Friday, 26 October 2012

The Number Game

The Problem With Film Ratings

"A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers". The wit and wisdom of Mr Plato there. While, in the context I'm about to plonk the quote into, it's most certainly true, I think it's worth defending numbers. I always have been, always am and always shall be a hater of maths. I just can't get my head around it. However, statistics, I like. Percentages, scores out of 10, population sizes, that kind of thing. Essentially, it's a fact, boiled down into three characters. It's just the essentials. While you need to assess the necessary knowledge first, you should be thankful for the number that gives you a clearer, purer understanding of the facts.

The context I was referring to was review scores. If you hadn't figured that out, please re-read the first paragraph with this in mind, then move on to the next one where I actually start talking sense.

Monday, 22 October 2012

The Wales Autumn Squad will be...

This is a prediction. Let's see how I've done in a few hours time.

Gethin Jenkins
Ryan Bevinton
Paul James
Adam Jones
Samson Lee
Rhys Gill
Alun Wyn Jones
Ian Evans
Bradley Davies
Luke Charteris
Ryan Jones
Sam Warburton
Justin Tipuric
Toby Faletau
Josh Navidi
Rob McCusker

Mike Phillips
Lloyd Williams
Tavis Knoyle
Dan Biggar
Rhys Priestland
James Hook
George North
Alex Cuthbert
Tom Prydie
Jamie Roberts
Jonathan Davies
Scott Williams
Ashley Beck
Leigh Halfpenny
Liam Williams

Talking points- No captain named, Prydie recalled, new call-ups for uncapped player Navidi & Lee, no place for Byrne, Henson. 31 man squad. That's what it'll be.

Saturday, 13 October 2012

The Lions Squad - 13th October

Over a month has passed since I last tried to pick a Lions squad. As such, here's my team. Seeing as it's Heineken Cup weekend (Quins are playing Biarritz as I write this) it means that we've had the first lot of test-intensity games, so there should be some sort of idea of how players'll cope and all that. Oh, and I'm not going to look at my previous squad whilst I pick the 38 this time around, but it may be worth comparing afterwards.

1. Gethin Jenkins
2. Ross Ford
3. Adam Jones
4. Richie Gray
5. Alun Wyn Jones
6. Stephen Ferris
7. Sam Warburton
8. Sean O'Brien

9. Tavis Knoyle
10. Jonathan Sexton
11. George North
12. Jonathan Davies
13. Brian O'Driscoll
14. Tim Visser
15. Leigh Halfpenny

16. Rory Best
17. Cian Healey
18. Ryan Jones
19. Justin Tipuric
20. Ben Youngs
21. Dan Biggar
22. Tommy Bowe

23. Dan Cole
24. Mike Ross
25. Richard Hibbard
26. Alastair Kellock
27. Ian Evans
28. Toby Faletau
29. Ben Morgan
30. David Denton
31. Tom Croft
32. Mike Phillips
33. Jonny Wilkinson
34. Alex Cuthbert
35. Jamie Roberts
36. Stuart Hogg
37. Rob Kearney
38. Ben Foden

Wednesday, 3 October 2012

My favourite player XV

I was thinking about this earlier. So now I'll do it and publish it. All this blog seems to be is listed XVs and film-based rambles, but it's my blog, and I'll do as I like.

15. Lucas Gonzales Ammorisino
14. Hanno Dirksen
13. Jonathan Davies
12. Ashley Beck
11. George North
10. Tommy Bowe, because he's my favourite player and there are no 10s I particuarly like, (Sorry Biggar, sorry Priestland) so instead want an extra winger. So there.
9. Will Genia

1. Duncan Jones
2. Ken Owens
3. Adam Jones
4. Richie Gray
5. Alun Wyn Jones
6. Ryan Jones
7. Justin Tipuric
8. Sergio Parrisse

-Bench-
16. Richard Hibbard
17. Ronnie Roncero
18. Ian Evans
19. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe
20. Morgan Parra
21. Aaron Cruden
22. Juan Jose Imhoff

+ Tomaso Benvenutti

Well there you go. Some players what I like. That's not all of them, but some of them. One day I'll probably just do a Top 50 players or something. That'd be fun. But not fun right now.

Sunday, 16 September 2012

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!

Tuesday, 4 September 2012

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.

Monday, 3 September 2012

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-