And yes, all those pix are from moi.

The problem was dealt with extremely bleep well in the drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip when a fictitious TV broadcaster has a bleep massive fine levied against them by the bleep Federal bleep Communications bleep Commission because a bleep soldier swears while being interviewed under bleep fire in bleep Iraq.

The matter deals with the bleep right to free bleepbleep speech and thus the censorship of bleep news. It may seem minor on the bleep surface but has bleep massive implications for broadcast bleep media.

If we had the same bleep laws in bleep Australia, ABC2 wouldn’t have to bleep bleep out a lot of The Daily Show with John Stewart or The Colbert Report when replayed here. I’d bleep actually be bleep able to understand what the bleep they’re talking about instead of having all the gags punctuated by bleep bleep.

For media, cast and crew only. These links are to the day-by-day production stills and key art. Usage is strictly limited for media only. These images are NOT to be used on any social media sites until published by me on facebook.com/spiritedmovie. You can follow the production at twitter.com/Spirit_ED

Media enquires to:

Peter Mether – Director +61 418 614 824 pete@mether.com

Shannon Wilson – Producer +61 412 058 033 shannon@prettylittlethings.tv

Galleries (Copyright of all images remains with Craig Ashley Russell)

Day 1 http://gallery.me.com/crashrus/100263

Day 2 http://gallery.me.com/crashrus/100306

Day 3 http://gallery.me.com/crashrus/100315

Day 4 http://gallery.me.com/crashrus/100344

Day 5 http://gallery.me.com/crashrus/100351

The A-Team is the most recent in the long line of Hollywood movies drawing off mildly successful TV series. First going to air in 1983, The A-Team told in 48 minutes + commercials and credits, the story of some impossible situation which is solved with an overly complicated rescue performed by the four former US Army Rangers. They are of course super tough, geared up with the latest hi-spec gadgets and have plenty of covert experience. The feature is much the same. except the bad guys are a rouge Ranger General and friend of Col Hanibal Smith (Liam Neeson), a CIA black ops commander and a CIA handler.

The movies starts out before The A-Team (the A stands for Alpha) even exists. Liam Neeson is rescuing Bradley Cooper and on his way brings in Quentin ‘Rampage’ Jackson (No, that’s his real name – the character name is B.A Baracus). Later they invite Sharlto Copley to join their merry band. Let the fun begin. Old friend/mentor betrays younger leader with the aid of a hostile contemporary on the same side. Add the CIA and it’s clear that no one in Hollywood has any idea what constitutes an authentic enemy anymore. Russia is now a friend, South Africa held free elections, North Korea was held up to ridicule so spectacularly in Team America that no one has the balls to use them anymore as the bad guys and the ‘A-rabs’ just don’t hit the mark anymore while the body count in Afghanistan continues to mount. The opening scene depicts a confrontation between Neeson and Cooper, and a Mexican drug cartel boss but again they are easy targets. You will however need to know the phrase Alpha Mike Foxtrot for the conclusion to this scene to make the maximum impact.

Neeson does a very good job of hiding his Irish accent as does Copley in trading his South African accent for a Southerner.

Special effects are amazing and the director uses a nice method of explaining the plan while showing the action.

Big budget, lots of explosions, over the top finale and of course as this is the introduction of The A-Team the Hollywood ending you might expect isn’t forthcoming.

Glad I saw it, wouldn’t see it again. 6/10

Salo was banned in Australia – twice. First in 1975 and again in 1998 after being approved in 1993. It’s just been re-approved for DVD distribution in Australia and not everyone is happy about that. Especially the Christians. And for the first time, I don’t think they’re wrong.

I can’t remember exactly when I saw it (some where between 93 and 96) but I will never forget it. Two friends and I had discovered the Red Eye Cinema in Surry Hills. It made for an artsy change to the mega cinemas up on George Street. A couple of weeks earlier we had seen Andy Warhol’s ‘Frankenstein’ in 3D and that was hugely entertaining with livers and hearts being dangled right in front of your face and blood squirting onto the person next to you. Brilliant ’70s schlock. Salo however, makes Tarantino look like he isn’t even trying.

Salo is not entertaining nor thought provoking. It’s a demonstration of how to make a movie to shock. Obviously the blood from the stabbing, shooting, raping, murdering, butchering and slaughtering is not real. Nor any of the other activities just mentioned. The DVD versions comes with 3 hours of additional material as sort of a rationale for the movie. I haven’t seen it so I can’t comment but it sounds to me more like a 3 hour excuse when it should really be a 3 hour apology.

Please don’t see this movie. Your life will be complete enough without adding it to your 1000-films-to-see-before-you-die list.

Recently a Channel 9 Melbourne cameraman insulted the father of a man charged with several crimes, including rioting, after being verbally abused by the father outside a court. It’s happened before. Many times. I’ve witnessed it. When you see footage showing angry mourners or defendants or their families attacking news crews typically you don’t see or hear anything from the cameramen or photographers. There’s two reasons for this:

1. 99 times out of a hundred nothing is said by the newsmen,
2. That one time something is said the ‘code’ is such that no other news putlet would report the incident.

But with this story the ABC in Victoria have removed themselves from the club by breaking the code. The SMH and all Fairfax papers are also out now. In fact, not only out, but ripe for retribution from the Nine Network.

But here’s the interesting thing about this story; if the son is found guilty, the cameraman will not have been insulting the father but stating fact.

Social media marketing works when like minded people (friends/colleagues you like) are introduced to a new idea/product/service by someone in the group. If you add a hundred or worse a thousand randoms to your online networking groups you will be flooded with irrelevant and therefore annoying messages. Networking FAIL!

Facebook is for friends and family. LinkedIn is for colleagues.

Networking for shy people – The Venture – MySmallBusiness – Sydney Morning Herald Blogs.

There’s an old saying; a man who can’t count his friends on one hand is a very lucky man.

A close friend of mine recently went through an enormous personal crisis; life changing, potentially soul destroying. Her 479 Facebook friends were no where to be seen. Her support group was her family, one or two other friends and me. Interestingly, we’re so close we’re not friends on Facebook.

via Networking for those who hate networking.

Excellent overview of today’s announcment by Apple Inc re iPhone OS 4.0.

HTC Desire review.

Are you fucking kidding me you fool! Then what does make an iPhoen killer Asher; a phone that is prettier, has a bigger screen, uses anything but the iPhone OS. Ipso facto, any other phone.

Go back to school, would you please!

And by the way Fairfax, inserting an HTC ad, topping it with another ad and then putting your Technology opener and closer at each end is not quality content.

For fuck’s sake!