Film of the
Week:
Convoy
(1978)
When trucker Martin ‘Rubber Duck’ Penwald, Bobby ‘Pig Pen’, Spider
Mike and Widow Woman get in a sudden fight with a group of cops, the best
option is to run for the state line. The news spread and soon plenty more trucks
join the group, showing their support and for their own reasons as well, and soon
they have a massive mile-long unstoppable convoy in protest of the corrupt government.
If you are familiar with this film, then you may also be familiar with
the director’s behaviour on set as well as it is not secret that he took a huge
amount of drugs and medication whilst directing the film. He had a few disagreements
with how things were running throughout the production, even changing the first
draft of the script to what you have today. Within two weeks, the production
was well behind schedule and when it finished, it was over $3,000,000 over budget
as well. And at one point he even locked himself in his trailer, refusing to finish
the final scene, meaning that someone else had to take over. I feel that I am
obligated to tell you this as it adds to the final perspective you would have
on the finished product.
But when it was eventually finished, the film was neither a hit nor
was it a bomb. But what it is, however, is just a film that doesn’t reflect on
anything that I mentioned above. You can watch the film and there will be no
evidence of what I mentioned above. It does have some epic imagery when the
camera shows the full extent of the convoy; all those trucks in a single file, barrelling
down the motorway with no sign of stopping, unforgettable characters, an
awesome soundtrack that you can’t help but tap your feet along and join in with
the chorus. When I watched it, I did feel as if I was a part of the convoy, and
therefore a sense of how unstoppable it really is.
Saying that it is a good film is no excuse for the director’s
behaviour, that’s not what I am saying, but if you weren’t told what happened
behind the scenes, then you would say it’s a good film. But now that you know,
or even if you did already know, then you can only come up with a conclusion of
your own.
You can view the film's IMDB page here:
TV Program
of the Week
IT Crowd – Season 1 – Episode 1: Yesterday’s Jam
The first episode of the a four season long programme introduces us
to two computer nerds, the anti-social, Moss (Richard Ayoade) who knows
everything about science and computers, but absolutely nothing about the outside
world, and the more out-going Roy (Chris O’Dowd), who does his best to try and fit
in with the people upstairs. One day, their world in the basement of Reynholm
Industries is forever changed when Jen Barber (Katherine Parkinson) is employed
as their manager on the bases that she ‘knows a lot about computers’. Roy and
Moss may not like it down in the basement, but they have gotten used to being
down there as it allows some privacy. They can pretty much do what they want
and get away with it. When their new manager comes in and attempts to bring
some order to the group, the exact opposite is achieved instead, and that’s the
series in a nutshell.
From the mind who brought you Father Ted, Graham Linehan creates
yet another fantastically funny series that I can’t stop watching. The completely
unforgettable characters and their chaotic chemistry between them is what makes
this show great. I heard about this show a while back, but I never actually got
around to watching it. The moment that I decided I would give the first episode
a go, I was hooked, and soon I had watched the entire first series. I can’t say
the same for you, but I’m sure there are some of you who can admit that you
have done the same.
Each series does have a storyline, but it can be classed as more
of a secondary storyline, as each episode’ storyline takes centre stage, and having
that set up allows for a sense of freedom that can be had with the characters.
You can still develop them, sure, but it their own way instead of having to follow
a strict set of guidelines.
You can view the episode's IMDB page here:
Game of the
Week
Until Dawn
This is where things get complicated, because I don’t want to tell
you anything about this game. But why am I writing about it if I’m not going to
talk about it as that just makes these words a waste, then. Not necessarily. I
can still tell you how mind-blowing it is, how scary it is, that the story is
incredible, and how immersive it is. This is a choice-based game, which means
it will prompt you to make a certain choice to move the story onwards, and it
is those choices that will outline the fate of the characters. And there are so
many choices. I can’t find any confirmed evidence of this, but there is a
rumour stating that the game has over a thousand different choices; even
picking up or walking past a particular object can change the course of the
entire game. Even though it is unconfirmed, when you play the game, the
immersive nature will make you debate whether that rumour is true or not.
I probably should have told you from the beginning, but this is a
PS4 exclusive, and I know that you don’t have to have good graphics to tell a
good story, but the graphics do make up for it being a PS4 exclusive. I really
want to just tell you everything that the game has to offer, but I really don’t
want to spoil it. So, to not waste your time, I will give you something.
Seven friends, Sam (Hayden Penattiere), Mike (Brett Dalton), Chris
(Noah Fleiss), Ashley (Galadriel Stinerman), Emily (Nichole Bloom), Jessica (Meaghan
Martin), Matt (Jordan Fisher), Josh (Rami Malek) and his twin sisters, Hannah
and Beth (played by the same actress, Ella Lentini) are celebrating their
annual winter getaway at the Blackwood Pines Lodge. When a prank gets out of
hand, things take a turn for the worse and Hannah and Beth find themselves
hanging on for dear life on the edge of a cliff. A year later, their bodies
remain to be found.
And that is all I am willing to tell you. If you have played the
game, then you would know that by playing through it again, there is so much
new stuff you never saw the first time round. If you haven’t played the game
before, then I cannot recommend this enough.
You can view the official website for the game here:
Video of the
Week
Math Magic
By Vsauce
Over the couple of years that I have been following Vsauce, I
created my very own motto for the channel, which is: ‘Vsauce – teaching you
things you didn’t know you wanted to you’.
Michael Stevens never fails to blow my mind. This time, he’s talking
about the laws of the odds. In this video, he explains how three card tricks
rely purely on mathematics to work. He also explains a bit about the mathematics
itself as well.
Every single time I watch one of his videos, I always come away
having learnt something new, whether it’s how your eye can be tricked into seeing
many different colours, but they’re actually all the same, or why no one can
own the Moon.
Whenever a new episode appears in my feed, I’m straight there as I
never want to miss anything that Michael has to say.
You can watch the video here:
Thanks for reading
Antony Hudson
(TonyHadNouns)
My book, Sector 22: Zoey, is now available on Amazon, eBay, and SkyCat Publications' website:
Amazon:
eBay:
SkyCat Publications:
Ask me anything at:
ahudsonpresents@live.co.uk
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