intercept. Most men his size purely use that. Mapusua reads the game and plays using the whole range of skills. And, as such, in my eyes, he's the best 12 in the world.

11. Digby Ioane
Close but no hypothetical cigar: Bryan Habana, Alesana Tuilagi
Defensive plan for beating Australia: Close down Genia quickly. Put pressure on Cooper (Provided he's playing, natch). And don't, don't, under any circumstances, let Ioane get the ball. Very few players break the line with the ease Ioane does, and even fewer know how to finish those chances like him. Solidly built, extremely quick and deceptively elusive, he's a spark, he's a poacher, he's generally world class. Such an exciting player that even in opposition, you can't help but hope that he does end up with the ball...

10. Dan Carter
Close but no hypothetical cigar: Francois Trinh-Duc, Aaron Cruden
Who else? For all of two seconds I thought about selecting Frances' Trinh-Duc or Argentinas' Juan Martin Hernandez for the sake of being controversial, because both are incredibly classy players and amongst my favourites, but Dan is, indeed, the man. He pulls the strings, the puppet that is the All Blacks operates beautifully. Fellow Kiwi Cruden has lately looked incredibly lively and so sneaks onto the 'Bubbling under' list, but nobody can grab a game by the scruff of the neck and drag it through the victory machine like Daniel William Carter.

9. Will Genia
Close but no hypothetical cigar: Francois Hoogard, Mike Blair
Yeah, Genia's brilliant. he's got it all. The first test against Wales in Queensland was a masterclass in scrum half play. I don't really have to say any more. Hoogard has really, really impressed me this summer, having been good in both the World Cup and last Tri-Nations while Blair is a massively underrated player, but a far better rugby brain and not to mention service than the massively overrated Mike Phillips.

1. Gethin Jenkins
Close but no hypothetical cigar: Tony Woodcock, Tendai 'Beast' Mtwareria
A strong scrummager, but where Geth gets his edge over the other quality looseheads is his ability in defence. Not just in terms of the sheer number of tackles he makes (He made more tackles than any of Wales' backs, all of whom played more games than him, in the Six Nations) and then his ability to turn the ball over at the breakdown. He's also a handy carrier, and, as his wonder try against Namibia showed, more than capable of providing sometimes extra that no other prop can.

2. Bismarck Du Plessis
Close but no hypothetical cigar: Kevin Mealamu, Rory Best
Having waited patiently behind John Smit, probably aware that he was undoubtedly better than his national captain, Du Plessis has really grasped his chance when it was given to him.Playing more like a number 8 in the loose yet a terrific scrummager and thrower in the tight, he now really deserves the praise heaped upon him for the past few seasons.

3. Adam Jones
Close but no hypothetical cigar: Ronnie Roncero, Martin Castrogiovanni
A good team is, 9 times out of 10, (Australia are the obvious exception, natch) built upon a good scrum. And, as such, a huge part of the teams success is based around its tighthead prop, the anchor of the scrum, the cornerstone of the pack, the man on whose shoulders (Literally) dominating or being dominated rests. And nobody is better at dominating opposition scrums than Adam Jones. Shane Williams' tries and Dan Biggars kick aside, the key reason the Ospreys won the Pro12 final, he's won enough kickable penalties at scrum time this season to make the government sit up and wonder whether they could be used as an alternative energy supply, such is the surplus. Utterly, utterly world class.

4. Richie Gray
Close but no hypothetical cigar: Ian Evans, Paul O'Connell
Richie Gray is incredible. About 900 feet tall and 8000 stone heavy, and that doesn't include the weight of hair dye. A stand-out player not just for his physical appearance, but for his style of play as well. He crashes through the line like nothing on this Earth, one of the most effective carrying second rows in the world as well as a very solid tackler and a brilliant line-out operator. Not just the best player in Scotland by a country mile (Or one stride for big Richie) but one of the top chuckers of a rugby ball in the world.

5. James Horwill
Close but no hypothetical cigar: Sam Whitelock, Alistair Kellock
You don't normally assosiate Australia with world-class tight-five forwards, but the Ozzie captain bucks that trend. One of the world's top line-out jumpers, Horwill is also a fine carrier of the ball and handy at the breakdown. Narrowly beats out Whitelock, despite the Kiwi's great form as of late, while I'm still very impressed by Scotland's Kellock, who, in my opinion, never should have lost their captaincy. But, yeah, Howill. He's great.

6. Thierry Dusautoir
Close but no hypothetical cigar: Danny Lydiate, Jerome Kaino
Look at the picture to the left. Study it closely. Cherish it. Because there won't be many like it. This is one of the incredibly rare moments in a game of rugby in which Dusatoir is not making a tackle or clearing out a ruck or generally getting through the level of work that normally an entire back row would be proud of on his own. Famed for his 38 tackles against the All Blacks in 2007, his man of the match, try scoring performance in last years World Cup final was fittingly the best I've seen a flanker play since that infamous quarter-final five years ago.Deservedly IRB World Player of the Year because, well, he is the best player in the world. There's no more to it.

7. David Pocock
Close but no hypothetical cigar: Richie McCaw, Sam Warburton
An absolutely outstanding player. Nabs turnovers like it's nobodies business, and not even the attention of Lydiate & Warburton could keep him quiet during the recent test series against Wales. He's also useful with the ball in hand and runs good support angles. Basically, he's everything you'd want a 7 to be. Warburton's dropped off this summer while McCaw isn't quite the player he once was, but is still a remarkable athlete. Honorable mentions for Ross Rennie of Scotland, who had a fantastic Six Nations and then went on to become the only player I've seen neutralise Pocock and Justin Tipuric, the young Ospreys openside who could and probably should have usurped Warburton by now and certainly has a big future ahead of him.

8. Sergio Parisse
Close but no hypothetical cigar: Juan Martin Ferandez Lobbe, Kieran Reed
The reason Italy are a respectable team. He abolutely carries the side on his hefty shoulders, relishing the captaincy and always leading from the front. Superb in every aspect of the game, he's head and shoulders above all other 8s in world rugby, combining the raw power of Lobbe or Morgan with the tackling of Faletau, skills of Reed and even emulating the great Zinzan Brooke with his ability to drop a goal and kick the ball with the best of fly halves. I can't think of a better player with whom to finish this post...