Entertainment Zone

Grand Designs Series 11

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9V-8LVMYPoVfHc_pzAmxXsdpe17UHesW4LRSFom29j6jZfKnidagFoIpZ8BdgnHmHsP8QR8dx8rNoiVE-ozw73kV4gxDxztDOS-A8u8gG3k9DFdntVyMF8VqHFSJPh4ANQrEa1AXoq9H/s1600/Grand+Designs+S11+(R-114637-9)_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9V-8LVMYPoVfHc_pzAmxXsdpe17UHesW4LRSFom29j6jZfKnidagFoIpZ8BdgnHmHsP8QR8dx8rNoiVE-ozw73kV4gxDxztDOS-A8u8gG3k9DFdntVyMF8VqHFSJPh4ANQrEa1AXoq9H/s1600/Grand+Designs+S11+(R-114637-9)_.jpg" width="287" /></a>The ever amicable Kevin McCloud returns in another series of Grand Designs as he negotiates the usual perils of Britain's propensity for self builds. 
 
From the restoration of a decaying 1920s cinema in South Yorkshire to revisiting homes in Malaga and Woodbridge, McCloud brings his usual formula to the screen, inspiring those who want to change their homes and those who actually get off their backsides and do it. 
 
There are the predictable perils in the fore; money and time being the worst, but there's also a degree of heart warming sentiment in this series; none more so than in the episode in Tiverton where a former soldier, left with only limb after a bomb blast, is forced to rethink his plans for a new home. 
 
If it ain't broke, don't fix it is the motto which could be applied to this season - but as ever, Grand Designs remains watchable enough fare for a rainy day.

Grand Designs Series 11

The ever amicable Kevin McCloud returns in another series of Grand Designs as he negotiates the usual perils of Britain's propensity for...

17:31

Fury: Movie Review

Cast: Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena, Shia Labeouf, Jon BenthalDirector: David Ayers 
 
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 And for large chunks of David Ayers' war-warts-and-all movie Fury, that's certainly the case (read into that what you will). In this latest to join the pantheon of panzer crushers, Brad Pitt plays Wardaddy, a sergeant scarred literally and metaphorically by a long tour of duty. He's the head of a Sherman tank (with Fury blazoned on its gun - Freud would have a field day with that visual lack of subtlety I suspect) whose bloodied and muddied crew is faced with death during the final days of World War II, lumbering from one job to the next, escorting troops and clearing the way as the final push into Nazi territory reaches its ultimate end. 
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 Into their number comes fresh-faced Norman (cliche number one) played with quaking fear and moral sensitivity by Logan Lerman, who's inevitably going to undergo a baptism of fire as the assistant tank driver, helping the Fury team to push into Germany. But, the further into the enemy's territory they get, the more challenges and horrors await them. 
 Fury is, in many ways, your typical Hollywood war movie.  
 There are intense fight scenes where the explosions are bigger than anything you'd have imagined, bullets whip through the air like red and green laser beams and there's a final (reality-defying) showdown which sees the tank crew overwhelmed by insurmountable odds as they draw a line in the sand. There's also plenty of time during the final battle for speeches and soul-baring heroics which don't ring true given the level of menace apparently on their doorstep. 
 Plus, with the exception of the aphorism-spouting Wardaddy and the from-baby-to-man-in-one-day coming of age journey of Norman and their relationship, the men in the tank are pretty much one note - (the smart quippy Mexican, played by Pena, the hillbilly played by Bernthal and the quiet Bible reading one played by LaBeouf) - making the emotional pull of the climactic showdown all too lacking. In fact, at times, you feel the plot and its execution is lumbering and lurching as much as the tank itself as it charts a course through Germany, even though Pitt's performance rises above the rest. 
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 And yet, there are moments where Ayers defies the Hollywood war machine conventions and proffers up something that rises above the cliche of the combat and the gritty horrors in most war movies post Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. 
 Visually, Fury is tremendously affecting, with striking war-torn vistas and hauntingly bleak imagery peppered throughout.  
 In among the grim and mud-strewn atrocities of war (people strung up by the sides of the road, a body in a suit crushed under a tank track, half a face is to be cleaned off from the insides of a tank, a soldier on fire who shoots himself in the head rather than burn alive), there are long swathes of quieter scenes where the tedium of war and the tensions and psychology of men together are exploited to maximum effect. 
 None more so than one central pivotal scene which sees the stoic Wardaddy and Norman enter a German home in a liberated village for some R&R. The house has two women within and, thanks to Pitt's effectively dialled down, questionable character and almost mute performance, the simmering tension and latent uncertainty of how this play out brings out a dramatic frisson that's missing. Things are further ramped up a notch psychologically when the remaining members of the crew gate-crash the meal, adding a level of ugliness to the extended proceedings and proving a reminder of what lies ahead when the final vestiges of humanity are threatened.   
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCUs0tSJVdnIN7SNOI8rMFt93rsao1pAO4ws2Fh8ZsBL7kw6_66gsjYO0HXEQ6eDJY9hWZXQblzG50atOhrgEgvONV4H01JWKSJtfJsOswA2zWzq4yVswq1uhA6ueTJzGb_0qZ2ZUM9J3/s1600/FURY-PK-28_(DF-17644).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCUs0tSJVdnIN7SNOI8rMFt93rsao1pAO4ws2Fh8ZsBL7kw6_66gsjYO0HXEQ6eDJY9hWZXQblzG50atOhrgEgvONV4H01JWKSJtfJsOswA2zWzq4yVswq1uhA6ueTJzGb_0qZ2ZUM9J3/s1600/FURY-PK-28_(DF-17644).jpg" width="320" /></a> Ultimately, Fury is a solid war-is-hell movie, with scattered moments of poignancy that whimper rather than roar; the claustrophobia of the tank is under-used and the shattering of Norman's innocence is over-used.  
 War is indeed hell, and while Ayers is to be applauded for his keen eye for horrific detail, his taking his eye off the ball in other areas and sub-par characters almost cause this tank to stop dead in its tracks. 
 
 
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Fury: Movie Review

Cast: Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena, Shia Labeouf, Jon BenthalDirector: David Ayers And for large chunks of David Ayers' war...

11:06

Edge of Tomorrow

With the earth invaded by creatures known as the Mimics and with nations toppling around them, Tom Cruise's spin doctor Major William Cage finds himself thrust onto the front line by a vindictive general (Brendan Gleeson) on the eve of a major last push from UK soil. Unable to cope with the concept of fighting, and with a Normandy style beach landing just around the corner, Cage does all he can to escape the war - but to no avail. Thrust into the theatre of war, Cage is killed by a Mimic - only to wake up and find that he's jumped back in time and is being forced to live the same 2 days over and over again.... 
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 Edge of Tomorrow is based on the Japanese novel, All You Need Is Kill and is a heady mash up of the sci fi and other genres you've seen before - from Starship Troopers to Groundhog Day,Saving Private Ryan to Looper, Elysium with its exo-suits and even Cruise's last outing,Oblivion,  it's derivative in many ways. Humour permeates the first third of the film with Cruise's Cage being offed in a variety of ways, in a plethora of situations that if you're not a fan of the superstar may bring you an element of perverse glee (as well as make you think it's some kind of bizarre cinematic video-game). 
 Though, it's Cruise that shines through in this as he starts out as a smug PR weasel of a man forced into a baptism of fire on the battlefield; with each death, there's a grim edge that creeps into his character and an attitude that he manages to sell incredibly well, with his own old age helping. Equally, Blunt impresses as the bad-ass Rita Vrataski, despite starting out as the "Full Metal Bitch", heroine of the army and gradually softening to Cage's continued assault. Toned and combat ready, she carries her no-nonsense one-note heroine as Cage's foil throughout - she shoulders the burden of the bulk of the laughs during the reset sequences in a nice twist of expected gender stereotypes. Mention must also go to the evangelical Bill Paxton who, as a base sergeant, spouts such litany of Biblical proportions on combat that you almost feel like signing up yourself. Liman's brought together an alien invasion that's visually original too, with spidery-style octopus like creatures ripping through the troops during the Saving Private Ryan beach landings. Speed and visual FX impress and make up for some of the convenient lapses in time travel logic and plotholes that permeate parts of the film (why is Gleeson's general so adamant that Cage will fight, how does an airship get off a base during lockdown). 
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 Though it has to be said, the final portion of the film almost muddies the whole experience with a showdown that's as generic and predictable as most sci fi fare and derails the sparkiness and edge that delivered a freshness so early on, despite the sci-fi hokum and flimsy premise. All in all, Edge of Tomorrow is a fine example of its oeuvre, a fun blockbuster sci-fi blast that reinstates Cruise as the king of the popcorn flick and proffers up Blunt as the queen of kick-ass.

Edge of Tomorrow

With the earth invaded by creatures known as the Mimics and with nations toppling around them, Tom Cruise's spin doctor Major William Ca...

17:27

Advanced Features of the Garmin Nuvi 255w

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 Garmin's Nuvi line is known as the entry-level series from the brand. With the introduction of the Garmin Nuvi 255w, sophisticated features previously found in higher-end models can now be availed at an affordable price. The Garmin Nuvi 255w features 4.3" touch screen and it has pre-loaded roadmaps of the United States and Canada. This gadget also sports a text-to-speech feature so you can hear accurate and complete directions while on the go. Users familiar with Garmin's GPS technology cannot help but compare the features of Garmin Nuvi 255w to that of its predecessor, the Garmin 205w. Basically, one of the notable differences between the two is that there are no maps or text-to-speech feature in its Alaskan roadmap. Redesigned Map Screen As was mentioned earlier, the Garmin Nuvi 255w sports features that had previously only been found in expensive models. The redesigned map screen from this model includes the direction as well as the distance of the next turn at its upper left side. Users can get a detailed previous of the turn even as the unit simultaneously provides the next turn directions. Speed Limit Display You no longer need to worry about breaching speed limit. The Garmin Nuvi 255w contains an icon that shows the speed limit for numerous roads. Tracklog Display Tracklogs can display where you came from and it can be downloaded on the computer system. For those who want to keep their destinations secret, this feature can be disabled or cleared. In the Garmin Nuvi 255w, the tracklog is indicated by the blue line that trails behind the vehicle. Recent Streets and Cities First seen on the Garmin 700 model, this feature displays the list of recent cities that the vehicle has been to. Emergency Location One of the main reasons why drivers want to buy GPS units is their fear of getting lost. The emergency location feature of the Garmin Nuvi 255w will reveal where you are by showing longitude coordinates, the closest landmarks, and the nearest address or intersection. Photo Navigation Using the Garmin Connect Photos application, a user can download the Panoramio application from Google. This helps in driving navigation. Terrain Modeling Garmins Nuvi 2x5 models has pre-loaded terrain modeling systems. The digital elevation display enables you to see the surrounding terrain of your location. Take note that this feature only works in 2D mode so it is not something you will fine particularly useful when driving.</div>

Advanced Features of the Garmin Nuvi 255w

Garmin's Nuvi line is known as the entry-level series from the brand. With the introduction of the Garmin Nuvi 255w, sophisticated fe...

09:56

Racial and Gender Reality in American Politics

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In recent years we have been fed the idea that "political correctness" is finally a way of life in America. Television, Hollywood, Internet and print media are all presenting this idea as fact. Ethnic entertainment stars and politicians are trotted out as examples of just how politically correct America has become. But, is the picture a true one? Will it apply this election year? It was not so many years ago that there was a deeply seated notion that certain ethnic groups were incapable of the intelligence required to handle a political office. And, women were seen as emotionally incapable of making political decisions based on logic rather than emotion. It took government action and the U.S. Supreme Court to force America, kicking and screaming, to accept that "all men are created equal," women as well. Yet, groups such as the Ku Klux Klan or K.K.K., while mostly underground these days, exist along with white supremacists. If you believe historians, we in the North have always been more liberal toward minorities and women. We are now told that the South, while deeply rooted in the traditions of the past, is starting to admit that black people are worthy of being called human beings. And, that blacks have intelligent ideas and solutions for improving the areas in which they live. We are asked to believe, in general, the South now recognize the equality of all people as human beings, rather than being blinded by skin color or gender. I would argue that the opposite is really the truth. Society, North or South, still has much work to do in regards to eradicating racism and gender and religious bias. On the surface it appears there have been major strides in the political arena. This year even sees a black presidential candidate and a white female presidential candidate. While the polls show each has a strong chance of becoming President, the election is many months away. The issues of race and gender will play key roles in political campaigns behind the scenes. Campaign workers will capitalize on racial and gender bias when contacting voters. They will do this in positive and negative ways depending upon the voting group being contacted. For the most part, it's true that black people and women are no longer considered to be property. Blacks are no longer forced to walk behind white people in a neighborhood, no longer forced to ride in the back of a bus, nor drink from a separate fountain or use separate lavatory facilities. However, black people are treated largely as equal to white people because it's the law of the land. Americans were forced, by law, to give women and blacks the right to vote, for example. They could no longer be denied the rights enjoyed by most Americans for decades. The right to vote has given minorities and women tremendous power. Many minorities and women today are becoming the heads of major corporations; many are now earning salaries equal to, if not higher, than their white counterparts, some rising to the top of their profession at an equally fast rate. This is a major step in the right direction to reduce racism and gender bias but, again, under the force of law. In addition, there are minorities and women in offices of political power across the country thanks, largely, to the right-to-vote laws. Minorities and women are slowly starting to take positions as politicians at the federal, state, and local levels. This is a major step forward, and a sure sign that, with time, racial and gender bias will be beaten. Some advancement is due to open minds, people who truly look past color, religion, and gender. You will find them in pockets of liberalism around the nation. Where a minority or a woman is elected, there you will find open minds, people who vote on where the candidates stand on issues. The exception, if there is one, is where the candidate represents a district that is largely populated by voters of a background similar to the candidate. In the South, there is still the Ku Klux Klan operating. Although they are significantly weaker than was the case 100, 50, or even 20 years ago, they continue to work behind the scenes to deny blacks their rightful place in America. Such groups and organizations impede progress, clinging to their hate and ignorance. But, despite their attempts blacks are making a name for themselves, and proving they are as capable of political talent as anyone else in the country. While this progress is largely because of the force of voting rights laws, we should be encouraged. With the advancements that have been forced in the last few decades, it's possible we may see a President who is a minority or female in this generation. Will it be in Election 2008? I do not believe so. My reasoning for this pessimism is simple: What we see publicly portrayed in Media, this idea that America is now politically correct, is not reality. Test this for yourself by raising this subject with someone. I doubt they will admit they are racially or gender biased. Most likely they will say positive things to your face but will vote just the opposite. While this is the reality in America, it is our right to vote our choices regardless of how misguided such thinking is. Only time will tell if we truly are an open-minded society, judging a person by their words and actions and not by their religion, race, or gender. After all, there are intelligent and ignorant people of every religion, race, and gender, right? There are intelligent and ignorant men and women, Christians and Jews and agnostics and atheists, right? None of the labels mean a thing in a truly democratic society. Above all countries, they shouldn't matter in America.</div>

Racial and Gender Reality in American Politics

In recent years we have been fed the idea that "political correctness" is finally a way of life in America. Television, Hollywo...

09:54

This Is Where I Leave You: Movie Review

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3j4MCZUUSS82MJEFXM2eqmEOQZhRKtvKifxtu4xggXpkehBD3E-zqR0TVCTIg23B445F5Gf4CwRFxkjnemX2Zsa4Z0ihbbgX6q-ADVcGLoGo4_rqengVr5R4f9B5dtIR49eGK8VQ7Td-/s1600/thisis_a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3j4MCZUUSS82MJEFXM2eqmEOQZhRKtvKifxtu4xggXpkehBD3E-zqR0TVCTIg23B445F5Gf4CwRFxkjnemX2Zsa4Z0ihbbgX6q-ADVcGLoGo4_rqengVr5R4f9B5dtIR49eGK8VQ7Td-/s1600/thisis_a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
 
From Jonathan Tropper's novel, dramedy This Is Where I Leave You sees an all-star cast gathering together to mourn the loss of a patriarch and to rediscover their own connection. 
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Bateman (in sad-sack moping mood) is Judd Altman, who, after discovering his wife is cheating on him on her birthday, receives a message to say his father's died. Heading back to the family home, run by therapist Hilary (Fonda), he's forced back into the quarrels and squabbles that comes with his two other brothers, Phillip and Paul (Driver and Stoll respectively) and his sister Wendy (Fey in a dramatic turn). 
 
Forced by their mother to attend a 7 day shiva for their deceased father, the group finds former resentments, former loves and current problems close to wrecking it all... 
 
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkBqQElQX3cfDUZVAtwqOGMOIDq5FldVBSiVa28Q0gMZyswji1F_oBVMxcgmcDeXJ0DtEb4WJkcwQ_PqP4LdFr8XpCtALVkuXpy9fIKixhJrcK52m3n6EDQpEpr49JUEZbbNfzrbRvE_w/s1600/thisiswhere2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkBqQElQX3cfDUZVAtwqOGMOIDq5FldVBSiVa28Q0gMZyswji1F_oBVMxcgmcDeXJ0DtEb4WJkcwQ_PqP4LdFr8XpCtALVkuXpy9fIKixhJrcK52m3n6EDQpEpr49JUEZbbNfzrbRvE_w/s1600/thisiswhere2.jpg" width="320" /></a>This Is Where I Leave You brings together an impressive ensemble and then largely wastes them in this chick-flick sentimental sap-fest that borders on the bland and pedestrian in places as it wallows in suburban angst. 
 
Half the problem is that supporting characters don't have enough development in this crushed cast; Bateman dials in his ever watchable charismatically depressed turn as the sad-sack Judd, whose life is falling apart; Driver brings his goofy edge to the baby playboy of the family and Fey flits between edges of comedy and drama as the sister who's still in love with the boy across the road who's suffering because of their past. 
 
Orbiting these characters and their emotional baggage is a tough job already, but there's not enough dramatic meat on the bones for the rest of them. Hahn's frustrated wannabe mother who's unable to conceive, Olyphant's distant ex-love, Stoll's older brother and Britton's love interest to playboy Phillip are simply shells of characters, brought in to serve the narrative and do little to propel the drama. 
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And yet, in parts, there are moments of sentimentality and issues touched upon which will resonate with older audiences; mortality, loves lost, fertility issues - the broad spectrum of potential moping material is likely to hit somewhere and at some point in the rather muted This Is Where I Leave You. It's all perfectly serviceable fare that trundles along while teetering on wallowing. 
 
It manages to tap into the frustrations of a home-coming film, but proffers up none of the surprises from its cast; the dramatic signs are all there, but they play out so ploddingly that by the end, you'll start to feel the exasperations the cliched Altmans feel as the emotional balls-in-the-air are juggled and dirty laundry aired. 
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This Is Where I Leave You: Movie Review

From Jonathan Tropper's novel, dramedy This Is Where I Leave You sees an all-star cast gathering together to mourn the loss of a patr...

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