spencey7

Saw The Wrestler tonight and absolutely loved it. Mickey Rourke is exceptional; he deserves the Best Actor statuette which will be coming his way next month. I hope the film gets nominated for Best Picture (along with Slumdog Millionaire and The Dark Knight), but doubt it will be. Aronofsky will surely get a Best Director nod though.

Slumdog Millionaire is fantastic. From what I thought was a dodgy premise when I first heard about it (kid from the slums of Mumbai gets on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire"), Simon Beaufoy, Christian Colson and Danny Boyle have put together a spectacular film. Much-revered critic Roger Ebert called it "a bouyant hymn to life", which is a brilliant way of summing it up. Believe the hype.

Weak acting in [REC]? I urge anyone who thought so to revisit that film, as the performances are superb. As with Blair Witch, there were several sequences during which the cast had no idea what was going to happen; their performances are as "verité" as it's possible to be. JAS - I also own Troll 1 and 2... Interesting stat: The father in the first film is named "Harry Potter". Rowling is obviously a big fan to throw out that homage to the Troll franchise. As for Transformers Jeemsie - I hope to God you're referring to the 1986 film, because Michael Bay's 2007 crapfest sure as f*ck wasn't Transformers... [/rant - This isn't the right place for it.]

I think you're underestimating the influence of the actual film-makers; "Hollywood" isn't just one company. I am in 200% agreement that Pearl Harbour is a MONUMENTAL pile of crap, but that was helmed by Michael Bay - A main offender in a list of hack directors, people like Brett Ratner, Uwe Boll and Paul W.S. Anderson. On the other hand - again, in terms of films which regularly feature special effects - there are directors like Christopher Nolan, Guillermo Del Toro and Peter Jackson. On the whole, I reckon any film which is "effects driven" should be approached with caution. The Dark Knight - for example - had it's fair share of effects, but was all about the characters and their relationships. I don't think that means it's made by or for people "who have brains", it's just a good film.

After the third presidential debate at Hofstra University, John McCain and Barack Obama shook hands before making their way off the stage. Apparently Senator McCain was a little confused about exactly how to alight the podium upon which they were seated, and pulled a little "oops-I-don't-know-which-way-to-go" expression. Everybody does it to some degree. But in McCain's moment of hesitancy, this photo (below) was taken. It was picked up by newspapers all over the world, and presumably right across America. Is this the photograph which (hopefully) costs John McCain the Presidency? http://blogs.reuters.com/photo/files/2008/10/mccainpicture.jpg

As a big Obama supporter - I'm terrified about this result. Some opinion polls make good reading (Gallup has a 13 point gap in Obama's favour); others have a difference of 5 points which has been narrowing for the past week... A week ago I was thinking landslide; now I'd take 271 electoral college votes. Just what would another term of Republican government mean? (The most frightening aspect being the prospect of President Palin.) I too will be watching tonight, there's no denying that it's one of the biggest spectacles in the world. Polls close in Virginia at midnight and Ohio at 12.30am - When those results are in we'll know if it's a night for celebration, or time to get drunk enough for it to last 4 years.

That is surely the point. But what if your team is forced to play "A" football, with the alternative being to cease to exist? What if your pool of players is so small you have to ask 14-year-olds who have never even played "B" level in their lives to play against the best teams and best players in Shetland? What is that likely to do for a young player's confidence on a football pitch? And on a wider level? I'm not whinging here, just posing questions. I can't foresee a situation whereby promotion and relegation can work in Shetland football; certainly not within the next 10 years. The stance taken by the SFA to "fix" the top tier of Shetland football has been unpopular (hence the appearance of new teams outwith SFA bounds and the burgeoning Works League). As I understand it, the measures taken over the past few years have, if anything, hardened the resolves of these other associations to have nothing to do with the SFA.

Answer: Jason Statham. The guy is a complete nightmare in my opinion, and a sad indictment of the lack of new "action heroes" post-Stallone/Schwarzenegger. Paul W.S. Anderson is also the dictionary definition of a hack film director - This is the man who brought you such cinematic turds as Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil and AVP: Alien vs Predator...

"CI-NE-MA". Do you understand the term? And a PROPER music venue which will have an incredible impact on Shetland's already phenomenal music scene. You may not value these as important or consider them necessary. Many others do. It's happening. Deal with it.

As far as I know (and, again, a date for our AGM has not yet been arranged) Yell are planning to continue as an A League side in 2009. One main reason being that should the club cease to exist, it's very unlikely to start up again. And - as the rules state - it's A League or no league. Results last season clearly indicate that Yell don't have the pool of players required to compete in the A League and, over a long season, I would suggest the same of Unst and (to a lesser extent) Ness. I'm a long-term advocate of reforming Northern Rovers (A & , and find it disappointing it hasn't been realised yet. There seems to be a genuine understanding amongst the younger players of both clubs that it's the only way forward.

I would certainly expect so - that would be worth looking into assuming his other dates allowed for a second night.

I really don't think this gig being a "warm-up" is much of a concern - perhaps it would be for an up-and-coming comedian, but not for someone like Dylan Moran. A good example being the "preview" shows which only cost £5 a ticket at the start of the Edinburgh Fringe - you can see names like Mark Watson, Stewart Lee or Richard Herring without much fear it'll be a duff set. Dylan Moran will be a great show. (and I have a ticket!)

Still not sure if I can get back for ScreenPlay yet; really hope I can. I urge everyone to take advantage of seeing some of these fantastic films at the Garrison - it's not a cinema, but it's the best we've got (until 2010 ). The talks accompanying the films were also very interesting last year. I'd love to hear Mark Kermode and Douglas Mackinnon discuss Local Hero, especially in Shetland, which apparently inspired the story. If you haven't seen The Vanishing, don't find out any more about it - Just go watch it. And The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford really is worth seeing on a big screen, incredible atmosphere and astounding cinematography.

Maybe these "crusaders" should have got their facts straight before rushing off to the EC:

Saw it last night and was absolutely blown away. It's a shame some are saying Heath Ledger's performance is being talked up because of his death; in my opinion he's worthy of all the praise. He is incredible in this film, and must be the front-runner for the "Best Supporting" Oscar at the moment. (Of course there are a lot of films/performances still to come before awards season.) With regards to the "lead character" (or lack of one) - it's a classic ensemble cast. Every actor plays their role to perfection - Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal - and especially Gary Oldman. It's a dark, dark film, and perhaps won't be to everyone's tastes - it's no "Spider-Man" in how it handles the superhero. Death and brutal violence is everywhere, but it's done in such a way that you rarely (if ever) see blood. Through Gotham, a city falling apart, the film explores the post-9/11 world and our response to terrorism, with no "black and white" distinction between right and wrong. It's a lot to take in during one viewing, and I'll certainly be watching it again (hopefully through in Glasgow in IMAX). Go see The Dark Knight.

Not just that - As Ally says, The Dark Knight is currently The #1 Film Of All Time according to IMDB users: http://www.imdb.com/chart/top Going to see it tonight, can't wait... Re-watched Batman Begins the other day and had forgotten how good it was. The hype over this film is like nothing I've ever seen before.

A "state aid complaint". This would be funny, if it wasn't so petty, ridiculous and childish in the extreme. Question - Can any random lunatic lodge one of these complaints? Or do you have to be of a certain standing, or work in a particular sector? I cannot wait for the identity of this "anonymous complainer" to be revealed (which will obviously happen). He or she is guilty of Forvik-esque levels of stupidity. Take the toys back in the pram and accept the following: MAREEL: OPENING 2010.

It won't come to that - it can't come to that. I'm sure given some "cooling off time" the naysayers will (finally) grow up and accept that they have lost, Mareel is happening and Shetlanders are celebrating. These councillors ARE NOT REPRESENTING THEIR "CONSTITUENTS" BY FLOGGING THIS DEAD HORSE. It's become a personal vendetta for them, and is embarassing for the whole of Shetland. Roll on 2010.

http://i25.tinypic.com/ok3cy0.jpg YEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! Well done to all supporters of the project, and tremendous congratulations to Shetland Arts, who have done an amazing job so far.

Me too, I emailed all three of my councillors (twice) and didn't get anything in reply. I can't handle this waiting... Mareel was the first item on the agenda at 10am. Anyone...?

I am insanely nervous. Unfortunately Im sooth so canna attend da Toon Hall in person , but will be dere in spirit. Here's tae a positive ootcome, an a bright future fur wir creative industries. SHETLAND ISLANDS COONCIL - PLEASE DO NOT MAK A HOL O DIS. SUPPORT MAREEL!

This will be my final post on the matter too (as entertaining as I find these HARD-HITTING, SHOCKING, GROUND-BREAKING conspiracy theories ), as JAStewart has hit the nail squarely on the head. For all the dozens/hundreds/thousands/millions of YouTube links (I have watched them by the way, and they're a long way from the "best" I've seen, if that's the right word..) and dense cut-and-pasted text from wacky websites Koy - you still seem totally incapable of articulating your own argument. Maybe if you try that, and not just bombard the forum with "educational" links, you might suceed in conjuring up some form of debate.

Haha, this is gold KOYAANISQATSI! The fact people actually believe 9/11 was some kind of "masterplan" puts a smile on my face. Maybe I'm in on it.

The clip is authentic Ghostrider, and Jane Standley was in Manhattan. (The BBC acknowledge their error here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2007/02/part_of_the_conspiracy.html) It remains TOTALLY irrelevant though. Who's in on this conspiracy Koy? Looking forward to your reply.