These days it’s nigh-on impossible to go to the cinema without at least some awareness of what it is you’re about to sit down and experience. When it came to LOOPER, I did my utmost to achieve that.
It wasn’t easy.
After reading the first synopsis and then seeing the first trailer, I decided: no more. And OPERATION: AVOID ALL INFORMATION ABOUT LOOPER was in full effect.
So if, like me, you’re out to keep as much detail about this film out of and away from your film-going psyche before going to see it*, then this simplistic review is just for you.
Ready? Here we go –
What LOOPER is:
– A brilliant vision of the future
– A masterclass in character study and story-telling
– A modern classic that’ll be studied and revered for years to come
What LOOPER isn’t:
– The film you’re expecting
– An easy watch
– Predictable
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To say anymore would be to ruin it beyond all recognition. Even if I told you what films it echoed, for me at least, I think that would take something away from it too.
1. Tree Music
This is quite beautiful, and just in time for autumn too. Just below a giant chestnut tree in Berlin’s Montbijoupark, these green polymer membranes have been set out to create music whenever a chestnut falls on them.
But it’s probably worth hiding those old posts anyway…
———————– Â UPDATE ———————–
So it’s looking like these posts weren’t Private Messages after all. Back in the old days of Facebook, say between 2007 and 2009, the layout was quite different and, instead of sending each other messages and having to deal with Timelines et al, we used to have the option to write wall-to-wall.
We weren’t all as social-media-savvy back then and believe it or not, your Mum, your boss and all your co-workers weren’t as up to speed either…
Hence the openness of all those wall posts. Major panic subsiding, minor panic still worth cleaning up…
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This is happening right now…
Here’s a grab I took before hiding the relevant issues.
The best possible fix is to hit the SETTINGS icon at the top right and hit ‘HIDE FROM WALL’
So far, TechCrunch have picked it up with others following.
If you don’t want people to see your private messages on Facebook, do this now.
1. Genetic Portraits
Photographer Ulric Collette has been shooting a range of ‘genetic portraits’ taking two members of the same family and splicing them back together for some quite staggering results. This one above is one of my favourites, but the full set is worth a look too. It’s weird as hell, but awesome at the same time. YES!
2. Assassin’s Creed
I’m still hooked (about two hours into Brotherhood now, FYI) and now the girl is going away for a week (boo!) and I’m going to dive into AC like there’s no tomorrow (yay!) and mission it until there is literally nothing left in my sights but Revelations. Oh, and then AC:IIIobviously.
Why is this important? Well, it’s a nice pre-amble to this wicked little Assassin’s Creed Parkour video that was kickin’ around a while back.
But I’m not really worried that something like that might ever happen here. We have a system to prevent customers from sitting in front of the computer for too long… We don’t allow any customers to play for more than three days at a time.
Perhaps I’ll just play for a couple of hours after all…
4. Imagine
I’m getting back into books again (having spent most mornings these past few months reading my GReader) and my current book of choice is ‘Imagine: How Creativity Works’ by Jonah Lehrer.
The chapter I’ve just finished deals with the much-documented link between depression and creativity. A few choice quotes for you –
‘If you’re at the cutting edge, then you’re going to bleed’, – Nancy Andreasen
‘The bad post is usually unconscious where he ought be conscious, and conscious where he ought to be unconscious’, – T. S. Eliot.
And this, from the author –
‘There is nothing romantic about this kind of creativity, which consists mostly of sweat, sadness, and failure. It’s the red pen on the page and the discarded sketch, the trashed prototype and the failed first draft. It’s ruminating in the backs of taxis and popping pills until the poem is finished.’
The next chapter is about losing yourself in the moment, using Yo Yo Ma as a case study.
Love.
5. Kids are mental – aka the best Star Wars story you’ve never heard I spotted this on Super Punch the other morning and then not soon after, it appeared on Kotaku – so I’m fairly sure this has been ’round the world twice already but still – it’s totally worth (re)sharing.
One guy, talking about the The Empire Strikes Back reenactments he was involved with back when he was at summer camp –
The second year I was there, we planned the best (and arguably the most dangerous) game that camp has ever seen. We wanted to do our best to re-create the Battle of Hoth, in The Empire Strikes Back. We built plywood AT-AT shells with handles on the inside and a slot cut in the front, that two guys could get in. We tied ropes to bicycles and milk crates to the ropes to make snowspeeders with the tether cannons, just like in the movie. We even got stilts to re-create the AT-STs…
Things of note for the week ending September 14th, 2012
1. Removie Posters
Removie Posters are basically movie posters re-imagined with one letter from the original title removed. The above is a quite striking Jurassic Ark (see what they did there), but I think The Men That Stare at Oats is my favourite…
2. How To See The Future
The first of two keynote transcripts this week. This one – ‘How To See The Future‘ is from Warren Ellis and is probably one of the best things I’ve read this year, if not – ever.
3. Fight, Fight, Fight Amando Ianucci is next with this, quite frankly, excellent speech from the annual BAFTA television lecture. Entitled ‘Fight, Fight, Fight‘, it is a wonderful celebration of that is great about UK TV creativity; littered with history and filled with inspiration. Read it.
4. Transformers On Your Street
This kind of activity has been done before*, but I really like the execution: to celebrate the launch of the new Transformers video game ‘Fall of Cybertron’ you can actually have Transformers on your street. Great use of the Google Maps / Streetview API.
This gorgeous set of photos remind me of my travels with Lucozade several years ago. The multitude of locations, the sparse surroundings – Gustav Willeit has struck a deep nerve in me: I miss the air up high.
That aside, it was surprisingly amusing. Mark Wahlberg has great comedy timing and Mila Kunis is great in just about anything. Yes it’s puerile, but who cares? Sometimes you need a bit of switch-your-brain off humour…
Bonus points: we saw it at the Everyman Cinema, Maida Vale, which was WITHOUT DOUBT the best cinema experience I’ve had this year. Amazing venue, fantastic decor and absolutely lovely staff.
If you’ve not seen it yet, seek it out. It’s a bit dark, in an Ill Manors kind of way but definitely worth it.
When you watch it though, realise that it could also be interpreted as a companion piece to the Dark Knight trilogy – aka – ‘Where would Alfred end up if he was never hired by the Wayne family?’
Many moons ago (just over ten years in fact), I got my first job in London working at Good Morning Television, aka – GMTV.
It was fairly awesome and, as part of my job was collecting the waiver forms from all the guests that appeared on the sofa, I got to meet some many lovely people. But those stories are for another day.
Recently, while sorting through some old boxes, I found this immensely amusing piece of ‘fan mail’ that I must’ve pocketed and filed at some point along the way. God knows why I kept it and God knows why I only found it this past weekend.
GMTV Ltd The London Television Centre Upper Way London SE1 9TT
13th November 2001
Dear Sirs
For the first time this morning I watched GMTV’s spoof comedy show with superb actress Lorrain Kelly. What a great show, you have captured perfectly the worst of television and put it all together in one entirely believable package. The dreadful sets, moronic competitions, garish coloured furniture, wobbly camera tracking, awful guests, and the ubiquitous ‘make-over‘ absolutety superb.
The sketch this morning with some dreadful woman in a supposedly expensive coat was as good as anything French & Saunders or Victoria Wood has done. The hesitation before walking out on the unstable ‘cat-walk’ had me roaring with laughter.
I am surprised we do not see more of Ms Kelly on television; she must be one of our best comedy actress’. I trust negotiations are ongoing to move this show to an evening prime time slot and I look out for it eagerly.
At a time when there has been so much bad news in the world this type of clever comedy was just what I needed, my congratulations to all involved.
Yours faithfully
JS Scott
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For what it’s worth, Lorraine Kelly is a genuinely lovely person and, the few times that I appeared on the sofa with her*, she was always super nice to me. This letter is slightly mean, but fairly tongue in cheek.
So thank you, JS Scott – whomever you may be – on a day in November in 2001, you made me and my fellow colleagues laugh. A lot.
by Jonah Lehrer.
whatleydude.com 
