Feckin Hollywood…

And thus it continues! 2005 – the Summer of blockbusters that my 7 year old REALLY wants to see but I wouldn’t bring him to in a million years (yes, I am looking for a snappier title…)

Finally sloped in to town to see War Of The Worlds last night…. Fairly standard Spielberg – heavy on the morality, beautiful visuals, soppy, soppy morality and (recently) dark, dark overtones. Don’t get me wrong – some of the sequences are actually physically affecting to the point where I was getting an actual sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach (not easy on me!) but there are so many slow Spielbergesque moments of namby-pamby character soul searching that I almost fell asleep a couple of times (having said that if you read here or listen to the show you’ll know that happens with me almost to the point of narcolepsy!)

My real bugbear is that it’s a huge Summer blockbuster with all the attendant media hype, a 12A certificate (don’t get me started on why that’s such a bad idea) and yet it’s FAR too violent and horrific for my son to see. Don’t get me wrong, he loves nothing better than to settle down with Daddy and 2 hours of Godzilla stomping Tokyo, Mothra, King Ghidorah or Rodan but people having their blood drained by giant tripod metal machines and then having it sprayed over the countryside creating red vein-like weeds? Nope.

Go but don’t expect the breathlesss quote I saw on one of the posters about it being the “Greatest Science Fiction Movie Of All Time!!!!!” (who writes those feckin things anyway??) Actually once upon a time it was me…

The only time I’ve ever been quoted on a movie blurb was for the wonderful “Aidan Walsh – Master Of The Universe” documentary Shimmy Marcus put together a few years back. I forget the exact quote but it was fairly breathless but I did genuinely mean it when I wrote it (back when I wrote stuff for an evil newspaper and not for you lovely reader).

I remember scanning the racks in my local Xtravision one day and seeing

“Blah, blah, blah…. God isn’t it great!” – Rick O’Shea

or words to that effect. Best feeling ever. Met Shimmy a few weeks ago actually when we had him on Untitled and am still threatening to go to his new one Headrush when I get the time. Nice lad…

R

PS I don’t have a counter thingy so I actually have no idea as to how many people are reading these pointless ramblings… I have at least 2 mates who do so that’s a start I suppose…

Mail me HERE with subject line “No, I Am Spartacus” and let me know you exist. A big filthy random bribe of a prize from our forbidden prize cabinet of mystery for someone will follow.