Doctors are getting younger and younger these days...

I just read about the actress who is due to play the Doctor's new assistant - Karen Gillan. Is it me or is she really young? I mean, she's 21! And Matt Smith, the current Doctor's replacement, is only 26! They're sooo young ...

I wish them good luck - David Tenant and his other co-stars will be a tough act to follow, although I'm sure the producers know what they're doing - but what does this mean for the 12th or 13th Doctor? 

Will they start casting children next? 

Teen Doctor Who, anyone?

Lambocops!

Italians are way too stylish for their own good. Even their police get to drive Lamborghinis....

Movies I've watched of late

I've seen a few random flicks lately.

Here's my take on them (sorry Jon for stealing your format):

1. Idiocracy (2005)

Luke Wilson plays an average guy in the military who accidentally gets cryogenically frozen for 500 years. He wakes up in the future only to find that the average IQ of the human race has plummeted (thanks to middle class couples failing to procreate as much as the less intelligent sections of society). One of the those odd films that I'd never heard of (apparently it received zero marketing), it's actually very funny and makes a lot of interesting observations (not sure if the premise is based on any real science, though!). (7/10)

 

2. Richard III (1995)

A dark and brooding modern makeover for Shakespeare with Ian MacKellan stealing the show as the devious and megalomaniacal Richard set in an alternate 1930s Britain. Picking off his rivals one by one, you can't help but be impressed by his clever scheming and twisted sense of self-righteousness. (9/10)

3. Stormbreaker (2006)

Not sure why I chose to watch this one. I guess I was just curious. Anyway, it didn't grab me particularly as it was just a James Bond Junior paint-by-numbers lacking any kind of humour or wit. I haven't real the novel ... don't intend to either. (4/10)

4. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Not as bad as I'd expected, although it lacked any real gems of imagination or sense of wonder (which you'd expect from an adaptation of this kind of material), plodding along quite predictably. I've never gotten very excited about the previous X-Men films (and I'm not bothered much about the new Wolverine installment either). I can see how they're trying to parallel the mutant rights thing with the civil rights movement, but because mutants don't exist I find it hard to care about their plight. Kelsey Grammar playing the blue-skinned freak saved the whole thing in my opinion. (6/10)  

5. Fever Pitch (1997)

Bit of an oldie this one - Colin Firth and Ruth Gemmel play two complete opposites who fall in love, except he's also in love with Arsenal. A really sweet film with great dialogue and funny moments. Probably Colin's best performance on film (he's playing an ordinary bloke for a change). Thoroughly recommended. (9.5/10)

Question answered on FT!

No, not the Financial Times!

I got my question answered on Freelance Theology and hadn't realised how radical the idea of a day of rest was - read the article here. 

Thanks Jon! 

Spotty spot spot

I have just started using Spotify, which took me some convincing - I feared it would be yet another internet app a la Facebook that would suck precious time out of my life and prevent me from spending quality time with my wife and son (yes - the internet is responsible for most family-related ills. How do you feel now, Mr Tim Berners-Lee???).

But - it is quite remarkable. You can listen to pretty much any song you like. It's a veritable candy store of limitless musical treats (and I don't have to pay anything OR break the law - shiny!).

The good thing about it is that I can listen to stuff before committing to paying for a CD or download. I can also discover new bands just by browsing (or even typing in random names for fun - ever heard of Peter and the Test Tube Babies??). Not only that, but it's the perfect opportunity to indulge those guilty pleasures without actually having to buy anything (cough cough! Girls Aloud cough cough!).

The downside is, of course, that you can't take music away with you for your iPod or to play in the car. But it is free - and I don't actually listen to stuff much that way these days anyway.

The other major downside is the fact that there are millions of tracks on Spotify - I don't know where to start. There is such a thing as TOO MUCH CHOICE!

Alfa Mito - what went wrong?

I have seen a few of these on the roads lately. Man, what was Alfa thinking? That is one ugleee sight. 

I've always wanted to own an Alfa but looked at them from afar - mainly because I could never afford one (at least, not new anyway). The other thing that put me off is their notorious unreliability and tendency to rust at the sight of a water droplet.

I'm sure I read somewhere that they're owned by VW now, so the latest Alfas should be better built and more likely to get you to your destination in one piece - but I would never part with any money to buy this ... thing.

It's only good feature is it's backside. At least you can look at that without covering your eyes in horror... 

Something to look out for...

I came across a trailer for District 9 today - I won't spoil it for you, but I was intrigued by the whole concept. 

Produced by Peter Jackson (so likely to be worth seeing) it has a clever marketing campaign, with supporting websites.

See the trailer here.

I like this band

Discovered them via Facebook post. The video is really well put together.

Also, they have a new video out, but can't find it on YT. If I do, I'll post it up...

This is pretty cool