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Prometheus Review

June 21, 2012

Prometheus is the much-hyped prequel/reboot to the Alien franchise, directed by Ridley Scott who helmed the iconic original back in 1979. Despite being 33 years old, the first Alien film is regarded as a cinematic classic and hasn’t really aged (much like Scott’s other sci-fi work, Blade Runner), still retaining an 18-certificate not through gore and splatter, but by dint of the fact that it’s still truly terrifying. Having seen good and bad in other director’s attempts at follow-ups (James Cameron’s Aliens was a well paced sci-fi action picture, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection descended into bland, formulaic nonsense), there was a real buzz around Scott being back on board to direct and reclaim what many regard as one of his enduring legacies to the silver screen. Lost in Space There’s no doubt that Scott is a gifted and successful director – what lets Prometheus down however isn’t so much in the cinematic and visuals . . . it’s the script. Penned by Lost alumnus Damon Lindelof, the sc...

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Most Expensive Sci-Fi Prop Auctions

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Sci-Fi has a massive following and includes some of the most dedicated fans in the world, so it’s no surprise that some are lucky enough to bid incredible amounts of money to snap up real props from their favourite movies.

This total amount spent on JUST this top 10 list of the most expensive sci-fi props gone to auction is a staggering $4,754,800!

Here’s a rundown of our top 10 -

10 – Professor Xavier’s fiberglass and aluminium wheelchair – $135,300

Professor Xavier wheelchair auction

Patrick Stewart’s famous wheelchair from the X-Men films was sold at auction after the first film. The producers clearly hadn’t thought ahead as it was the only one made, they had to borrow the wheelchair, from the lucky auction winner, when filming began on the new X-Men movies.

9 – Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber – $240,000

Luke Skywalker Lightsaber auction

I’m surprised this isn’t higher in the list as surely this is the holy grail of sci-fi props?! Whoever won this at auction has one of the most iconic pieces of cinema and, I believe, they bought it for a steal at only $240,000.

8 – Blade Runner Blaster Gun – $270,000

Blade Runner Blaster Gun auction

Blade Runner has a great cult following and is probably one of Ridley Scott’s best films. The gun was expected to reach between $100,000 – $150,000, but the final sum smashed that prediction and is quite shocking considering there isn’t anything particularly special about it.

7 – Stormtrooper Helmet – $276,750

Stormtrooper Helmet auction

This auction is very rare as it’s thought to be the only original Stormtrooper helmet left, which I find very surprising considering how many were made for the original films. I’m guessing that’s the reason why it was sold for such a high price in the end.

6 – Miniature TIE Fighter – $402,000

TIE Fighter auction

A miniature TIE Fighter which was used as part of the filming of Star Wars: IV: A New Hope was sold in 2008 to a very lucky bidder. I guess there weren’t many of these left after blowing them all up!

5 – T-800 Terminator Model – $488,750

T-800 terminator auction

“I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle.”

A full scale solid metal T-800 Terminator model was built for Terminator 2 – Judgement Day which includes metal feet and eyes which light up! Sold.

4 – DeLorean DMC-12 – $541,000

delorean dmc-12 auction

Seven DeLorean’s were made for the Back To The Future films, but only 3 survived, this one was sold at auction and all proceeds went to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. The original DeLorean, powered by a PRV ZMJ-159 V6 engine, was only able to make 85mph, 3mph short of the famous 88mph needed for time travel!

3 – Miniature USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) – $576,000

USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) auction

In 2006 the original USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) miniature used for the opening credits of Star Trek: The Next Generation was sold for an incredible $576,000 at auction and was only estimated to sell for $30,000. Clearly the person who set that original sum wasn’t a Trek fan!

2 – George Lucas’ Panavision R-200 camera – $625,000

George Lucas Panavision R-200 camera auction

This the most expensive piece of memorabilia, from Star Wars, ever sold at auction and it’s something you would have never seen in the Star Wars film franchise! This camera was famously used by George Lucas himself, during the filming of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.

1 – Original Metropolis Poster – $1,200,000

Metropolis Poster auction

Metropolis is regarded by many as one of the greatest sci-fi films ever made and Fritz Lang’s masterpiece has spawned the most expensive piece of sci-fi memorabilia ever sold at auction. The poster had already sold, previously, for $690,000 which would have made it the most expensive on the list already. But due to bankruptcy, the owner had to auction off his collection and this piece broke the record again. This poster is one of only four known to still exist, one of which is housed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, another is kept at the Austrian National Library museum and the last one is reportedly owned by Leonardo Di Caprio.

Top 10 Halloween Movies

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It’s nearly October 31st, and the ideal time to cuddle up in front of a good horror film if you are too old to be dressing up and trick or treating for chocolate and sweets, or too nerdy to be invited to a good Halloween costume party for adults.

So what are the best films to be watching for a creepy night in? That’s a hard one to call as everyone’s definitions of what is scary differ wildly . . . many people would rate tension and psychological horror as superior to a flat-out gore flick, so please understand this is an extremely subjective opinion, just one that happens to be entirely correct!

10. Psycho (1960)

Back in the day, before CGI or even terribly convincing special effects, telling a horror story relied on plot, narrative, performances and inventive use of light and darkness by the cinematographer. Psycho is a master class in all these aspects, and remains both one of Hitchcock’s most memorable works and also the template for movie twists for the next 50 years. No longer were lead characters safe or the bad guys exactly who you thought they were. Anthony Perkins launched a career that never quite shook off the mantle of Norman Bates, and his under-stated and convincing performance remains genuinely creepy.

Did you know? Hitchcock experimented with several different “Mothers” by leaving them in Janet Leigh’s dressing room. When he finally got a scream, he knew he had the right one to use in the film.

9. The Thing (1982)

Essentially a remake of The Thing from Another World, this updates the 1952 anti-communist polemic into a full-blown psychological horror-thriller interspersed with some of the most innovative – and gruesome – special effects of its time. Considered a flop on release, (losing out to Spielberg’s rather cuter E.T. at the box office), John Carpenter’s tale of isolated Antarctic scientists struggling to identify and survive a shape-shifting alien is now considered a masterpiece. Revisited again by a rather bland ‘prequel’ in 2011, the original still stands as a perfect blend of paranoia, horror, action and humour. Sadly it was one of last quality films that carpenter produced before his career started to slide.

Did you know? The set nearly burned down on the first take of the scene above. Rob Bottin had used volatile plastics as part of the effects which exploded when Kurt Russell used the flamethrower on it.

8. Alien

Remarkably now 33 years old, and still as scary as ever, Ridley Scott’s masterpiece is described as a classic ‘haunted house’ film set in space. Spawning numerous sequels that never quite lived up to the tension and horror of the original (including Scott’s own vastly disappointing Prometheus), Alien combines classic archetypal fears with high cinematic realism and truly innovative concepts and visual design.

Did you know?  Ridley Scott never seems to have an easy life on his sci-fi films. There was friction between himself and Harrison Ford on Blade Runner and for Alien he had frequent arguments with the eccentric H.R. Giger over elements of the creature design.

7. The Haunting (1963)

Not to be confused with the utterly lamentable remake by Jan de Bont in 1999, Robert Wise’s original showcased what a versatile director he was by producing an understated – and truly terrifying – work of art. A team of investigators stay in Hill House to determine if it truly is as haunted as its reputation suggests, only to find that one of them is being actively targeted by the presence within. Notable for being scary without ever actually showing anything, it’s a showpiece of achieving creepy effects with camera angles, zooms, lenses and simple lighting (plus an verty atmospheric location set).

Did you know? Russ Tamblyn had his contract threatened to force him to accept the role. He later admitted that alongside his musical performances for MGM, it was one of his best parts.

6. The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick’s film deftly mixed psychological and supernatural horror with Jack Nicholson’s increasingly-deranged janitor being edged into psychosis by the resident ghosts of the Overlook Hotel. Again, playing on deep rooted fears of isolation, the unknown and extremes of human behaviour, The Shining is one of the few films that can get an audience to visibly jump off their seats by the sudden use of a caption.

Did you know? Stephen King’s inspiration for the hotel was the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, but most of Kubrick’s location footage was taken at Timberline Lodge in Oregon. Shelley Duval spent so much screen time crying that she felt exhausted and dehydrated for most of the shooting.

5. Ringu (1998)

As with so many successful international films, it didn’t take Hollywood long to jump on the emerging Japanese horror market and produce their own sanitised and unsubtle versions. The original, Ringu, is a genuinely unique blend of creepiness and supernatural folklore lurking behind the modern and technically advanced Japan. Loved by critics for being one of the films that actually does try and reach out from the screen to touch the audience, it also highlighted how scary things can be with just some long hair and unusual camera work.

Did you know?  The chief characters of Sadako and her mother are loosely based on two real Japanese women who claimed to have psychic abilities at the turn of the 20th century.

4. The Woman in Black (2012)

Originally a short story by Susan Hill, it was adapted by Quatermass supremo Nigel Kneale in 1984 as a terrifying TV film only shown twice in the UK. In 2012 a newly-resurrected Hammer Studios made this their debut feature and in the meantime it’s being scaring audiences as a long-running play to boot. As another psychological thriller with plenty of “Lewton Bus” shocks, it’s pretty standard, but a quality supporting cast and Hammer’s unfailing eye for location and set dressing make it genuinely creepy.

Did you know? Daniel Radcliffe’s godson plays his screen character’s son in the film.

3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Another iconic film that fathered all manner of slasher  and “torture” films, the fictional movie billed itself as a true story which also helped the marketing in the same way as the Blair Witch Project enjoyed many years later. Somewhat loosely based on murderer and body snatcher Ed Gein, a group of hitch-hikers and dropouts pick the wrong neighbourhood in order to stop off. The portrayal of a brutal, distorted and psychotic element to rural America was a popular theme of the seventies, and may have added to the general disapproval of these films by the mainstream film authorities.

Did you know? Most of the filming was done in sweltering heat, including one marathon shoot of 36 hours. With limited costume changes and various animal and meat props putrefying in the heat, one of the actors (Edwin Neal) declared it as the worst time in his life, including his service in Vietnam.

2. Jaws (1975)

A decidedly average book by Peter Benchley became one of the most sensational screen experiences under Spielberg’s masterful direction. Credited as spawning the summer box office blockbuster, Jaws saw millions of people worldwide think twice about taking a swim, and was also accused of pushing several shark species to the brink as a result of fishermen trying to even the odds. Notoriously plagued with technical difficulties of every sort, Spielberg had to rely on some basic elements to keep the production moving, resulting in a waterline camera used for many of the shots and John William’s famous two-tone soundtrack.

Did you know? Shooting was such an ordeal that Richard Dreyfuss gave a television interview before the film’s release to heap criticism on studio interference for the film’s inevitable failure! It’s also a popular myth that Robert Shaw improvised his USS Indianapolis monologue . . . it was actually cut down from several scripted pages.

1. The Exorcist (1973)

Unavailable in its uncut form for many years in the UK (due to the ‘video nasty’ phenomenon of the eighties), The Exorcist is a tour-de-force of a good vs evil story, set against personal stories of faith, doubt and the failure of rationality. Based loosely on a the story of a botched exorcism which author William Peter Blatty heard about whilst at a school run by Jesuits, director William Friedkin put actors on edge by firing guns on set to get the requisite “startled” responses and refrigerated the bedroom in which Linda Blair did most of her scenes as the possessed Reagan, so their breath would show as vapour.

Lauded by critics as a worthy film in itself, as well as a classic horror film, there has recently been a popular run for exorcism-based horror films which seems to indicate that film-makers think enough time has passed to rival The Exorcist’s dominance.

Did you know? During filming Jason Miller (who plays Father Karras, one of the exorcists) was  approached by a Catholic priest who gave him a St Christopher’s medal “for protection”, deeming that a film that mocked Satan might attract attention of the wrong sort. This is the same medal used in the climactic scenes at the end of the film.

So there you have it – ten horror films that will ensure you won’t want to open the door to any trick or treaters, and at least be grateful that it’s morning and daylight on the 1st November if you watch them all back-to-back! Alternatively, why not use any one of these as an inspiration for a Halloween fancy dress costume and really turn some heads at a party (although not as literally as The Exorcist, perhaps).

Things You’ll Need To Setup Your Own Home Cinema

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Do you hope to create a nice cinema for your home? There are thousands of different families in the world today who have made sure to create a nice cinema in their homes to spend more time with each other and enjoy each other’s company while watching a good movie. However, there are times when you may end not knowing what to do in order to set up that home cinema. Throughout this article, you will find out about what you need, tips for setting everything up, along with many tips to create that perfect theater in your house.

Things you’ll need to setup your own home cinema

- 32 inch tv

If you would like to achieve success with a good screen size, then a 32 inch tv is a good size. Anything too small is going to be bad, but there is nothing wrong with going bigger than 32 inches. If you aren’t on such a huge budget, consider getting something around the 50 or 60 inch mark. Another thing worth remembering is to get a 3D television if your budget allows it.

- Surround sound system

You can never forget the surround sound that you need. Getting a good type of surround system is definitely going to be helpful because you can be able to hear the sounds everywhere throughout the room. If there was going to be sounds throughout the movie, then they will all be heard throughout the surround system because it will be surrounding the room.

- Blu-Ray, DVD or Projector?

Deciding which one to use is a bit tough. If you were to buy a huge television, then you could only choose between DVD or Blu-Ray discs. Based on past results and recommendations, many celebrities choose to go with a projector screen because of the size that it can create. However, it is good to go with Blu-Ray if the projection idea is not worth it for you. Blu-Ray cds also have films in 3D if you decide to get a nice 3D TV.

Tips on setting the entire home cinema

- Where do I place the TV?

The best place to put the TV is definitely in front of the bed if it’s going to be in the bedroom. Keep it on top of a shelf or a tv closet, as these can help keep the tv safe. If you were to get a nice projector, then you should really consider bringing your screen to a really big room and not just in your bedroom.

- Amounts of chairs

Getting a lot of chairs to be inside of your big home cinema is a great idea. There are many people who tend to think that less is better, but a lot of chairs and comfy couches is useful if you have a lot of guests. However, avoid a lot of chairs if there will barely ever be a lot of people inside of the home.

Getting that perfect home cinema is surely going to take some work, but it is all going to be worth it once it is all completed

Prometheus Review

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Prometheus is the much-hyped prequel/reboot to the Alien franchise, directed by Ridley Scott who helmed the iconic original back in 1979. Despite being 33 years old, the first Alien film is regarded as a cinematic classic and hasn’t really aged (much like Scott’s other sci-fi work, Blade Runner), still retaining an 18-certificate not through gore and splatter, but by dint of the fact that it’s still truly terrifying.

Having seen good and bad in other director’s attempts at follow-ups (James Cameron’s Aliens was a well paced sci-fi action picture, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection descended into bland, formulaic nonsense), there was a real buzz around Scott being back on board to direct and reclaim what many regard as one of his enduring legacies to the silver screen.

Lost in Space

There’s no doubt that Scott is a gifted and successful director – what lets Prometheus down however isn’t so much in the cinematic and visuals . . . it’s the script. Penned by Lost alumnus Damon Lindelof, the script is a vague, confused mess which starts with intrigue but leaves the ending open for a follow-up which will hopefully explain things . . . much like the TV series.

Dan O’Bannon’s original was a self-contained story (based like much of his other work on existing B-movies) and written in the days when films were supposed to stand up for themselves as works of visual narrative, not kick-start a sequel franchise. Scott understabdably announced that Prometheus would deal with the largest unanswered question of Alien – who or what was the mysterious “space jockey” in whose crashed ship the crew of the Nostromo encounter the alien eggs that kick-start the film?

If Prometheus is really meant to answer this question, it fails horribly. We’re led to believe that this giant, bio-mechanical extra-terrestrial is, in effect, us. As “Engineers” they are portrayed in a number of cave paintings and murals being worshipped by humans and pointing to a star system. In the beginning of Prometheus we see one of these engineers drinking a black fluid on a desolate planet (possibly a primordial Earth) and disintegrating to seed it with DNA. Later in the film we discover that the “space jockey” is simply an elaborate space suit for the humanoids, and we are in fact genetically identical to them (although the Engineers are about 3 feet taller, don’t get much sun and have put more hours in the gym than Schwarzenegger).

Sadly through the film, the plot falls apart. The mission to discover the origins of earthly life is sponsored by an ageing industrialist, although there’s no indication that the Engineers will still be alive or have an answer to death when they get there, the earthly artefacts being thousands of years old. The ship has a crew of 17, but most are just there as alien-fodder and we never get to know any of them. As a result, we don’t really care what happens to them, unlike the close-knit survivors of the first two movies. The ones that do get screen time are either inscrutable, annoying, or idiots.

“In space, no-one can understand your script”

What has greatly irritated critics is that none of the scientists involved in this amazing research opportunity do anything scientific. They find an alien structure on a barren planet after a few minutes of looking. Helmets are taken off because they think the air is breathable (not a second thought about pathogens or alien infections). Their geologist, who maps the structure, gets lost. Their biologist doesn’t want to examine a dead alien, but tries to reach out and pet a snake monster that’s hissing at him. Taking the preserved head of an Engineer, the archaeologist suddenly becomes an expert on biology and between the “experts” they manage to blow it up in a cloud of goo, yet don’t seem troubled by their incompetence.

It gets worse . . . we all know it’s an Alien film so we expect the team to run into trouble and the shadowy Weylan-Yutani corporation to be interfering in some way, but there’s no explanation why anything happens. Why does the company’s pet android infect a team-member’s drink with the black alien goo, only to watch as another executive burns the resultant creation with a flamethrower? Fun and giggles? Apparently – at least in the original the motivation to capture and study the alien (at the expense of the “expendable” crew) was clear.

The Engineers too, defy logical explanation. Despite all the pictures providing an “invitation” to the star system, the surviving Engineer doesn’t seem very pleased to have company, especially as the structures housing cargo ships seem more to be a weapons facility. Despite having a security system that can be cracked by an android doing Rosetta-stone style language courses, and waking up after two thousand years or so, the Engineer’s first reaction isn’t to assess what the situation is, what it’s visitors are and what they want – it’s to kill everyone and set course for a planet (which may not even be there anymore) to DNA-bomb it. Alien motivations that aren’t understandable from a human perspective are a poor excuse for shoddy story-telling.

Prometheus has its share of gore and shocks, but these are clumsy set-pieces and are almost isolated events, with hardly a mention of them happening from one scene to the next. The heroine Shaw (played by the original Girl With A DragonTattoo’s Noomi Rapace), is forced to give herself an emergency caesarean, but turns up in the next scene covered in blood and surgical staples without mentioning a thing to the rest of the crew. She’s also able to run, jump and be “action girl” despite having had all her abdominal muscles cut . . . another telling mark of substandard script research.

Despite the monsters and deaths, Prometheus is never frightening or tense. People die stupidly, get punched across the set by the Engineer’s kung fu, or just stop appearing in the film as they can’t be bothered to write dialogue. At the very end, there’s a nod to the creation of the murderous alien in the original film, but by this point there are so many inconsistencies with Ridley’s first film that it seems pointless to include it, even with an extraneous bolt-on coda. Why bother re-using the “space jockey” or the alien concept at all if this is supposed to be a divergent film from the original canon?

At the cinema where I saw this in, there was a solitary clap when the credits rolled. The audience member may have been expecting a few other people to buy into the hype, ignore the incomprehensible gibberish they’d just watched and join with the adulation, I’m not sure . . . he may just have easily turned round and slapped the friend who had persuaded him to buy a ticket.

Latest Toshiba TV Deals: The Smart TV

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Does the word Smart TV ring a bell? For those unfamiliar with the
term, maybe you are more acquainted with another term – Hybrid TV. The Smart TV and Hybrid TV basically have similar features. Although the technological advancement of having internet on TV happened years ago, the Smart TV took it to a higher level.

Have More Online Access

The internet is already an inevitable part of our daily lives. Mobile phones also have internet accessibility. We want to bring the world with us wherever we go, and the fascinating online experience allowed us to be further connected to the international scene. Thus, the Smart TV allows you to be connected online too. For those who are clueless on how this is possible, here’s how i’s done. You will just have to connect the internet modem to your Smart TV and use the Web Browser available in the Smart TV for you to do online surfing. The ultra modern Smart TVs even has a built-in WIFI, eliminating the fuss of having to connect a wire from the internet modem to the TV itself. If you’d like to purchase a Smart TV with this feature, check out the latest Toshiba TV deals and find choose from among the different available models.

What Online Stuff Can I Do With The Smart TV?

Are you fond of watching Youtube videos, online gaming, online movies, and social media? With the Toshiba Smart TVs, your online experience in the television is limitless. Doing almost everything that you can do with your PC and laptop is possible. Plus, with the latest Toshiba deals featuring Smart TVs with a convertible 3D surround experience, cinema viewing is right at the comfort of your own home. How about video conferencing, is this also offered? The Toshiba Smart TVs can connect you to your loved ones via Skype. However, a separate purchase of a web camera is needed. The Toshiba TV deals have the top of the line Smart TVs.

More Entertainment, More Fun!

Gone are the days when you will have to get a separate cable connection to watch more channels. All of the channels that you wish to view are just online. Remember the times when you were crowded in a small area just to watch online movies? With the Toshiba Smart TVs, live movie streaming is accessible with just a push of a button. For the avid gamers, enjoy online 3D gaming with the Toshiba Smart TVs available in the Toshiba TV deals. Music lovers will be delighted to know that downloading of their favourite music and even downloading of their favourite music videos are both possible. Gone are the days when you would have to create a CD for you to enjoy listening to your favourite tunes. Have all of your favourite songs saved in your USB. What a convenience!

The More Intelligent Smart TV

Another reason for you to consider checking out the different Toshiba TV deals is that the Toshiba Smart TV has the full capacity to enhance any low level image into sharper, clearer images. If you have seen a Youtube video in your PC monitor that isn’t that clear, try watching it in the Toshiba Smart TV. Surely, you will be amazed with the great difference of the images in your Toshiba Smart TV. This makes the Toshiba Smart TV different from the other brands. Only Toshiba truly lives up to the expectation of having a “Smart TV”.

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The Best Film Music of 2011

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Films have the power to make us laugh and cry, as we buy into the story and create affinity with the characters and the situations they find themselves in. A lot of the time, it’s the music that helps us feel this connection, and makes us really feel the story and buy into the movie. 2011 was a particularly good year for film soundtracks as four really pushed the boundaries by recruiting high profile music producers and encouraging some of the best cinematic musical accompaniment in history! Here are the four stand out films and what made their music so great:

The Social Network – This highly acclaimed film followed the story of Facebook, and how one man’s idea (well debatably) became reality before becoming the world’s biggest and most popular website. Mark Zuckerberg was just an average student who set up the website to become more popular. It helped people on the campus come together and share their social life online, and it wasn’t long before this rolled out around the world.

The music was composed by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame, and is dark and rich but not too much for the film to handle. The quirky industrial and electronic vibes to the music help build atmosphere around the story and really help you become immersed. A great film with an equally great soundtrack.

Tron: Legacy – Tron was an 80s classic starring Jeff Bridges, but got reborn recently with a Disney vision that was a sensory explosion featuring some of the best digital effects in cinema history. The stock music was equally impressive and won much appraise from critics and viewers alike.

Daft Punk were kind enough to write an original score for this soundtrack, which was then performed by a real orchestra. Some of the more upbeat numbers were produced by the French dance duo themselves which gave it a very special feel. The music perfectly matched the themes of film and was extremely accomplished. Daft Punk have a winner here, and the beautifully composed music is a treat to listen to on its own, even without the film, which is a testament to the quality.

Inception – Inception was one of many masterpieces written and directed by Christopher Nolan. It was a brilliant film that spent a lot of time at the drawing board just trying to piece together the complicated story. Inception centres around a reality were a dream sharing program was developed to train soldiers in virtual surroundings. This has since been abused and people were using the technology for their own gain. When DiCaprio sees an opportunity to run a scheme through dream sharing that would allow him to once again see his family, a complicated story emerges with brilliant visual outcomes.

The music was written by Hans Zimmer, one of cinema’s greatest composers. He has been responsible for a number of high profile films and even The Simpsons! Inception is arguably some of the finest work that Zimmer has played his part in, as the emotional and deep music for the film really helps accentuate the struggle faced by the characters and tension of the scenes and confusion.

Hanna  - This film follows the story of a man and his daughter who had escaped the realms of the normal world for a life in the wilderness as the life the girl would experience in the modern world would have torn the family apart. This is a tail of corruption and power, and when the girl finally comes of age she is thrown into the real world where she battles government corporations and tries to discover who she really is.

The music was provided by The Chemical Brothers, a couple of legendary dance music producers from the UK, and the explosive energy of their compositions brought out the action scenes in an explosive manner which was great to see. The music helped the action scenes create tension and genuine energy.

If you’re interested in your own film project then check out royalty free music to make sure that you are not breaking any licensing agreements for commercial music.

Three Movie Gems About Gems

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A diamond

Jewellery is an important part of many people’s lives and their identities. But the way that movies use gems to drive a plot seems a little too enthusiastic sometimes – entire movies are written around the quest for a single shiny rock, even though the time spent actually enjoying owning the damned thing is secondary to chasing after it. Next time you buy silver jewellery, the chances are that you won’t be evading the Columbian milita or a bunch of cockney gangsters on the way to Silver Island. But nevertheless, here are three great movies that use gems as a plot device:

Romancing the Stone

As I’ve bored my best friend with a million times, I love the Michael Douglas / Kathleen Turner adventure film Romancing the Stone because it reminds me of damned near everything. Watching Indiana Jones? “Oh, you’ve got to see Romancing the Stone”. Describing Playstation 3 action adventure series Uncharted? “Yeah, it’s like Romancing the Stone”. Trying to explain away anything slightly cringy that I like more than I should? You bet Romancing the Stone comes up.

Though it has been just shy of 30 years since it was recorded, the film at its time was already a throwback: a good old fashioned adventure-romp with an Errol Flynn feel. It’s harmless, brainless fun involving at least two car chases, plenty of explosions and a man with a sinister moustache. And at the centre of the story is “The Heart”, or “El Corazon” to the local Columbians. El Corazon is a gigantic emerald and an even bigger MacGuffin. But who wouldn’t say no to a gigantic gem?

Titanic

Perhaps it’s slightly unflattering for your first blockbuster film role to involve you appearing alongside an older version of yourself, but the gem in Titanic is the linking device between Kate Winslet’s character Rose in the past and the present, as Gloria Stuart narrates the events of 1912.

Ok, so Titanic isn’t the world’s most popular film… well, unless you go by the fact that it was the first film ever to reach the billion dollar box office revenue mark. Which you kind of probably should. Ok, so Titanic is one of the world’s most popular films, but a good few people don’t really love it, thinking that it’s rather overdone, overlong and over sentimental. But hey, I love the audacity of Rose at the end of the movie.

The film’s plot is initiated by a team of treasure hunters after a diamond necklace, the “Heart of the Ocean”. Not only does Rose force the team to listen to her life-story, but it turns out that their search of the Titanic’s wreck is pointless – she has had the damned gem all along. And best of all, she throws it in the ocean so they’ll never find it. Achievement unlocked: ultimate dick move.

Snatch

Remember when Guy Ritchie wasn’t the guy who got divorced by Madonna? His new Sherlock Holmes series has been somewhat unspectacular, but at least it was a step up from his mid-noughties output. And if you cast your mind back really far, you’ll remember him as the director of the “actually quite good” films Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, which are basically the reasons we still tolerate his releases.

At the centre of Snatch is a 86-carat diamond stolen by Frankie Four Fingers. The film takes many twists and turns over the 104 minute runtime, but the main appeal is how it brings us into contact with a bunch of amusing clichés and surprising appearances by actors like Brad Pitt.

Know The Basics Of 3D TV

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For people who want to purchase 3D TV, there are points to consider in order to help them choose the best one. These days, there are different reviews online that can help them to know the advantages in choosing 3D TV against the other ones. Likewise, there are different criteria to consider to help them optimize their knowledge about 3D TV. In that way, they can be able to know if it can serve them for many years to come. Likewise, it will enable them to determine if it is worth their money.

Here are some factors to be considered to help people take advantage of 3D LED TV:

  • Specifications – It is a factor that should be noted carefully to give people the information about the TV set. From the screen size, color display and up to the latest technology, people can get all the things that they need by knowing its specifications. These days, they should be extra careful in choosing the best one in order to avoid problems in the future.
  • Accessories – All brandnew TV packages come with set of accessories. It is important for people to know the accessories in order to help them identify if the TV is worth it. Nowadays, most 3D televisions come with a standard remote control, 3D glasses and a wall mount. It is a must to know those things because other brands do not include any.
  • Support – Another pointer to consider is the support and help customers can get in times when they suffered troubles with their 3D TV. It is a must to ensure that manufacturers will provide a standard warranty with their products. Choosing their assistance will help people to fix their problems as soon as possible. Manufacturers that can provide great product warranty are always better than the others.
  • Features – Furthermore, people have to look on the features of a certain 3D TV.  It is a must to do in order to help them to come up with a decision to get one. These days, most 3D cheap TVs have a feature of being linked on the Internet. It is a great addition most especially these days when the use of the Internet is a must.

Overall, the basics of choosing the best HDTV should come in handy at all times. All they have to do is to seek help from the aforementioned factors in order to help them get great results. Once they have known all of the factors, they can get the very best 3D TV that they can use to optimize their viewing pleasure into a whole new level.

Developments in Golf Games

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Golf games have been a little dry for the past few years, not really changing much apart from with the development of the Nintendo Wii, but the realism of the golf games was a little “sub-par” when you consider how you could play 9 hole golf course still lying on your sofa.

What’s already out there?

There are already certain aspects of technology that mean you can experience almost a true to life golf course in your own home. With some of the worlds most technologically advanced golf simulators available in the world, you’d be mistaken for thinking that you were at the real thing. The price of installing one of these state of the art simulators will most likely set you back a lifetimes worth of membership at an actual golf course.

They are extremely clever pieces of kit, with high speed cameras and sensors that can track the movement of the ball to almost perfection. Check the image below fo what could be yours for the princely sum of £30k;

Cheap-as-chips

But a golf simulator obviously has its advantages as there are places around the world where building a golf course just isn’t possible, for example in the extremely cash rich country of Dubai. The climate means that an outside course is impossible, and whilst they have climate controlled indoor courses, the cost to create these is huge compared to installing one of these golf simulators.

What about in your own home?

The advances in graphic means that home consoles look more realistic than ever and have an increasing focus on realistic movement of the ball, but it is still the case of playing golf sitting down, which as fun as it is, it’s an experience not even close to the real thing.

But hopefully that should all change fairly soon with the developments being made in the home console market. The Wii-U is the next in line for the Nintendo home entertainment systems and by what’s been on display at this year’s E3 and the promotional videos, Nintendo seem to be on the right track to recreating the best parts of the golf course. Making this game as social as possible and getting each person to step up and take their swing will in no doubt increase the enjoyment of the game rather than past games found on the Playstation and previous consoles where the controller had to be passed around.

Check the video below for how awesome golfing on the Wii-U will look;

Golf is a great game to enjoy with friends, so its not like you would play any of these high tech golfing games alone. But if you decide to go around some actual golf courses, you should consider getting a quality golf trolley battery powered by lithium batteries to help you on your trip around the golf course; it can be plenty more strenuous than playing golf in a simulator or at home.

Running A Greener Office

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green officeGreen is the new black and businesses everywhere are encouraged to be as eco friendly as possible but no one had ever heard of the term carbon footprint ten years ago so how are we meant to re-educate 100+ years of business practice? It’s not going to happen over night but a few small changes here and there and making sure your staff understand the importance of a green office can go a long way.

Paper

One of the biggest challenges for businesses when it comes to being greener is reducing the amount of paper they’re using and this should really be very easy. Twenty years ago everything was sent via snail mail, paper was printed and put into paper envelopes, marketing was done via print advertising and staff were kept up to date with paper memos. When you look around today, everything is sent via email, marketing is done online and internal intranets eliminate the need for paper updates. If your office is still churning out forests of paper every day try and have a paper free office just once a week or even once a month, get people used to the idea and they’ll be more likely to embrace it rather than rationing out the paper starting tomorrow.

Recycled

Make a statement about how seriously you take the environment buy printing your business cards onto recycled paper. Many printing companies will offer recycled paper or pledge to plant a tree for every tree they use and it’s not just the paper you also need to check the ink source too. Check the inks are made from vegetable oil rather than mineral oil, you still get the same high quality printing but at a better price for the environment. The same goes for eco friendly flyer printing too, print as much as you can onto recycled paper, in this day and age no one is even going to notice and it’s going to help your brand reputation out no end. This doesn’t have to stop with the printing, if you look hard enough you’ll be able to source all your office supplies in an environmentally friendly way.

Transportation

Encourage your staff to use a car pool scheme, the people who drive two or more staff to work get money towards their petrol or an extra day or two holiday. You could implement a ride to work scheme where you help your staff invest in a new bike rather than taking the bus or driving. If it’s possible let your staff work from home, so long as they can still do their job it will not only save them having to get to the office it will also cut down the office carbon footprint for the day. When you’re giving directions for customers to find your business list how to walk there before you list how to drive there. Tell any business meetings you’re a green office and if they take the train you’ll arrange for a taxi to meet them at the train station rather than encouraging them to drive all the way.

Casual Dress

green officeLet your staff where what they want to work as long as they don’t have any important meetings. Making your staff where formal clothes and suites to work is just going to kick your air con into over drive in the summer as your staff slowly start to melt. It also means you’re taking you commitment to the environment beyond the walls of the office. If your staff can wear what they want to work they don’t have to change when they get home which is cutting down on their washing and energy bills too. Not to mention the happier staff you have when they do not have to wear that nose around their neck.

Easy Laptop Maintenance Guide

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Laptop computers are one of todays essential gadgets. They are available in a variety of different specifications to suit the varied requirements of a multitude of users. And there are many laptop repair and maintenance services available. However, repairing a laptop can be a costly and frustrating process. Ideally, users should maintain their laptops in order to avoid the cost and inconvenience of repairs. Proper maintenance can help you protect your investment for a considerable period of time. There are some key things that should be borne in mind when it comes to maintaining a laptop.

laptop computer in use

Laptop Cleaning

Proper cleaning is essential for all electronic gadgets, especially laptop computers. The laptop machine should be cleaned regularly. Accumulation of dust in various key locations will severely affect the reliability of a laptop computer. If the dust particles are accumulated in the air vents, it can result in overheating. Whenever you are cleaning a laptop, it is necessary to use proper cleaning methods. Avoid using harsh chemical sprays on the LCD screens, instead use an appropriate LCD screen cleaning agent. There are specific instructions with respect to cleaning methods usually contained in the laptop manual. The manufacturer’s guidelines for proper cleaning should be followed always in order to ensure that the requirements of the warranty are met.

Proper Laptop Placement

Most well designed modern laptops are robust and resilient but due to their portability they can be very vulnerable to damage. For example, a common cause of damage is trailing power cables. Unlike desktop pcs that are used in  a fixed location people will tend to setup their laptop and then connect to the mains from the nearest free outlet. This can often result in a power cable trip hazard and when someone trips over the cable the laptop is pulled from the desk and damaged.

Placing a laptop in the right position is one of the essential steps in laptop maintenance. It is extremely important to keep the laptop away from liquids. An accidental spill on your laptop can completely ruin the components present inside the system.

Users should also be aware that they should not use their laptops near devices like loudspeakers that emit strong magnetic fields. There have been instances of laptops getting damaged due to poor placement choices. For instance, users should avoid having a pillow below the laptop when working with the machine on their laps. It is also not advisable to use the laptop on a closed surface that cuts air flow to its base. When the air flow is restricted, the laptop generates excess heat and the crucial components in the system are likely to be damaged.

Another common cause of damage is brought about by interconnecting to other devices. For example, many laptop users like to use an external hard disk drive to augment the built in storage. It the laptop is quickly moved without first disconnecting from the disk drive the connection socket can be damaged beyond repair.

Protective Accessories for Laptops

There are plenty of protective accessories available in the market. For instance, a laptop skin can help you avoid the scratches on the external surface. Different models of laptop cases are also available to prevent damage while in transit. If the laptop generates excess heat, it is better to use a cooling pad that can maintain the computer at an optimum operating temperature. Its also always worthwhile looking at the specific accessories offered by the laptop manufacturer as these are often the most suitable for their machines.