Layers - Part 53

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Film of the Week – Midnight Special

Even though this film is backed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it still has a strong independent vibe about it, which amplifies the originality and freshness that has been much needed to push us along into the second half of the year, when the comic book films can begin again. Midnight Special is a science fiction, drama, and a supernatural film that follows Roy Tomlin (Michal Shannon), who has fled from a religious cult who worships an 8-year old boy, Alton (Jaeden Liberher).

Alton is no ordinary boy. He possesses extraordinary and powerful abilities. He doesn’t quite know who he is yet, but as he takes the journey across America, he soon learns that he is from another world, populated with beings much like him, and who are just as powerful. Along the way, the Police force, and soon the FBI has been notified of the kidnapping, and soon they are right on Roy and Alton’s tail. Roy can’t do this alone, and so he seeks the help of his good friend, Lucas (Joel Edgerton) who, although will do anything to help his friends, remain in a state of confusion. Alton’s mother, Sara Tomlin, joins the three and head off to the final destination.

Midnight Special is a beautifully made film. The bond between father and son, and mother and son is terrifically acted. Even though Roy has no idea who his son actually is, there’s still that powerful connection of trust, believing one another, and that sense of understanding even when the mystery is thick and the answers are running thin.

Written and directed by Jeff Nicolas, this is his fourth feature film. It is significantly different from his previous films, but Jeff has perfectly captured the simplicity of what a science fiction is, allowing us, the audience to never lose track of the story, who the characters are, and the climax at the end, as well as adding that strong drama element in between, which helps flesh out each character well – who they are, what they do, and the importance they have on the plot itself.

With a budget of $18 million, a strong story has been told. A lot happened within the two hours, without missing a single beat. When the goings got tough, I felt as if they were actually struggling to get through it, and when they did, either through luck or of their own making, there was a sense of relief.

This does bring up an interesting issue that I would like to bring up. Midnight Special had a considerably less money to spend than two of the biggest films of this year: Captain America – Civil War, and Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. Both films had a huge budget of $250 million. Captain America stormed the box office, with their incredible attention to detail, including every character and developing them enough to move the story forwards and not over complicate things. Batman Vs Superman also stormed the box office, but didn’t get the same praise as its rival. The story felt rushed, the characters weren’t as developed as they should have been. Does this prove that it’s not how much money you have, it’s what you do wit it? Well, yes and no.

Yes, because you can go big, epic, and do things that other films would only ever dream of doing. If it’s a massively anticipated film, then the studios may give the producers and the writers more freedom to move about compared to that of a smaller, less anticipated film.

No, because with a bigger budget, they can move about more, and the end product can be something of a sensational piece that blows everyone away. If it’s something the audience really wants, then the studio needs to deliver, and so a bigger budget is needed. That makes sense in the grand scheme of things, but you have to consider the possibility that the hype of a big film can ruin said film before it has even begun.

There are many more elements that needs to be considered to determine what makes a film good or bad, but if the studio is allowing the people with more money, they can get a little addicted to spending it, which can lead onto the other elements.

So what’s my point. Well, as I said at the very beginning of this article, Midnight Special has a strong independent vibe throughout, even though it has been backed by a large studio. Am I saying that because it has a small budget, they utilised every penny to make the best film they possibly could from what they had to work with? It’s a possibility. Midnight Special did what so many films could have done with a big budget, but just didn’t – incorporated the story, the characters, and that’s it, with all the other elements being added as and when necessary. It’s a refreshing experience to watch unfold.

Of course, you can have a small budgeted film and the final product not be as good as expected. It seems that Midnight Special new exactly what it wanted to be. Jeff Nicolas knew exactly what he wanted to make, and made it to the best of his ability with the resources he had at hand. We do need more independent films like Midnight Special, because then they can show the big films that the smaller ones can indeed stand up and be included with everything else.

Just because you have a lot of money to spend, doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want, but contradicting that matter, if you have a smaller amount to spend, you can do whatever you want, because you know your limits, and therefore can expand outwards until each and every one has been met, and that’s exactly how I feel with Midnight Special. It’s a fabulous film and shouldn’t be pushed to the back row just because it’s not as big as some of the comic book films out there.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

The Watch – Part 87:

I walked into the kitchen and saw Amy sitting at the table, drinking a glass of water with a two pieces of toast on a plate. We both made eye contact before quickly looking away and focusing on what we were doing. I opened the fridge and grabbed a carton of Apple juice, took a glass out from the cabinet above and poured myself a drink. I then took the bread from the breadbin and slotted two slices into the toaster and pulled down the lever to let it cook. As I was doing that, as hard as I tried, my face steadily went from pale to red with a mixture of embarrassment and awkwardness. What do I say to break the ice? The toast popped, making me jump and snap me out of my train of thought. I picked the two slices out of the toaster and buttered them before shuffling over to the table and sitting down at the opposite end of the table. Amy had just finished her two pieces of toast and gulped down the last few drops of water before setting them down onto the table. She then looked at me with an expression that said she wanted to say something, but didn’t know what, but her gaze made my face go even redder. Of all the things that could have happened this morning, I was not expecting that. I was half-asleep, so my brain was in automatic mode until it had woken up properly, and so I went about what I usually do first thing in the morning. Is that really an excuse for what happened? I wasn’t used to Amy being in the house, but that shouldn’t be a suitable reason either. And why am I only telling me this? Shouldn’t I be explaining all of this to Amy? Maybe she’ll understand. I geared myself up to say something, to break the ice and get the ball rolling. We have to have this conversation in order to disperse the tension, which is currently at max level at the moment, and is quite clearly making us both feel incredibly uncomfortable. I opened my mouth, ready to say explain everything…

‘Did you see anything?’ Amy asked suddenly. Due to the sudden question, I had to change my thought pattern slightly so that I wouldn’t say anything that wasn’t relevant to the question.

‘No. I only saw you lift up your towel and cover yourself,’ I said after a second or two had passed.

‘Are you hesitating because you did see something and you’re too embarrassed to say anything, or because you didn’t see anything?’ Amy asked deductively.

‘I didn’t see anything,’ I said a little bit more sternly, hoping that Amy would believe me.

There was a long, pregnant pause before Amy spoke again. She analysed my answer, my tone and my facial expression before concluding, ‘I believe you,’ she said. It was at that moment when the tension had evaporated. A great weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, and from the looks of things, Amy felt the same way. Her shoulders relaxed a little by falling downwards instead of being up and agitated. Although, I did notice that her shoulders weren’t as relaxed as mine was. Does that mean there was still something on her mind?

‘There is one thing though,’ Amy said, confirming my suspicions. ‘Why didn’t you knock?

‘I was half-asleep, meaning my brain was changing from automatic mode to awake mode, and so I went about my daily routine by going to the bathroom and splashing water on my face to wash out any sleep in my eyes,’ I explained instantly.

Amy didn’t say anything. Did I say something wrong? How could I have done – it was the truth.

‘So you forgot that I was in the house.’

‘This is all new to me,’ I defended.

‘But people must have been in the bathroom before, though. There had to have been a time when you found the door locked…’

‘Why didn’t you lock the door?’ I piped up suddenly.

‘Why didn’t you knock,’ Amy asked.

‘I didn’t knock because the door was unlocked,’ I explained confidently.

‘So if you had turned the handle, found the door locked, you would have knocked to see if anyone was in there, even though you would know that someone was in there because the door is locked,’ Amy said, picking at my logic, which I had to admit didn’t sound as strong as it did in my head. I think my facial expression gave that away; Amy didn’t look too happy.

‘I am sorry,’ I said.

‘Thank you,’ Amy nodded with acceptance. I think that is what she wanted all along. I’ve just realised just how new I am to all of this. ‘I’ll let you off this time,’ she said practically reading my thoughts via my facial expressions.

‘This time,’ I said, surprised, ‘Is there going to be a next time.’

‘I hope not. You need to knock first. You got lucky this time, but next time there may be consequences.’

I went red.

‘Don’t you dare,’ Amy said sternly.

‘Don’t I dare what?’ I asked, needing more information.

‘You know what,’ she said sternly

‘No, I don’t.

‘You’ve gone red because you were thinking about stuff,’ she explained.

‘You didn’t exactly help me not to,’ I said.

‘Oh, that’s how it is, is it?’ Amy said. ‘Just finish your breakfast and get ready. We’ve got a long day ahead of us and I don’t particularly want to waste it arguing.

‘Right you are,’ I said, taking a massive bite out my toast, realizing that it was too much for me to chew and so I had to tear off a bit more so that I could fit it all in my mouth. Amy sighed and shook her head before heading into the living room and waiting for me to finish.

***

‘Do you have everything?’ Amy said. Her excitement had naturally evolved into stress. I knew this meant a big deal to her and so I remained calm throughout as I knew that if I snapped, I would make the situation worse tenfold.

‘Yes,’ I said.

‘Money? phone? laptop?’ she asked.

‘All safely packed into my bag and ready to go,’ I said.

‘Then let’s hit the road,’ she said, opening the door and walking out. I closed the door behind us and followed Amy towards the station.

‘Do you have everything?’ I asked her.

‘Do you have to ask?’ Amy answered with a question.

‘Just checking,’ I said.

‘And rightfully so,’ she said, smiling and linking her arm with mine as we set off for an adventure.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Mum's Monday: Neighbours - hotel explosion: who did it?

WARNING: Spoilers.

Paul Robinson had it all: hotel, girlfriend Naomi Canning, and he was even mayor of Erinsborough.

After a bad breakup from Naomi, she gave a memory stick with all of Paul’s private and dodgy dealings to Daniel, Paul’s nephew, which was then leaked to the newspapers.

The result of the leak was that Paul lost everything, his home which was the penthouse at the Lassiters hotel, the hotel itself, and all his money. Terese Willis who had recently split from her husband, Brad, and felt sorry for him, took him in.

The Quill family, Julie, Tom, and Shay, presently took over the hotel. Julie had known Paul from the past resulting in a not so friendly encounter.

Enter Lynn Scully, one of Paul’s ex-wives. He had given her some shares, which are now worth 70,000 Australian Dollars. After unsuccessfully wooing Lynn to get hold of the money, he finds out that she has given the shares to her daughter Steph.

Paul wants to use the money to invest in another motel, and after finding out Steph has the money, he persuades Steph to invest. She wants to build a future for her and son, Charlie

As part of promoting the Robinson’s motel, Paul wants to bring back the Citizen of the Year awards and host it. After Steph orders some alcohol from a friend Jacka, which turns out to be stolen, they lose the awards to the Quill family at the hotel.

Paul, wanting revenge for losing the awards, hires Cecilia Saint to sabotage the ceremony. She doesn’t go through with it as she has a family emergency so the awards were to happen without a hitch. Despite this, the hotel boiler is playing up. Tyler Brennon takes a look at it but being a car mechanic, he can’t fix it.

Someone is in the boiler room and sabotages the boiler…. Who is the mysterious shadow? The boiler subsequently explodes, destroying the hotel and trapping a lot of people inside. This starts off one of the biggest week in Neighbours.

Daniel, Pauls nephew, is saved because, Josh Willis, Terese and Brads son sacrifices his life as he was stabbed in the side by a piece of debris. Doug Willis, Josh’s Grandfather passes away due to a heart attack. Tom Quill is missing. CCTV footage shows Paul Robinson going down to the boiler room, as part of his plan to show revenge for losing the hotel; he sabotages the air-conditioning. Upon learning that the boiler is not working properly, he goes down to check that he wasn’t the one whilst tampering with the air-conditioning. As he is lodging with Terese and as she works at the hotel, he has access to the CCTV footage, which shows him entering the boiler room. He deletes the footage.

Tyler thinks he was responsible because he wasn’t qualified to look at the boiler. Piper thinks her ex, Chas, is responsible as they parted on bad terms, but he has an alibi for the time period the boiler was sabotaged.

A rumour spreads linking Tom Quill as the responsible person. He was fired because he conned Arron Brennon trying to get the plans for an extension to the hotel accepted. He has since returned having come out of hiding, but it has recently been found out that he was responsible for taking the money that his mum had to pay Jacka for the boiler sabotage.

Just before the explosion, a mysterious man was walking through the hotel complex. Paige was standing out front. When the explosion happened the man saved Paige’s life but he ended up in hospital with amnesia. When the man was released, due to his amnesia, he had taken on a new identity as John. Paige and John set out to 1) find out who he is, 2) what he was doing at the hotel, and 3) whether he is responsible for the explosion or not. This quest leads to another man named Dustin, who when he sees Mark Brennon, the local policeman, he strangely does a runner. John also finds out he actually has an alibi for the time when the boiler was tampered with. Wendy Iris, an employer at the hotel, sees John in a different part of the hotel. Soon after, John recognises a logo from a company that looks after boiler maintenance.

All the evidence points to Paul being guilty. The fact he was angry at losing everything, that he deleted the incriminating CCTV footage, and that he did hire someone to stop the awards going smoothly.

Terese throws Paul out. He moves into the motel which he co-owns with Steph. Steph is the only one who believed he is innocent as Paul is in love with Terese and would never hurt her family, but Paul is tried and is found guilty. He gets 18 years with parole after 14 years. Still maintaining his innocence, he starts to serve his sentence.

Mark, having his doubts, gets hold of Wendy’s bank statements only to find out she has been paid a lot of money. Julie had bribed Wendy to lie during any questioning. John, still believing that he was responsible goes to confess again, so they call in Wendy once more to confirm his alibi but she struggled not to lie. She was the one who started to reveal the truth.

We later find out that Paul is, in fact innocent because Julie Quill paid Jacka Hills – although he didn’t receive any money because Tom took it – to sabotage the boiler and frame Paul. We also find out more or less at the same time, John is in fact, a priest, Father Jack Callahan. He was travelling around Australia, and in doing so was filling in for the usual priest, who has recently travelled to Rome. The reason he knows Dustin is he was helping him at a refuge. So him running from the police would’ve been a common reaction as chances are he would be in some sort of trouble. Julie Quill confessed her plan to Jack that she was going to pay Jacka to sabotage the boiler. Jack arrived to try to stop it, but to no avail.

After this new piece of information, Jacka and Julie were arrested with Paul being released, Jack has gone back home to decide whether he still wants to be a priest or to be with Paige.

This was a huge storyline. A lot happened during each episode that tightened the mystery as well as gradually getting closer and closer to the truth. It explored all aspects of event, each person’s potential alibi and motive. The inclusion of John’s amnesia storyline was a nice touch as it kept things fresh instead of growing stale over the few episodes. The subtle character development of this newly introduced person didn’t go too far – you learnt just enough about them, before the final piece of the puzzle was added, and you found out their true identity. Throughout the storyline, it wasn’t rushed in any way. All the questions were given enough time to develop. When it was about time for all the answers to be revealed, it was done so in one episode, but it all fell into place. Each answer was given time to mature as well; we weren’t bombarded with them one after the other, we were allowed to process the shock, then hear out the explanation before moving onto the next revelation.

I felt sorry for Paul. Throughout, I felt he was innocent as he has always declared a connection with Terese and he was focusing on putting his and Steph’s life back on track. The fact that John was a priest was a huge shock, but he always said to Paige that something at the back of his mind held him back from a relationship. I was surprised at the fact Julie Quill was responsible. She explained that she blew up her own business for insurance purposes – because she had ploughed all her money into buying the hotel, that she had none left. It was a clever and unexpected twist.

After all the big questions have been answered, the storyline can then start relaxing before moving onto the next one.

Layers - Part 52

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

The Watch – Part 86:

‘Err, so what do we do now?’ Amy asked. We have a few hours to do whatever.

‘I suggest we get a good night’s sleep so that we’re fresh and able to concentrate properly,’ I said. Amy, for some reason, looked a little disappointed about my suggestion, as if she wanted me to say something else, but said.

‘Makes sense,’ she shrugged. Was I supposed to have said something else instead? She turned on the spot and started to make her way towards the door, ‘I guess I had better get going, then,’ she said. When Amy had entered the hallway, an idea popped into my head.

‘Amy, wait,’ I said. She spun around in one smooth movement, with an expression that said, ‘make this a good idea,’.

‘How about,’ I said, feeling a little nervous for the first time in a while since meeting Amy, ‘instead of going all the way home, you could, if you want that is, stay here…’

‘I thought you would never ask,’ Amy said with a massive smile on her face. I haven’t finished explaining my idea yet she knows exactly what’s going on inside my head. How did she do that?

‘Your spare bedroom is tidy enough for someone to sleep in, though?’ she quizzed. I actually had to think about that for a second before saying confidently, ‘yes,’ although I could have been a bit more confident.

‘Right,’ Amy said, clapping her hands together and spinning around once more, ‘so I’m just going to head home, then to pick up some necessities, then come back, and then in the morning we can waste no time in getting ready, waiting for the other to come to the other’s house, and risk missing the first train to Mistley,’ Amy explained before opening the door, stepping outside and closing it behind her. I was left standing in the hallway, staring at a closed door. Surely, she was defeating the idea of going back to hers by going back to hers, but that question is entering dangerous territory, so I had better leave it at that.

‘I had better get the spare bed ready,’ I said, shooting upstairs. Amy’s cute when excited. Even more so when this excited. I’ve never seen her this enthusiastic before, and I know I’ve only properly known her for only a handful of days, but the way we’ve connected has allowed us to know each other well enough for me to know when she has never been this excited before. Yeah, that sentence could have been better, but it doesn’t matter. Not when Amy’s coming back here and there’s a mystery to solve.

***

Loud, fast knocking indicated that Amy had returned. I had just finished making up the spare bed when she arrived and I dashed downstairs and opened the door. She bounced through the door with her bag in her hand, smiling broadly.

‘I’ve just finished making the spare bed,’ I said, turning around and leading Amy upstairs and into the spare bedroom. The duvet was extra thick for maximum comfort and the mattress is made out of memory foam so that you guarantee to get a good night’s sleep and wake up refreshed in the morning. I explained all this to Amy and she was delighted.

‘I’ll leave you to it, then,’ I said, taking a couple of steps backwards into the hallway.

‘Yeah, see you in the morning.’

‘See you then.’ I had my hand on the door handle, ready to close the door when Amy stopped me and said.

‘We had better set our alarms so that we don’t sleep in. If we’re going to go investigating, we need as much time as we can possibly get out of tomorrow.’

‘How about six,’ I suggested. ‘We can set ourselves an hour and a half time limit to get ourselves ready, then take the twenty minute walk to the station, then catch the train at around about eight-fifteen. It won’t be the first train, but if you want to be refreshed and awake, then I wouldn’t recommend getting the half-four train or something.’

‘That makes sense,’ Amy said happily. ‘Now, if you don’t mind, I have some sleeping to do.’

‘Good night,’ I said with a smile.

‘Night,’ Amy said. I closed the door and I headed back downstairs once more to turn off all of the lights and appliances. Once the entire house apart from the landing was in complete darkness, I headed back upstairs and into my own bedroom where I got changed into my pyjamas, and slipped into bed. I fished my alarm clock out of my chest of drawers. I thought I wouldn’t have any need of it since I wouldn’t be going to college for six weeks. I set it to 6’Oclock in the morning. Placing the set clock on top of the drawers in the usual place, which was in the centre of a dust ring as I hadn’t gotten around to cleaning the top of the drawers in a while, I laid on my back, thinking about how tomorrow’s going to go before slipping into a nice, comfortable sleep.

***

As planned, the alarm, beeping its head off, woke me up. My waking up procedure started with wondering what and where that beeping was coming from, and ending with realising that it was my alarm clock, opening my eyes and switching if off. I have gotten used to waking up via alarm clock as I have done it for the past four years, but I still don’t like the feeling of being forced awake instead of waking up naturally. I sat up and stretched my arms upwards before climbing out of bed and heading straight to the bathroom to wash my face and clean any sleep out of my eyes.

I was still half asleep when I walked through the hall from the bedroom to the bathroom – the side-effect of waking up via an alarm. I wouldn’t classify myself a zombie, but I most certainly stumbled about like one.

I opened the bathroom door and walked inside.

A girl’s scream startled me awake much better than any amount of cold water could. My eyes widened with shock with what I had walked into. Amy was standing beside the shower, with a towel wrapped around her.

‘Oh my God,’ I said immediately turning my back. ‘I’m sorry,’ I said before exiting the bathroom in a hurry, closing the door with a slam. I was breathing heavily with shock. I don’t think that’s going to go down well. I felt my face go bright red with embarrassment. I changed my plans and darted back into my bedroom to get dressed. As I was pulling my white T-shirt over my head, I heard the bathroom door open and close followed by the spare bedroom door opening and closing. A couple of minutes later, the door reopened and closed followed by footsteps descending down the stairs. I finished getting myself ready before making my way down and succumb to the total awkward situation that is to come.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Video of the Week: Day 5 - Episode 1: Waking Nightmare (by Rooster Teeth)

WARNING: Contains coarse language, sexual dialogue, violence, and nudity. Viewer's discretion is advised.

On April 1st, 2003, Burnie Burns released the first ever episode of what would quickly become an internet sensation, Red Vs Blue. People flooded the internet to download it and watch it, and it only ever grew more and more popular. Back then, it was just a bunch of people gathered together in their home, having a bit of fun. No one knows what the future holds, and when their show picked up massively, they moved up and haven’t stopped moving up.

In 2013, they celebrated their 10^th anniversary of Rooster Teeth. A lot has happened in ten years. Rooster Teeth had expanded beyond anyone’s prediction. Employing new people, starting new projects, but continuing to keep their core program alive throughout. When I was first introduced to Rooster Teeth some years ago, I was actually introduced to the sub-division known as Achievement Hunter, which had one of the co-founders of the company in charge, Geoff Ramsey. Achievement Hunter focused purely on games. They had only just started their Minecraft series at the time, which is now well into the 200s. I didn’t start branching out into other aspects of the company until much later down the line, but when I did, I never looked back and regretted it. The whole company as a whole stole my concentration without asking it, but I didn’t care. They can have it. With what they are doing today, they can even try and sell it back to me for an extortionate price, if they want… I’m not going to pay them, but they can try nevertheless. Ironically, I have become a Sponsor, but I don’t think that’s the same thing…

In 10 years, they had moved on to creating a lot more life-action series. The Rooster Teeth Shorts to name to most popular. They began the podcast which is still going strong at – as of writing this article – 381. They were making a huge impact on the Internet, and still are. In 2013, they released a new animated show, RWBY. That made a gigantic impact the very moment it was uploaded, and for four years, that impact is only getting bigger. As we are sitting in the anticipation of series 4 of RWBY, the company continues to grow. New animated shows, Camp Camp, RWBY Chibi has been welcomed by the community, and many more. I can’t talk about Rooster Teeth’s success without mentioning their feature-length film, Lazer Team. Crowdfunded by the community, breaking all-sorts of records; they have certainly broken through into a new chapter of their company.

That new chapter couldn’t have started off stronger with the highly anticipated release of their new live-action series, Day 5.

Day 5 takes place after a sudden apocalyptic nightmare occurred overnight. If you go to sleep, you will die. Your body needs sleep, and the longer you withhold that, the more it craves it, and the more it craves it, the more you will start suffering. Hallucinations, lack of concentration, and disgusting-looking eyes are only three of the many side-effects from lack of sleep. The only way to stay awake is to take an incredible amount of stimulating drugs, such as powerful adrenaline.

When I first heard about the new show a couple of years back, the premise did sound intriguing, but as it was a couple of years ago, I gradually forgot about it. Things started happening here and there, new shows were being released, new adventures were to be had, and then suddenly the first episode was released.

I’m not going to give an opinion on the entire series after only seeing the first episode, but upon seeing it, it can only get better. Whenever anyone who was involved with the production of the show would be asked to say something about it, they would often be heard saying that it was “different from anything Rooster Teeth has ever done”. Upon seeing the first episode, I have to agree for all the right reasons. It is a fully produced, live-action drama/thriller/horror, that explores an original concept and has made me scared to go to sleep.

The four characters, Jake, Sam, Ally, and Ellis, must find the source of the apocalypse before they fall asleep. I can sense that it’s going to be tense throughout, but there’s one thing that Rooster Teeth is known for and that’s for the comedy. The main writers, Chris Demarais and Josh Flanagan, blended the seriousness of the concept with the company’s comedic roots perfectly whilst branching out into other unfamiliar areas.

As I said earlier in this article, this is the beginning of a new chapter in the company’s life. If this is a success, and it pretty much already is even after less than a week of release, then the sky’s the limit. The amount of possibilities that have been and will be opened in the future will enable them to create even more great entertainment. I will be watching the rest of this series, and any others that they put forward because now that I’ve seen what they are capable of, they deserve that first chance, and as their company continues to grow and mold into something different but keeping their roots exactly the same, that first impression will only get better and better. Day 5 has certainly proved that.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Layers - Part 51

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Film of the Week: The blues Brothers and Blues Brothers 2000

I don’t think you can get a better car chase than the one in The Blues Brothers. When Jake Blues has just been released out of prison, his brother, Elwood, takes him to see the Penguin who explains that if she does not pay the $5000 tax within the next few days, she will be forced to close the orphanage in which Jake and Elwood grew up in. The story then sees the two brothers reuniting their old band together to secure the money to pay the tax. Along the way, they make plenty of enemies, most notably the Police who will do anything to make sure the two brothers are behind bars, but the Police won’t catch them because they’re on a mission from God.

One epic car chase after an awesome song after epic car chase after an awesome song, this film has a high level of feel-good vibe throughout.

The Blues Brothers first appearance was during an episode of Saturday Night Live in 1978. John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, along with their blues band, blew the audience away with their version of Soul Man. From then on, the popularity of the Blues Brothers grew practically overnight and in 1980, the film was released. The first draft was written by Dan, but it was so long that it had to be cut down, which is what John Landis did. Of course, the film can be as long as it wants and I’ll never get bored of it. The car chases are addicting, and the songs are catchy, and completely unforgettable.

But of course, the film, nor the band, will be complete without the fellow musicians playing the instruments. Considered legends in their field of work: Steve “The Colonel” Cropper on lead guitar, rhythm guitar and vocals; “Blue Lou” Marini on alto saxophone and tenor saxophone, and backing vocals; Donald “Duck” Dunn on the Bass guitar; Matt Murphy on lead guitar; Willi “Too Big” Hall on the drums and percussions; Tom “Bones” Malone on the trombone, tenor saxophone, and backing vocals; “Mr Fabulous” Alan Rubin on the trumpet, percussion, and backing vocals; and Murphy Dunne “Murph” playing the keyboards.

At the time of filming, it also broke the world record of number of cars wrecked during filming. A total of 103 cars were destroyed, and it would keep that record until the second film, Blues Brothers 2000, which destroyed 104 cars.

Every time I watch it, I know perfectly why this film has gained a cult status among fans. If, at any time, you want to gather the family for an evening’s entertainment, or you would just like some time to yourself, then this film should be at the top of both lists. It’s certainly at the top of mine.

Now, as the title of this article says, I will also be talking about the sequel to The Blues Brothers, Blues Brothers 2000. This ramps up the comedy more than the previous, but the car chases and the music is still there. Strictly speaking, this shouldn’t be taken as a sequel, but instead as a tribute to those that unfortunately passed away in between films: John Belushi, Cab Calloway, and John Candy.

Set 18 years later, when Elwood is released from prison, he learns of the death of his brother, Jake, and later learns of the death of his father-figure, Curtis, who was played by Cab Calloway. Elwood sets about reuniting his old band once more to venture on another mission from God. Along the way, he teams up with three new people, John Goodman as Might Mack Mcteer as the new lead vocals; Joe Morton as Commander Cabel Chamberlain/Cab Blues as the new lead vocals; and J. Evan Bonifant as Buster Blues as vocals and harmonica.

The second film didn’t get as much praise as the first, but you can blame Universal Studios for that because they were the ones that forced certain aspects of the film into the production – and it’s pretty obvious that the Witch wouldn’t have been in the final product if it was left up to Dan and John. A lot can be said regarding the quality of the sequel, but at the end of the day, it still has that feel-good vibe throughout. The Blues Brothers are all about the music – the story is there to keep it from jumping from one performance to the other, potentially making it a boring film to watch.

One of the great things I like about this film is that all the original cast members that were able to return, reprised the roles they had in the previous film. So not only are the characters 18 years older, but so are the actors and actresses playing them, which gives a sense of depth to each character, with a small amount of nostalgia as you remember them from the previous film. This time round, however, we’ve been given the enormous pleasure of seeing even more musical legends come together. The Louisiana Gator Boys (a blues supergroup) is comprised of many famous names, not limited to: B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Bo Diddly, Billy Preston, and Steve Winwood.

So whilst Blues Brothers 2000 could be better in some parts, just don’t forget that the music never drops a beat, the car chases are plenty, and the chemistry between the band is exactly the same.

Whenever someone says that they chose not to watch the sequel, I do respect their decision, but that always reminds me of the motivational speech that Elwood gives to the rest of the band. I like to think of it as a speech that breaks the forth wall.

“You may go if you wish. But remember this: Walk away now and you walk away from your crafts, your skills, your vocations; leaving the next generation with nothing by recycled, digitally-sampled techno-grooves, quasi-synth rhythms, pseudo-songs of violence-laden gangsta-rap, acid pop, and simpering, saccharine, soulless slush. Depart now and you forever separate yourselves from the vital American legacies or Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Jimmy Reed, Memphis Slim, Blind Boy Fuller, Louie Jorden, Little Walter, Big Walter, Sonnyboy Williamson 1 and 2, Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson, Elivis Presley, Lieber and Stoller, and Robert K. Wiess.”

When Donald “Duck” Dunn asks the band who Robert K. Wiess is and they shrug because they don’t know, that’s because Robert isn’t actually a musician. He is the producer of the two Blues Brothers films, and the person responsible for convincing Dan and Jon to not quit the project after Universal Studios forced certain changes to the production.

Elwood then continues with his speech by saying: “Turn your backs now and you snuff you the fragile candles of Blues, R&B and Soul, and when those flames flicker and expire, the light of the world is extinguished because the music which has moved mankind through seven decades leading to the millennium will whiter and die on the vine of abandonment and neglect.”

I don’t know about you, but that speech always makes me want to keep watching just for the music.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

The Watch – Part 85:

‘So we have the where, but we don’t have the when,’ Amy said, ‘or how, but you said that we might be able to find out those answers when we get to the station.’

I nodded, ‘but there’s always a possibility that you’ll find nothing there, but somewhere different instead, that will lead to the station.’

‘So, what you’re saying is, we are no closer to figuring out this mystery than when we started,’ Amy said.

‘I’m not saying that at all. No, I’m saying that we can have a look at the station to see if we can find any clues, but if there aren’t any, then we have to look at this at a different angle, that’s all.’

‘So when do you think we should take a trip down there? As soon as possible or wait until later?’

I breathed in deeply as I thought about the question. ‘You’re not going to like my answer,’ I said. ‘Probably,’ I added quickly afterwards.

‘Let’s hear it anyway,’ Amy said, ‘it might give me something to go on with.’

‘Ok,’ I said shifting my body around so that I’m facing directly in front of her. ‘The thing is with time travel, is it is incredible unpredictable, but you already know that from what you said in your speech back at school,’ I said as Amy nodded, letting me continue, ‘but the unpredictability of it all sums up what time travel is with all the paradoxes and all that jazz, seeing your future-self before you go back in time to meet your past-self, you know the drill.’ Amy was beginning to get a little impatient as I was only explaining what she already knows and nodded with an agitated expression as if to say ‘get to the point,’ but in truth, I had to explain all this to make my point have meaning. ‘Anyway, when we get to the station, there might not be anything there, but will be soon. The paradox may start with us seeing the footage of you at the station, but from then on, time is in charge and will only give us the necessary clues to propel us forward when it is ready, not when we are.’

‘So, if we find nothing, we may have to wait it out for something to show, but nothing could show at all, causing us to waste our time for the necessary clue that we need is right here, or somewhere else entirely, which could be on the other side of the country, if not further,’ Amy said in an unenthusiastic way.

‘But like I said, if we do find nothing, we can look at this at another angle. Something somewhere, somehow has to pop up if time wants us to go back in time. The Universe doesn’t want us to ruin the flow of time, so it’ll help us if we’re going in the wrong direction.’

‘You speak as if you have experience of the matter,’ Amy said curiously.’

‘I’m just well-read on the subject,’ I said with my heart beating.

‘Fair enough,’ Amy said without a second thought. I sighed with relief inside. That was a close one. Most of what I am saying is from what I have taught myself, but it isn’t surprising that a small part of my words is soaked in experience. I have travelled in time before, as well as to other Universes, and travelled in time there as well, so that’s something I have to keep an eye of from now on. This is harder than I thought. Have I already said that before? I probably have…

‘How about,’ Amy said snapping me out of my train of thought, ‘we head up there as soon as we’re ready and see what we can find. We can head up there once a week if necessary. We have to do something instead of waiting and twiddling our thumbs. However, like you said, we might as well as the Universe isn’t going to let us.

‘I said it’ll help us if we’re going in the wrong direction. We have to get up and do something so it can help us so. The Universe is powerful, but it isn’t that powerful.’ Where did that last part come from? I never thought of the Universe being a being with power before. I guess I got caught up in the moment, but hey, if it helps both of us understand the situation, then there’s nothing to question.

‘I still think we should go to the station as soon as possible. If time really is being unpredictable, then you never know what’s there.’

‘I agree,’ I said simply.

‘Then what are we doing just sitting here, then,’ Amy said standing up with all of her enthusiasm back.

‘Are you sure you want to go now?’ I asked.

‘When’s better. Now is as soon as possible, isn’t it,’ Amy said jumping up and down on the spot.

‘I’ve never seen you so enthusiastic before,’ I said putting the laptop down to one side and standing up.’

‘That’s because I’ve never travelled in time before,’ Amy said.

‘Which is still something we have to figure out,’ I said.

‘You’re no fun,’ she said.

‘Well, I suppose it would get me out of the house for a bit,’ I said. ‘But, isn’t it a bit late to go now, actually,’ looking at the time: It was 9:30PM, ‘I mean, we might be able to get there, but I doubt we’re be able to get back before the last train departs.’

‘Wow, has time really gone that quickly,’ Amy said, her shoulders slumping downwards as all their energy evaporates away.

‘But that doesn’t stop us going first thing tomorrow morning,’ I said.

‘The very first thing in the morning,’ Amy said regaining her bounce.

‘Really, though,’ I said smiling, ‘are you alright?’

‘How would you react if you knew there was a small possibility of you travelling through time?’ Amy asked. You know the answer to that question.

‘Good point,’ I said smiling more broadly than before, partly due to seeing Amy so happy, and partly due to actually knowing the answer to that question…

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)