What I Watched This Week (w/e July 13th 2008)

DVD

Louis Theroux: The Collection - There's something fantastic about Louis Theroux that makes him come across as both naïve yet highly intelligent and almost manipulative. He obviously knows how to extract information without asking the question point blank - he gently probes his subject lulling them into a false sense of security so that they're a bit wrong-footed. This four disc set has the Weird Weekends with Swingers, Patriot Survivalists, Boer Nationalists, the porn industry in San Fernando valley and black rappers in 'the dirty south', When Louis Met... with the brilliant encounters with Jimmy Saville, Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee, Ann Widdecombe and the superb Hamiltons episode and the unforgettable encounters with neo-Nazis and the Nevada brothel. I really enjoyed the early footage of his appearances on TV Nation which showed that his approach hasn't changed from then to his most recent outing on the BBC where he investigated big game hunting for tourists. :D



Girls of the Playboy Mansion: Season One - Hugh Hefner is known worldwide as the creator of Playboy - an elderly man in silk pyjamas and a smoking jacket with a bevy of beautiful blondes on his arms living in the fantastic Playboy mansion. Girls of the Playboy Mansion, better known as Girls Next Door, follows Playboy's editor-in-chief and his three girlfriends (girlfriend #1 Holly Madison, student and current longest girlfriend Bridget Marquardt and newest arrival and fitness fanatic Kendra Wilkinson) during their day-to-day lives which are unlike any you're likely to see. The show doesn't answer the questions that you have about Hef's relationship with the three girls - they're almost kept women but they do appear to genuinely love him and him them - and is pure entertainment. It's an arrangement and a lifestyle that is crying out for Louis Theroux to stay at the mansion and get acquainted with the four (and the staff) but once you get used to the 'American-ness' of the girls, it's enjoyable although I was slightly annoyed when I only discovered the DVD has an uncensored audio track once I'd finished the series! :)



Enchanted - When I saw this at the cinema I had no idea what to expect and was slightly put off by the musical nature of the opening animated sequence. It carries on through the film as it goes to live action but is self-referential in the same way as Scream and Shrek - creating the very same type of film that they are gently mocking. The scene where Giselle (superbly played by Amy Adams) calls all the vermin of Manhattan to clean up the apartment belonging to cynical divorce lawyer Robert (Patrick Dempsey) parodies all the Disney cartoons where woodland creatures help out the female lead character. Susan Sarandon is brilliant as the wicked stepmother and Timothy Spall puts in a typically accomplished performance as her henchman Nathaniel who loves her but is basically treated by her as a doormat. Enchanted is a lovely film that makes you laugh and cry and is, as the title suggests, enchanting! :D









David Icke: Live at Oxford Union Debating Society - Review here.
Hell Girl Volume Three: Cherry - Review here.
Eden Log - Review here.
Zombies (aka Wicked Little Things) - Review here.
Insanitarium - Review to follow shortly.
Romulus Returns to Siam - Review to follow shortly.
Dark Corners - Crap screener disc - no review to follow shortly!

Television

New Zealand vs. South Africa - Matt Goddard didn't allow the game to flow as Stuart Dickinson had the week before as he was quicker on the whistle, especially at the breakdown. Dan Carter kicked the All Blacks to an early lead but Percy Montgomery kept the Springboks in touch with his own place kicking. The South Africans were giving as good as they got and when Ali Williams had to go off , the New Zealand lock combination boasted a combined international cap tally of two compared to Victor Matfield and Bakkes Botha's 122 international appearances. Suddenly the Springbok lineout began to dominate and they were more physical in the loose, keeping the game close with Butch James kicking his first international drop goal. New Zealand were in the game and winning up until the last five minutes when the Springboks, down to fourteen men with their captain Matfield in the sin-bin, scored through a brilliant individual try by Ricky Januarie, converted by Francois Steyn to give them a 30-28 win - their first on New Zealand territory in ten years.

Lee Meager vs. John Murray - Ex-champion Meager and prospect Murray squared off for the vacant British Lightweight title with Meager as a betting favourite due to his experience but Murray came out with fast, accurate powerful shots to hurt and cut Meager and force a stoppage in the fifth round.

Wladimir Klitschko vs. Tony Thompson - The build-up to this fight was dominated by Wlad's homecoming and Tony 'The Tiger's' hunger - he has seven children, a broken air conditioning unit and his dishwasher's on the blink - but he didn't look like a fighter desperate for victory and was methodically broken down by the Ukrainian champion's jab and straight right, with Klitschko winning in a comprehensive but unconvincing fashion. American heavyweight boxing is in the toilet and, until the lure of the NBA and NFL wears off, big men will stay away from boxing gyms and choose to play ball games with a lower risk/reward ratio on offer.