Title: PhoneShop Directed by: Phil Bowker Seasons: 3 Episodes: 18 Genre: British Comedy Source:http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/70307778?trkid=50361908
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PhoneShop is a merge between your average high street mobile phone shop, meets a motley crew who are complete potty. The series revolves are Christopher Newman, or more appropriately, "Newman", as he's come to be known as. He's your average business graduate, who has the look, but in this business, not necessarily the street smarts, hence his trusted Manager, Lance, along with his fellow knights in not so shining armour, Ash and Jerwayne, and the ever so weird, Janine, to lend a helping hand.
Ash and Jerwayne are typical London lads. They're on the constant look out for girls, chat a big game, act like they're on the road ting of the mobile phone industry, and wish to teach Newman nothing more than to grow a pair. Both make for a hysterical due on PhoneShop, not to mention when Newman collaborates with both in an episode, it makes for one of the most uncomfortable, yet hilarious rap videos.
Source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1HwwEhJORo Without a doubt the most dominant character, and a personal fave has to be none other than the Fonejacker himself, Kayvan Novak, playing the enigmatic, yet very annoying and funny, Razz Prince.
Source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIyq3RURNPg Overall PhoneShop will keep you full of laughs from top to bottom. VERDICT:
Ah the glorious 90s. How sorry I feel for any child that missed growing up in such a golden age. I mean really, I pity them, almost look down on them, sure, in a rather snobbish manner even. You missed out on prime time Disney, cartoons galore, some of the best films, TV shows, video games, music bands, specifically boy and girl bands, brought on by the Spice Girls, Take That, Backstreet Boys, and a not so favourite, N'Sync. - TECH -
Game Boy - That big fat rectangular block that brought joy to oh so many.
Super Nintendo - Never owned one, but that was part in reason due to it's popularity and how the 90s generation became so consumed by console gaming, by parents would not let me have one. Sad face. Deprived child indeed.
Cassette Walkman - Yeah, I said cassette. What!?
Street Fighter 2 - So many wasted 50p's used on the arcade machine over this one. SF2 still remains the best combat game to date in my opinion.
- TV -
Blue Peter - Just because it's Blue Peter.
TMNT - The show that made you want pizza, and to be a ninja. Turtles kicking ass? Yes please. The movies don't even begin to compare to the cartoon show.
Ducktales - AWOOOOHOOOO! From the very old PC game, to the TV show, this had classic written all over it, despite their very sharp and annoying voices.
Renford Rejects - I grew up worshiping football. I loved this show with all my heart. Bruno D'Gradi - what a lad.
Fun House - One of the most fun game shows to watch after a hard days work at school in England. How I always wanted to ride those go-karts.
Power Rangers - Surprisingly was never a big fan of this show, but it grew to have a cult following, many of whom demand a film.
Art Attack - Those views from above still make me gasp.
Saved By The Bell - The holy grail of TV shows as a kid in the 90s. Mr. Belding was such a tosspot.
The Big Breakfast - "Egg On Your Face" had to be one of my most favourite segments.
Friends - Not the keenest fan growing up of it, but let's face it, it was the biggest show going on the telly. $1million per episode for the cast eventually? I would've given that to the Saved By The Bell cast.
The Animals of Farthing Wood - I used to be hooked to this program and eventually the print format too. If I ever have a kid, they WILL be forced to watch this. No arguement.
Thundercats - HOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I was more of a Panthero fan, was hoping one day he would overthrow Lionel, despite their friendship. What a shame.
Transformers - Autobots for life.
- MUSIC -
Spice Girls - Utterly annoying, but unforgivable to mention their impact in the 90's, in particular being a household British pop group, of which not many success stories, other than dating back to the 1970's, had there been of Brit bands becoming this successful in America.
Backstreet Boys- My award for 'Thee band of the 90s'. Corny music, god awful coordinated dance moves, yet "As Long As You Love Me", was, and still is easily one of the best songs EVER. End of discussion.
Take That - The most annoying British boy band, led by mop-face himself, Gary Barlow, with the golden nugget that came and left at his own leisure, Robbie Williams.
Boyzone - The only British boy band worth giving a shout. Stuff Take That.
S Club 7 - Just dismiss that abysmal show on the telly, where S Club take Miami by storm, focus on the music itself, after all... There ain't no party like an S Club party, right?
N'Sync - Ugh.
Britney Spears - Even bigger ugh!
Blur - Song no. 2. Probably the claim to fame for Blur, but "Charmless Man", and "Parklife", were easily so much better on the ears.
Oasis - Still to this day I remember when, "What's the Story Morning Glory" came out, and "Don't Look Back in Anger" was serenaded around the entire playground. Oasis were nothing short of amazing, well, when the Gallagher brothers weren't fighting, but even then, it was a laugh.
- FADS -
POGS & GOGOs - Pogs. The game which led to many a playground fight, over debates over legal and illegal moves. The madness aside, loved Pogs.
TAZOS - Can't tell you how many packs of Walkers crisps I consumed just to get as many Tazo's as I could. The day I got Roadrunner I almost cried in joy. Sad? Probably so.
POKEMON - Pika. Pika.
All this said, and there's even so much more the 90s was made up of. I know I've missed things. Maybe a revisit down the line.
Title: Top Boy Directed by: Yann Demange, Jonathan van Tulleken Seasons: 2 Episodes: 8 Genre: British Drama Source:http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/70236561
If you've ever wondered what the grimy estate scene living in the UK is all about, with many youth being on what's classified as "the road ting", Channel 4's Top Boy does a phenomenal job at portraying this. Top Boy currently is made up of 2 series. The first series is seen through the eyes of both Ra'Nell, played by Malcolm Kamulete, and Dushane, played by Ashley Walters. Whilst the second series still manages to focus on both characters, Ashley Walter's character, Dushane, is given the more heavier role so to say, after staking his claim as the Top Boy of the Summerhouse estate, at Series 1 end.
What Top Boy is so great at is showing the many challenges both adults, young adults, and young children are exposed to living on an estate. Top Boy pays homage to mental health problems, like anxiety and depression, how it effects a family, the financial difficulties many are succumb too, which leads them to estate living, and the lengths people are prepared to go to get off the estate. Top Boy also shows how young youth are so easily swayed by gangsters on estates, a lot having to do with how they actually look up to them as they are larger than life figures, making money through illegal activities. A mobster like Dushane sees youth as exposable investments, as much as he likes to think he cares about doing right by them, they're just pawns in his game.
Alas, the highly anticipated date of March 1, 2015 brought the long awaited unveiling of Samsung's latest member of the Galaxy product line, the Samsung Galaxy S6, and the S6 Edge, at the Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona.
I for one find myself not being the most tech-savvy individual when it comes to mobile phones, and tablets, yet when it comes to the launch of a new iPhone, or Galaxy flagship (don't you just love that word, so fleeting), am at the thick of the frenzy, looking up the latest leaks, specs, and design elements - half of me pretending like I know what I'm reading, the other half, actually flighting on this learning experience; letting new terminology and technological conversation sink in.
The big conversation coming out of MWC 2015 is, well, has Samsung done enough with their new flagship Galaxy S6, to triumph mobile leader Apple, with their coveted iPhone 6. Now before I attempt to answer such a question, please note, I am not a fanboy of either brand, and can honestly say in the past I've owned both brands' mobile products: currently, iPhone 5s, past, Samsung Impact. So, to the meat of the pie. One feature that had me considering switching over to Android recently is the use of Micro SD cards, for expandable storage, at a fraction cost of Apple's built-in, non-removable storage, yet here we find, with the S6, Samsung has rid of SD cards, for permanent storage. Bugger. If that's not bad, one thing you would expect with a new flagship is innovation, but looking at the S6, whilst an upgrade of the S5, with no more plastic casing, it seems an all too familiar design of the iPhone 6; there lies the problem. The popular opinion is that Samsung has compromised, leaning more in the way of design, from their past, functionality. That said, does this make the S6, and the piece de resistance, the S6 Edge, inferior? No bloody chance. Boasting an equally, if not more powerful processor, at a higher price-point than the S5 launch, but still cheaper in comparison to the iPhone 6, with grand Benchmark scores, with the standard model being at 32GB, it is still very much a flagship to be a player, if not a potential slayer of the iPhone 6, despite the numerous growing users switching from Android to the Apple iOS ecosystem. The reality of mobile phones is, give it a year, and in that instance your current device has immediately become outdated, and so on. So is the hype of a new flagship, most notably nowadays, sporting a brand new feature, otherwise known as a gimmick, over functionality, worth paying out for? No... but that doesn't mean I'm not thinking of swapping in my iPhone 5s, for the S6 Edge. Haha.
So it goes without saying November 2005 - November 2013, proved to be a span of some great gaming in the lives of many. All things considered... the Red Ring of Death for the Xbox 360, the Yellow Light of Death for PS3, the hacked accounts, whereby secure consumer account information was leaked, the odd glitches, overhyped games, both consoles proved to be successful throughout their market relevancy.
Some of my personal faves from both consoles, which managed to keep me engaged, and enthralled in their respective story-lines included: the Drake: Unchartered trilogy, The Last of Us, Bioshock 2, Tomb Raider (a much needed reboot, which proved to be my game of the generation), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the one off FIFA, Red Dead Redemption, Gears of War 3, the God of War franchise (barring the sheer rubbish that was GOW: Ascension), and Fable 2. Here we are, now in the new age of the PS4 and Xbox One, both released in November 2013, 2 years later, reflecting on what's been defined as the "Next-Gen" stage, yet I find myself pondering just how valid this quote is.
E3 has always been a platform whereby developers and the major players in the video game industry are able showcase soon-to-be release products or services. 2013 was nothing but hype with the showdown of finally new consoles being released in the market, yet I for one played the waiting a game, a year to be exact, until law behold, the shock of it all, a white PS4, with the long spoken about Destiny, included, as a bundle. Oh why not indeed, right?
Needless to say, here I am, months later, around $700 out of pocket in total, also down to the fact I was one of those clowns who rushed out and bought a new 1.5TB hard drive, replacing the installed 500GB drive, very much regretting my purchase. Thus far this wave of next-gen gaming has been nothing but overhyped madness. Games like the much hyped and talked about Watchdogs, Destiny, Assassin's Creed: Unity, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, Killzone: Shadowfall, Battlefield 4, Farcry 4, FIFA 15, NBA2K15, have been nothing more than glitch-ridden flops, coming under their fare share of scrutiny, many of these games have even been pushed back on their initial release dates. The fact that companies like Ubisoft have had to compensate consumers for unfinished products says a lot. As it stands, my PS4 pretty much shares the same verdict as my PS3 - a stand alone Netflix player. SONY had one thing right in their ad campaigns leading up to the launch - "Greatness Awaits." Well... I'm STILL waiting.
Title: Sword Art Online Directed by: Tomohiko Ito Seasons: 2 Episodes: 25 Genre: Japanese Anime Source: http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/70302573?trkid=13462050
Source: http://imageserver.moviepilot.com/sword-art-online-why-hollywood-needs-to-stay-away-from-sao.jpeg?width=1280&height=1024 How best to describe Sword Art Online [SAO]? Ever dream of being stuck in your favourite adventure RPG game... In a land which boasts some of the most marvellous views, battling the fiercest creatures, achieving a status of true greatness amongst others? Oh did I forget to mention once you die in the game, you die in real life? Yeah... Well look no further than SAO.
Source:http://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire1/49dbbe4e23eca8f88b42e1e51b2b5e911420689325_full.png SAO is based off the novel collection, written by Reki Kawahara, with of the course, the usual differing variations when transferring a book/novel to film; making it its own. The story is based around the main character, Kirito, as known to those in Aincrad (the online virtual world). The general gist without giving away any spoilers, is a whole group of players are stuck in a virtual game world, as the game designer, Akihiko Kayaba, has glitched the world; no player can escape, until one beats the entire game. Die in the game, you die in real life. If any person attempts to remove the VR device off your head in an attempt to get you out the game, you die. Simple. Naturally the whole game world in set into a furore, learning they're stuck in this virtual world, as their bodies deplete in real life, in addition there only oh so many limited HP points in the game world, yet still, there are those who are kind hearted and assist many along the way.
Source:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicA0L5fiNIPnAqpz8FHADduRKBqrGyzYunQfMR0VkOzFy9DzT8QJrUkY9Cdiy2-uBGhfLLDR1SUDzKIzGaPHKLHAGpxYD3j7D8bq8YUpgd9AZE-qbFABA928nAPfAPk2LL-koYehOnNDP4/s640/Capture-00001.png This anime is set in a very medieval setting - think Game of Thrones almost; tons of open land, rocky areas, caves, castles, old English town settlements, and the usual poncey guilds. There are many subplots and twists that take place throughout Season 1 and 2, which include betrayal, heartbreak, deaths, tested friendships, love, and super corny moments.
Source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALCLCvNJ7iY Season 2 of SAO is based in yet another virtual world, Alfheim Online, in continuation of the storyline from Aincrad. Kirito is again ready to play hero, this time in the rescue of Asuna, in a elfish land, full of different races. The twist in this is Kirito's sister has now delved into online gaming, unknowingly acts as an aid, without knowing she is helping her brother top the World Tree. This season is considerably weaker than the first, yet still enjoyable to watch, though the story does drag. In conclusion, I'd say this is very much an anime for those that love the concept of being lost in an online RPG, have a sense of adventure, or are just looking to give the Anime genre a chance. Start here. Sure, SAO can be extremely corny at times, synced with the gorgeous orchestral sounds and battle scenes, but that's the whole romance of this series. I for one loved it! VERDICT:
Ah, that coveted American tradition, to do with America's favourite pastime, or at least so they say. So what do I make of this grand spectacle, an ode to $4 million ad spots, overhyped half-time performances, and quite possibly one of the most hideous looking trophies when it comes to the Vince Lombardi trophy? Sheer nonsense quite frankly, yet I somehow find myself always caught up in it.
This year saw the Seahawks return to the big show, against a team that's no stranger to making it all the way the end, in the Patriots. I really can say I've no vested interest in either side as a Bucs fan (yeah... I know... who knows when they'll get to a Super Bowl let alone the playoffs), though many who know of my American Football supporting habits, know me to be your average Tom Brady fanboy, who thinks he's the greatest QB in history. Guilty as charged.
Anyhow, carrying on, I opted to watch the match with a few college mates and some family members. I can honestly say I really don't have much recollection of the entire first half, be it the constant munching on a nacho platter, or playing Cards Against Humanity; disinteresting serves up to be the best prognosis.
What match?
The best part of any Super Bowl gathering, no?
Cue the half-time performance, and pretty much those around me, myself included, had a resigned look on our faces as Katy Perry took to stage. Sorry, but I just didn't get it, and was left thinking of last years half-time show, with Bruno Mars and the amazing Red Hot Chilli Peppers, which in contrast left Katy Perry's performance just cold. I mean when is S Club 7 going to get their big chance? They're on a comeback for gods sake!
The second half was easily the saving grace, as finally my eyes were glued to the telly, this time whilst chomping through some tasty chicken wings, accompanied with one of Canada's finest brews, Moosehead (OK, not the greatest, but it'll do).
I'm not going to act like I know what I'm taking about, and with hindsight on my side, it's always easy to judge the Seahawks decision to run the ball, but seriously, talk about shooting oneself in the foot, though you could say they were extremely lucky in the first place, on that drive, with that insane wobbly catch off the Wide Receiver's (whose name I do not know) leg and foot. As for the MVP call, sorry Brady, Edelman all day mate. You're the poster boy, hence you got it. Real talk.
Priceless reaction from easily the best waffler in the NFL.
So in conclusion, my Super Bowl experience is best summed up as, a not so American Football dominated night, but more an occasion for spending with mates, some good finger food, and alcohol. Good times.
Lastly, being an Advertising and Marketing student, it's only natural I pick my winning Super Bowl advertisement right? So with commercials based around cute stories told by Budweiser, which I find to be rather boring now, ads bringing problematic issues to light, the usual sex sells ads... Step right on up and claim your award, KIA. That's right, a little bit of wit goes a long way with me, and I for one loved the spin with former James Bond, Pierce Brosnan, and the way the car advert played out. Cheeky. Mildly funny. Well played.
