Inception is a heist movie where the scene of the crime is the mind.

Inception is directed by Christopher Nolan who previously directed the backwards tale of Memento as well as both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Nolan has been quoted as saying that Inception was inspired by the James Bond movies. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, who at the age of 36, has finally stopped looking like a teenager. It also features Ellen Page (Juno), Joseph Gordan-Levitt (Tommy from 3rd Rock From The Sun) as well as Batman Begins alumni Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy and someone called Michael Caine.

The movie twists and turns as you get drawn deeper and deeper into it. While it is complex you don’t feel confused, only amazed at the visual effects. In some ways this movie is this decades Matrix, with a particular fight scene standing out. There are moments of action that do imitate James Bond and are excellent. While there are probably people who will analyze the movie and tell you that the is hidden sub-text about love or something, you don’t need to over think such a movie, just sit back and enjoy.

Inception is a movie that should do very well at the box office, as it is a real action thriller, unlike anything else so far this summer. It is a combination of The Matrix and a very good James Bond movie with the plot of a thriller thrown in for good measure. Go see this movie!

Pioneer One is a free TV show, and what I mean by free is that you do not have to subscribe to a TV channel to get it. It is actually being distributed via Bit Torrents which are most often used for downloading TV shows such as Lost, Dr Who, Top Gear and any other show you missed the night before.  The series, which they are still to film, is being paid for by donations and is being supported by professionals who are giving their services for free. As such, you would expect the show to be questionable in content and talent.

Wrong.

Pioneer One is very reminiscent of a BBC made show. One camera filming, no extravagant sets, this could easily be an X files TV show made by the BBC in the 1970s. While the majority of the first episode is serious stuff, there are some good lines. The plot is very much about setting up the series and as such doesn’t really give away the goods. Yes, you find out what the DHS believe, and yes you find out what the evidence suggests but other than that, you don’t see anything.

Pioneer One has a lot of potential both as a series and as a way for future shows to be distributed. Rather than relying on television companies who pander to various demographics, or who cancel a show because they don’t understand what they have (Hello Fox, Goodbye Firefly), you could have television shows made because the cast and crew believe in the subject. Money is always important, after all the first episode of Pioneer One was made for 6000 dollars, but I am sure placing an advertisement at the start of a show would help pay the bills. After all, if you pay to have a advertisement on a television channel, you only reach those viewers who both subscribe to the channel and live in the country that hosts the channel but if you would to place an advertisement at the front of a show that was distributed via Bit Torrent you would have the potential of viewers in so many other countries.

Imagine a show that is sponsored by a world wide company such as Sony. Not only would you have the opportunity to reach millions of viewers in many countries for probably the price of one advertisement in one country but you could actually create a new style of advert that perhaps doesn’t use a voice over or lots of words simply so that no matter what language the viewer, they could understand what the company was selling.

While Pioneer One is being financed by donations, imagine a show that each episode has a budget of say, 2 million dollars. Now you are talking about some serious power to create what you whatever show you want.

I truly applaud the makers of Pioneer One for not only creating a watchable and enjoyable show but for showing hopefully the world what is possible and being the pioneers (pun intended) in what might become the normal way of creating and distributing shows in the future!

Don’t take my word for it, check it out for yourself!

http://vodo.net/pioneerone

Additional

After some more thoughts, think about if Google decided to start sponsoring TV shows. Google is a world wide brand that known for branching off into things other than just its search engine. Hello, anyone from Google, feel free to call me up and thank me for my idea!

What about Coke Cola, one of the most famous names ever, or McDonalds, the advertisement would only have to display the Coke bottle or the golden M for it to be recognizable  around the world.  All it is going to take is one brave CEO of a multinational company to say OK, and we’ll see the start of a brand new form of media, one that is not dependent on the opinions of suits at a network who are aiming to attract a specific demographic, rather one where the makers of this media will be free to create what they believe in.

Imagine if Josh Whedon had had access to this format when he was looking to produce Firefly. The show would still be going and companies would be fighting to get on board and sponsor it.

I appreciate that Bit Torrents are slightly geeky at the moment but things change. Who would have thought that ten years ago you could watch TV on a cell phone but now you can. Already there are boxes that you can connect to your TV and watch things from the web. It is only a matter of time before someone comes up with an organized way to download Bit Torrents directly for television viewing. This is going to be the future once some brave souls take a chance on it.

Additional Part Two

Think of the challenge of an advertising agency, charged with creating a 30 second global commercial that needs to be understood world wide, pushing an identity rather than the deal of the week in Idaho. While English would probably be understood around most of the world, imagine having to create a advertisement without a voice over track or words on the screen, simply showing either a global product such as Windows or the iPhone or pushing a corporate identity such as McDonalds. Would it mean the end of those annoying ads that feature a pop song that sticks in your head, or would it mean more world music creeping into commercials seen in the western world.

We all love those television shows that feature adverts from around the world. Those crazy Australians, the sexy Swedes, those incomprehensible Russians, well what if adverts became a mix of all of these? What if adverts no longer feel under the broadcasting standards of your country? Would that mean that in America you could see sexy adverts like those shown in France? What about an Israeli commercial that includes swearing? Would there be limits to advertisements that were downloaded via Bit Torrent? Could that be regulated or would it run wild? Obviously the larger corporations would have to show discretion but for a smaller company who wanted to push the envelope such as Go Daddy, imagine the possibilities!

One last thought on the subject. At the moment the movie and music companies are trying to stamp out piracy as well as make as much money as possible (as companies do) so would they try to interfere with a TV show that was produced privately and then made available via Bit Torrent? Would they try to take a slice of the pie as they seem to do with everything else? I fear that like most things where creativity is involved, there would be people and companies who would try to take over, control, limit, and profit from such adventures. While Napster was running in the beginning, the music companies did nothing until someone told them how much money they were losing. I doubt if the movie companies as well as the television channels would sit idly by as a potential new stream of revenue and creativity was born. While more and more mainstream movies are remakes, re-imaginings or  plain bad copies, it seems the only place where originality rules is with the independent film makers or with those movie makers who refuse to toe the line.

I feel I have gone off track here but I hope that Pioneer One works out, perhaps gets sponsorship and becomes a truly inspiring work for many film and television show makers to follow!

Starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, Knight and Day is this years Mr & Mrs Smith, albeit, without the tabloid speculation of romance on set. It is a fast paced, action packed movie that delivers fun, spills and more than its fair share of explosions. Set in various locations around the world, it does tend to rely on computer graphics a little too much and which did not seem to be state of the art in some instances.

In any Tom Cruise movie, height is often commented upon and Knight and Day should be no different. Although Ms Diaz is two inches taller, Mr Cruise appears taller than her during most of the movie, with the rest of the time approximately the same height. If they can insert Jabba the Hut into Star Wars, can’t they make Tom Cruise the same height all movie long?

Another thing, and this is perhaps more because of who I am but, if you are going to stage a car chase, and lets face it, all movies should have at least one if not more, try not to use SMART CAR ROADSTERS as the cars. Especially when the garage where the chase begins also contains a Ferrari 599 and what looked to be a Morgan. Seriously, its hard to believe any car chase where most of the cars are economic, cheap, and have a removable roof made of plastic and material!

Even though it isn’t difficult to pick faults in the movie, Knight and Day does its job very well. Its entertaining, fun, and puts a smile on your face. A good summer movie!

In the movies you obviously have Star Wars and Star Trek firmly in the alien camp. After all, where would the two movie series be without Spock or Chewbacca? Other movies that are more alien orientated include the Aliens series, The Fifth Element, ET, Predator, The Thing and obviously Independence Day.

Those movie that are perhaps more human focused are headlined by Blade Runner but can also count the Matrix series, the Terminator series, Gattaca and Minority Report.

When you move to the small screen, TV shows such as the Star Trek shows and the original Battlestar Galactica relied on aliens to further the stories. On the other hand though, the remake of Battlestar Galactica and Firefly allowed the humans to dominate the plot without a hint of a man dressed up as an alien.

I think part of the problem of having aliens in a show, such as Babylon 5 or Star Trek, is that due to cost, filming schedule or even just the available technology, a man dressed up as an alien is a lot easier than trying to create something truly inhuman. Dr Who is a long time victim of this, especially when you watch some of the older episodes and see the Doctor running from a man dressed up in cardboard and silver paint.

I am not saying that aliens are not important for science fiction, especially when you consider that the X-Files was a earth based series that dealt with the possibility of aliens. Dr Who, while perhaps over using humanoid aliens, is still a must see show. Without the original Star Trek episodes, science fiction television today would be something vastly different to what we actually have. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy would be a much shorter book/show/movie if there hadn’t been aliens.

I think it is obvious that for some movies, aliens are an essential part of the plot. Rather than just some hottie for the Captain to romance, movies such as Aliens, Independence Day, Starship Troopers, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and War of the Worlds are all movies that the aliens are integral parts of the story. Pitch Black is a movie, that without aliens, that would be long drawn out and rather boring. Men in Black would be move akin to Sex in the City if it hadn’t been for all the aliens living in New York.

If I had to rank my favourite science fiction movies, there would be a combination of with and without alien movies; Blade Runner, The Fifth Element, Aliens, Serenity. It would be a mix that balanced out around 50-50. If we turned to television however, the first two series, the remade Battlestar Galactica and Firefly would be alien free. Dr Who, Torchwood, UFO and Space 1999 would re-address the balance though and perhaps even tip the scales in favour of the aliens as I add Red Dwarf, Babylon 5 and the X files.

At the end of the day, I don’t think it really matters if you prefer aliens in your movies and television or not, as long as you enjoy the science fiction you are watching.

Yes. this is a movie of the TV show from the 80s, The A Team. A show that had car crashes, explosions, silly plots, and no one ever died. Well, the movie is kinda like that. People do die, but it would be hard to pull off without a death here or there!! The four leads, Liam Neeson as Hannibal, Bradley Cooper as Face, Quinton Rampage Jackson as BA and Sharlto Copley as Murdock are a lot of fun to watch. Rampage Jackson is a surprisingly good actor for a mixed martial artist, and Sharlto Copley, who was last seen turning into an alien in District 9, is perfect as a nutcase pilot.

A bonus is having Gerald McRaney in the movie, he of Simon and Simon and a million other shows. He is always great to watch and every time I see him, I remember how much I enjoyed Simon and Simon so double bonus!

The action is plentiful, the plot, while not Shakespeare, is most defiantly a plot and helps move things along from one explosion to another! The movie even explains why BA hates to fly. What more could you ask for?

Yes, this movie is a summer movie with more explosions than IQ points but as a summer movie, it really does work. Its a lot of fun to watch, its clever, pays respect to the TV show, and puts a smile on your face. That’s all anyone needs!

Directed by Ridley Scott, Black Hawk Down is a very realistic modern warfare movie that doesn’t pull any punches. Based on real events, it isn’t pretty viewing as bullet fly in every direction. There are some horrific injuries, both graphic and gruesome and yet they don’t overwhelm the situation and those soldiers who are are being surrounded.

The movie stars a raft of well known actors including Eric Bana, Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner and Sam Shepard to name but a few. The action is the main part of the movie though and is more than just thrilling, it is intense in the same way that The Hurt Locker is. After watching the movie, you actually feel the tension in your shoulders.

Black Hawk Down is a very good modern warfare movie, and one that should be viewed if only to see what went on and what happened.

Angel-A stars Jamel Debbouze as Andre and Rie Rasmussen as Angela and is written and directed by Luc Besson. Angel-A has a different look due to the use of black and white photography which gives if a classic feel while being set in modern Paris. With Andre as 5 foot 5 and Angela as 5 foot 10 plus heels, they make a eye catching pair as they go to and forth around Paris. The story is as much about redemption, belief in yourself and even loving who you are as it is about a man who with help from a strange female tries to turn his life around.

Paris as always looks amazing, perhaps even more so because of the black and white, and the two lead actors are wonderful to watch. Yet another Luc Besson movie that is a real joy to watch!

If you saw District 13 you know what to expect. Insane fight scenes, breath-taking parkour, and just a little french humour along the way. Starring Cyril Raffaelli as the cop, Damien and David Belle as Leito, the District 13 resident, the movie has more action than most movies with more than a few amazing shots, such as Leito jumping from one building to another, or Damien fighting a bunch of bad guys while holding a Van Gogh in his hands.

One of the bonuses of the original movie, and again with the sequel, is that on the DVD, there is an in depth making of which revels the hard work and fun that the actors and crew experience when making the movie.

Seriously, if you enjoy high energy movies where the plot can take a back seat to the action, watch this!!

Iron Man 1 was a very enjoyable ‘comic book’ movie that not only enjoyed great plot, graphics and humour but had Robert Downey Jr as its lead. Downey JR is charismatic and charming in nearly every movie he is in and Iron Man 2 is no exception. He is so enjoyable to watch because he is a good actor who excels in this kind of role. Good but flawed, funny but irreverent.  Again supported by Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Pots, the main cast are joined by some very well known actors such as Sam Rockwell, Don Cheadle, Scarlet Johansson, Mickey Rourke, and Samuel L Jackson.

There are in jokes a plenty for those who are fans of the comic books but even those who did have girlfriends in their teen years should enjoy this movie. Its funny, action packed and has Scarlet Johansson. Yes, I do believe Miss Scarlet is worth the price of admission alone!

Iron Man 2 is a great movie, as enjoyable as the first one although perhaps not as satisfying since we already knew what we were getting after watching the first one. Looking forward to the third or the avengers or whatever next!!

I originally started this blog with the intent of sharing anecdotal tales of scrimping and saving, but the more I look into the things that we can do in Vegas I think this blog should be about spending!

For example, my husband and I aren’t huge gamblers. I figured if we had $1000-$1500 to gamble and some spare change for spending and clear credit cards for charging meals and those “I HAVE TO HAVE IT” items. We would get out of vegas having had one hell of a time and some really great memories.

There is so much to see and do in Vegas and the surrounding area, the shows, the hoover dam and gran canyon tours, casinos…bla, bla, bla….

However… I decided to investigate some of the more unusual things to do in Vegas…aside from the bunny ranch, or the “free” tours of the swingers clubs I didn’t think there would be much to surprise me. I have to admit, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

My husband has always wanted an Astin Martin, I didn’t say he believed he would own one, but he figured he could dream. Well now he may actually get his chance to drive one in Las Vegas at http://www.supercarlife.com/experience.aspx

OH, and he has always wanted to try shooting firearms. So we may also visit http://thegunstorelasvegas.com so he can try his luck with these babies…. a H/K MP5 SMG w/50 Rds, Semi- Automatic Rifle w/10 Rds, 12ga Shotgun w/5 Rds, and that also includes Three Targets & Package T-Shirt.

I hope it doesn’t give him any ideas!!! Shooting up Las Vegas in an Astin Martin, all he will need is a martini -shaken not stirred, and a Tux and I might find my self being seduced by a 007 wannabe!

As for me, the excitement of traveling, being somewhere different and doing different things is enough of an aphrodisiac. This time Mr.Bond may have met his match!!!