YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS.

Nothing I can say about this.....just watch and enjoy.

La Haine

La Haine is an angry, anti-authoritarian French film that concerns three young guys (a Jew, an Arab, and a black guy) who decide to take on the police after a friend is brutally beaten. (Yes, I know, another cheerful film for all the family).

It highlights a very different view of Paris. Revealing the racial tensions that bubble away in the suburbs away from the Champs Elysee, the beautiful parks and tourist packed art galleries. It will make you see Paris in a whole new light.

Not only did the director, Mathieu Kassovitz, win best director at Cannes in '95, it’s also one of the only films to receive '100% Fresh rating' on Rotten Tomatoes.

GOOD BYE, LENIN!

Directed by Wolfgang Becker and released in 2003.

Based in East Germany, a doting son’s mother falls ill and goes into a comma. She is a devout citizen and a proud communist.

While she’s unconscious the wall comes down and Germany is unified. She comes out of her coma but doctors tell her son that any sudden shock may kill her. And so the rest of the film is about how her son desperately tries to hide the fact that the wall has come down. And how her fellow communist citizens have become McDonalds eating and Coca-Cola swilling capitalist pigs.

Unlike many films of this genre the director doesn’t really take political sides. He uses the situations to point out the shifts in power through comedy. Alex (the son) starts out with his mother's best intentions at heart. But the lengths he ends up having to go to protect her from the truth become ridiculous.This not only gives the film its comedy but it’s tragedy as well. Giving it true depth.

Put this one on your list.

Little Otik

Little Otik is the surreal story of a childless couple who are desperate for a baby.

When the husband digs up a tree stump that resembles a newborn baby, he decides to varnish it and present it to his wife, hoping that this will make her feel better.

Far from being scared or freaked out, the woman loves the ‘stump’ and treats it like it’s her own baby.

As if this isn’t weird enough, the tree stump comes to life and has an insatiable appetite. (They first realize this when they notice the family cat has gone missing.) And the more they feed it, the bigger it gets.

The rest of film is based around the lengths the couple go to feed their ever growing ‘child.’

The idea for the film was taken from a Czech folklore tale ‘Otesanek’ by K J Erben. Yes, it’s completely bonkers. But brilliant at the same time.

Irreversible.

Written and directed by Gaspar Noé and starring Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci and Albert Dupontel.

Events over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order. The events themselves are incredibly gripping, horrific, nauseating even.

Shocking from the off, the first 20 minutes of this film will leave you breathless and questioning whether you should continue watching. You should, although be warned this is not for the faint hearted.

The rape scene is still debated heavily. Is it needed? Without the scene the film wouldn’t have carried as much weight. And it makes sense of the fury that follows or precedes in this case.

A truly remarkable and brave piece of cinematography, especially considering there was no script, and most of the dialogue was improvised.

It’s even further enhanced by Thomas Bangalter’s soundtrack. (Thomas happens to be one half of Daft Punk.)

World Cinema

After a couple of days buggering about – we’re now back on track with some slightly more serious, insightful posts.

Our next subject is going to be world cinema. So, get ready to stroke your chin, light up your French cigarettes and don your velvet jackets, as we review and share with you, some of our favourite films from around the world.

The first film we’ll look at is a war movie like no other: ‘Come and See’.

‘Come and See’ would be better described as an ordeal rather than a piece of entertainment. It’s the only film ever made that really captures the true horror of war.

Respected film reviewer Tim Lott wrote “It makes Apocalypse Now look positively lightweight’.

The entire film is seen through the eyes of a young boy who witness the horror that took place during the Nazi occupation of Belarussian SSR. It’s rumoured that the boy actor was actually hypnotised for the final scenes to give him his terrified expression.

While this is debateable, the power of this film is not.

Fat Super Heroes

This is so wrong on so many levels it's hard to know where to start.

But you've got to love the black Spiderman outfit. Oh and Batman with his weekly shopping.

Just had to put this up.

The Erotic Tales of Kris Akabusi.

Athlete, Motivational speaker, Sex God.

No wonder he's got an MBE.

This isn't a website in the traditional sense that we're pointing you towards. However if you aren't familiar with the Kris Akabusi erotic short novels you should be.

They are brilliant.

Imagine a nympho Barbara Cartland on Charlie and you'll begin to get an impression.

We're not going to spoil it. You have to read it yourself.

We promise it might just be the funniest read of your life.

http://www.dragonninja.co.uk/28610/kris-akabusi-erotic-short-novels/

(Scroll down the page for all the stories.)

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2364807742

Awooga.

Cassette Boy

We're back. And quite frankly we're glad to be back.

Sunny South Africa turned out to be Fucking Pissing down with rain South Africa.

Anyway. We think Cassette Boy is very very funny. Take the time to go through the early stuff which was audio only, especially if like us, you think Jeremy Clarkeson is a cun*

http://cassetteboy.wordpress.com/

We're in Cape Town and it's pissing it down.

Sorry we haven't been posting. But we're away shooting at the moment.

The weather has been awful, so we've been a little preoccupied.

We'll be up and running again, with more nonsense, come Friday, when we're back in Blighty.

Much Love.

Terry Tibbs.

The Framely Examiner

The Framely Examiner is an amusing take on the free local newspapers you get in small towns, where there isn't really any news to report.

It's been around for a while, in fact it first came out about 8 or 9 years ago (who says this blog isn’t cutting edge and up to date.) But re-reading some of the articles it’s still just as funny.

The classifieds section is particularly good.

Enjoy

http://www.framleyexaminer.com/

Websites

The next subject we've decided to cover is websites (there's enough out there).

There's literally millions to choose from, so to design one that stands out from all the others in no mean feat.

To kick us off we have Salt Films Website (thanks Dave Towers). This is beautifully graphic, simple to use and the soundtrack that plays in the background's pretty cool too.

See it for yourself, here:

http://www.saltfilms.com.sg/

Please feel free to send us any websites you like. If we like them, too. We'll post them up.

New Series from HBO – Treme

HBO is quite simply the best TV production company, bar none. They have brought us The Sopranos, The Wire, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Band of Brothers to name just a few. And it looks like they’ve done it again.

‘Treme’ is a new series created by David Simon who was responsible for The Wire. The show is set in New Orleans three months after Hurricane Katrina. And it revolves around a group of locals including musicians, chefs, Mardis Gras Indians and ordinary New Orleanians as they try to rebuild their lives.

The new series premiered on April 11th in the US. Just two days later it was announced that HBO had reserved the show for a second series.