A very brief personal update!!

Hello happy readers!

Hope all is well in your lives? I am unfortunately going through a few challenging times in my life at the mo (of course i will fill you all in on the details soon). So really this is just a brief message to say 'Hi' and that I haven't forgotten about the articles that I am meant to be writing on here.

Bear with me...shouldn't be too long.

Movie Releases - This week I recommend..

Wahey...it's Friday again and yes...it's time for my latest pickings of movies out this week.

First up...my main recommendation of the week..



TransAmerica - Starring 'Desperate Housewife' Felicity Huffman & Kevin Zegers, TransAmerica tells the story of Bree...a perfectly adjusted conservative transsexual woman. Although named Stanley when she was born, Bree starts to take the step towards woman-hood..when she finds out that she is the parent of a long-lost 17 year-old son (Zegers). Travelling cross-country to New York to bail him out of jail, they both make the long journey back to Los Angeles, with Bree struggling to keep all her secrets hidden. A journey that will challenge and change both their lives and bring them closer to the truth of their connection. TransAmerica gives a whole new spin on the modern American family..and the performance that 'Emmy award winning' Felicity Huffman gave in this movie earnt her an Oscar nomination. It's a must for movie-buffs out there, and worth watching at least for the award-worthy performance!

And my other recommendations are..



Inside Man - Starring Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, the delectable Clive Owen, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

For those who like heist plots, director Spike Lee and writer Russell Gewirtz bring you Inside Man. This movie tells the story of a tough cop, Detective Frazier (Denzel Washington), who matches wits with a clever bank robber, Dalton (Clive Owen), in a tense hostage drama. As the dangerous cat-and-mouse game unfolds, a wild card emerges: Madaline (Jodie Foster), a power broker with a hidden agenda, who injects even more instability into an already volatile situation. One for a Saturday night, and not to be missed if you're a Clive Owen or Jodie Foster fan. Denzel Washington gives a good performance as the dedicated cop!

And finally...

Hostel - Starring Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson, Barbara Nedeljakova, Jana Kaderabkova, Jan Vlasák, Rick Hoffman and Jennifer Lim.

Quentin Tarantino presents Eli Roth's Hostel, the follow-up to the writer-director's hit debut, 2002's Cabin Fever. This movie is essentially a mixture of many of the most terrifying things about human nature and the world at large, taken from many impossible-but-true stories of human trafficking, international organized crime, and sex tourism. This movie is sure to shock even the most hardcore genre fans! Hostel tells the story of two adventurous American college buddies Paxton and Josh who backpack through Europe eager to make quintessentially hazy travel memories with new friend Oli, an Icelander they've met along the way. Both Paxton and Josh are lured by a fellow traveller, who describes a Hostel filled Eastern European women as desperate as they are gorgeous in an out-of-the-way Slovakian town. Eager as most virile men would be, they arrive at this hostel and soon pair off with exotic beauties Natalya and Svetlana....but may be all too easily! Distracted by the good time they're having, the two Americans quickly discover that they've both become trapped in an increasingly sinister situation. A great 'cover your eyes' type of movie, with gruesome scenes!

And there you hae my recommendations for this week. Stay tuned for more updates :)

Trinity's Article: Attending a Self-Defence course.

Right...as some of you may be aware I attended a Self-Defence course that spanned over the last two Saturdays. Safe to say that I do feel a lot more confident having done it...and learned new skills (should I need them). So here's what happened..

The 1st Day

After pretty much getting up at the crack of dawn to be at the venue for 9:45am..I was one of a few to get there for the start time. You begin to wonder what on earth are the people going to be like who attend these courses. I expected to find a load of male shrinking-violets, but to my disappointment...they were all..well..pretty normal - as far as the use of the word 'normal' goes. People from different walks of life...even those who you wouldn't dare try to attack. I then began to feel like the odd one out, when the facilitator went around the room to ask each of us why we were there. I almost felt like saying "Hi, i'm Edward...and i am a victim!"..but it wasn't like that at all. Practically 90% of the people there had been attacked/mugged at some point in their lives, all it would seem except me. I couldn't even begin to understand what those people went through when they were attacked...but thank heavens i haven't been...yet *touches wood*. So after our introductions...it was on with the tutoring..

This first day they were really drumming home the fact that avoidance is the best key...and even if you're a black belt at some form of martial arts..you must NOT under any circumstances advertise that to a bunch of attackers. The aim of this course was not to kill your attacker...but to imobilise them in some way, which would leave you with the option to escape. So the basic points they taught us were..

1. AVOID
2. Distraction

During the rest of the day, we would were taught a series of moves to gain control of an 'attack' type of situation. Most of the moves I'll be totally honest..I never thought i had it in me! They would tell us that no matter what size we are...you don't need beefy muscles to defend yourself. To be fair, the tutor was right when he said 'I haven't taught you anything that you don't already have the potential to do. I've just made you realise it'. He would ask us what should we be aware of when walking down a street....and it was amazing as to how many answers people came out with..all very sensible.

The 2nd Day

Now that we were aware of our surroundings...and conscious of the fact as to how to avoid certain situations...next would come the most important part! We were then give a series of senarios to do with weapons and being attacked in confined spaces. I was in awe of the tutor when he would demonstrate moves on how to knock out the knife from an attacker's hands...but he did cover his own back by saying that it was only move to use if all else fails. Aside from that, the tutor showed a range of moves from avoiding/deflecting a punch to how to fall 'safely' when pushed to the ground.

The Verdict?:

I started that course knowing what to do if I was ever mugged/attacked...however now I feel comfortable that I wouldn't play the victim. However I do think this course would benefit the victims of such instances, as I'm sure it would help them to become more assertive and confident. However if you get a spare moment in your life, I would highly recommend going to a Self-Defence class.. What have you got to lose? The pros out weigh the cons!

Movie Releases - This week I recommend..

My main recommendation this week? See if you can guess...



Yep...none other than...



V for Vendetta (starring Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, John Hurt, Stephen Fry, Tim Pigott-Smith, Sinead Cusack) - Based on the acclaimed graphic novel "V For Vendetta" by Alan Moore ("The Watchmen," "From Hell") and illustrator David Lloyd, V for Vendetta is set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain. The film tells the story of a mild-mannered young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked vigilante (Hugo Weaving) known only as "V"! Someone who is charismatic and ferociously skilled in the art of combat and deception, "V" ignites a revolution when he detonates two London landmarks.....and takes over the government-controlled airwaves, urging his fellow citizens to rise up against tyranny and oppression! As Evey uncovers the truth about V's mysterious background, she also discovers the truth about herself -- and emerges as his unlikely ally in the culmination of his plot to bring freedom and justice back to a society fraught with cruelty and corruption. As a Londoner I'm very much looking forward to this film. Bit of action and explosions...much missed recently.

For the arty/independent folk out there, the only film that stood out is..



Tsotsi - Winner of the 'Best Foreign Language Film of the Year' category at this year's Academy Awards..Tsotsi is set in a Johannesburg township of Soweto...where survival is the primary objective! The film traces six days in the life of a ruthless young gang leader who ends up caring for a baby accidentally kidnapped during a car-jacking. A gritty and moving portrait of an angry young man living in a state of extreme urban deprivation, and filled with the energy of "Kwaito music" - the modern beat of the ghetto that reflects his troubled state of mind. Compelled to confront his own brutal nature and face the consequences of his actions, Tsotsi puts a human face on both the victims and the perpetrators of violent crime and is ultimately a story of hope and a triumph of love over rage. So what does 'Tsotsi' mean? Well...bit of trivia for you! It literally means "thug" or "gangster" in the street language of South Africa's townships and ghettos...and "Kwaito" is South Africa's answer to American Hip Hop!

Bit of a difference between the two...but check them both out!

Casino Royale (News: 16/03/06)

Well...it's been absolutely manic on the James Bond front!

And yes...yet moooorre pics for you to look over.

First ones...courtesy of the Eva Green website...have a look here for pictures of her and Daniel Craig getting hot under the sea ;)

For some official publicity shots, have a peek below (Daniel Craig, Eva Green & Caterina Murino)...




Oh and apologies for not posting a cinema recommendations last week. Fear not...this week's will go on shortly.

Plus...on a more personal note...a bit of a catch up about ME!! Including:

• How I got on in a 'Self-Defence' class;
• a job offer at work;
• and...a personal article on the subject of 'Cheating in relationships - why do people do it?'

That's all to come soon...

Stay peeled :)

Casino Royale (News: 10/03/2006)

Hello all :)

I'm back briefly for a quick update to the site. Those who are on OUT would have seen my snippets of the on-set clips and interview with producer Barbara Broccoli and Bond himself...Daniel Craig. But as promised..I will be including pics on here that i haven't placed on OUT ..

Have a peek at them...below. You can really see Daniel Craig moulding into the role now..

The seductive Vesper Lynd (Eva Green)



Bond girl & the villain's girl..Solonge (Caterina Murino)



Bond 'lady' and the big cheese to Bond.. 'M' (Dame Judi Dench)



'M' giving Bond a dressing down? (Daniel Craig & Dame Judi Dench)



What did you say to him, 'M'? (Daniel Craig)



The next lot are of Daniel Craig, clearly getting to grips with the role of James Bond.




Well...that all from Bond at the moment..apart from...***MAJOR SPOILER ALERT***











"Casino Royale" will feature the first ever black and white sequence in a James Bond film during the pre-titles sequence!!

"First of all, the traditional pre-credits action sequence will show how Bond got his 00-rating, showing the (required) two kills that he carries out. We’d heard that – but the news that it is in black and white is new, as is the news that the change to colour will come at a crucial point. That whole sequence, however, is backstory, aimed at giving the film a back to basics feel. There will be no Q and no gadgets, and since it’s the first book, Bond makes mistakes and develops into the character we all know."

More Bond gossip coming soon.....

Movie Releases - This week I recommend..

Well..it's that time again..the time for a bunch of new films to be unleashed on a cinema near you!

This week only few really stood out for me. The Matador (which i reviewed not so long ago)...and rest are as follows..



MirrorMask - live action mingled with animation!

"MirrorMask" focusses around Helena, a 15 year old girl in a family of circus entertainers. Helena often wishes she could just run off and join real life. However, after a fight with her parents about her future plans, her mother falls quite ill and Helena blames herself for this. On the eve of her mother's major surgery, she dreams that she is in a strange world with two opposing queens, bizarre creatures, and masked inhabitants. Fantasy begins to mirror real-life as all is not well in this new world - the white queen has fallen ill and can only be restored by the MirrorMask! It's now up to Helena to find it...but as her adventures continue, she begins to wonder whether it's a dream, or something far more sinister. The film has already been compared to a modern-day 'Labyrinth'...and is worth checking out. It's only got a limited release, so I hope you can catch it at your local cinema!

Syriana - nominated for 2 Oscars, (including Best Supporting Actor - George Clooney) writer/director Stephen Gaghan, (winner of the Best Screenplay Academy Award for "Traffic") brings "Syriana" to the foreground. It's political thriller that unfolds against the intrigue of the global oil industry. From the players brokering back-room deals in Washington to the men toiling in the oil fields of the Persian Gulf, the film's multiple storylines weave together to illuminate the human consequences of the fierce pursuit of wealth and power. As a career CIA operative (George Clooney) begins to uncover the disturbing truth about the work he has devoted his life to, an up-and-coming oil broker (Matt Damon) faces an unimaginable family tragedy and finds redemption in his partnership with an idealistic Gulf prince (Alexander Siddig). A corporate lawyer (Jeffrey Wright) faces a moral dilemma as he finesses the questionable merger of two powerful U.S. oil companies, while across the globe, a disenfranchised Pakistani teenager (Mazhar Munir) falls prey to the recruiting efforts of a charismatic cleric. Each plays their small part in the vast and complex system that powers the industry, unaware of the explosive impact their lives will have upon the world.

Enjoy people...and don't forget to catch The Matador!!