magfm

Which Celebrity?!

2009-12-30T13:51:00.001Z

Slightly off topic, but found this cool site while working very hard at work......upload your photo and will tell you which celeb you look like the most....who's Jose Carrera??!!

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

Not satisfied I tried another photo, I wish I hadn't..........

MyHeritage: Celebrity Morph - Family tree software - Geneology

Dostana

2009-12-02T22:20:00.000Z

In honour of the new release of Mard: Dostana ka Zindagi, here are my top five Dosti songs from Bollywood. The following tracks in my opinion are timeless, heartfelt and surmise what being a dost really means - enjoy.

5 - Dostana - Salamat Rahe Dostana Humara (Part I) (1980)

Sung by Mohd Rafi and Kishore Kumar, picturised by Amitabh and Shotgun. Two of the greatest singers on the earth singing a song like this was and still heavenly to listen to. Ironically at the time Amitabh and Shotguns real life friendship was on its last legs, even though they were great together on screen. The recent Dostana film is a pure and utter mockery of this classic so please watch this film over the gay one....please!

4 - Dharam Veer - Saat Ajoobe Is Duniya Mein (1977)

"There are seven wonders in the world, our friendship is the eighth, how hard one might try, they can never break this bond - the bond between Dharam Veer....ohhooo ohhhhohhooo"

WOW - what friendship! Now these are real men riding on their horses, grabbing some poor kid in the first 20 seconds, and each of our dosts (Dharmendra and Jeetendra) holding him by his hands over the river...nearly making him at least a foot taller! You know seeing guys like this nowadays, hugging, and desperately reaching out to hold each others hands, would make you scream out...ewww...PUFF...but no, when you see these guys, you feel like doing the same with your mates and that includes making a fried egg in the middle of the woods (1.30) and then after beating some croonies up, start holding each others hands and jumping in sequence (2.05). However dostana aside....im sure the ladies absolutely loved Dharmendra's leather gladiator outfit....next fancy dress party i'm off too...i've decided - Dharm Veer it is!

3 - Suhaag - Ay Yaar Sun (1979)

Right.....I think i'm going to get me a friend, a bike and funky scarf, then i'll be able to push a car away single handedly (1.57), and then i'm going to pull of some serious dance moves (3.58) in between beating up some goons! Old certainly is gold yaar! Suhaag like Dharm Veer was also directed by Manmohan Desai, easily one of the most entertaining directors of that era and really the guy who invented family masala films - Amar Akbar Anthony, Naseeb etc. He was also known always to have the Ma as the central foundation to his stories and even though this and the previous song were about dosti, the Ma is always present, and along with Mohd Rafi's voice, it never fails to make this mard's eyes water when referenced to.

2 - Khudgarz - Zindagi Ka Naam Dosti (1987)

Fast forward to 1987 to Rakesh Roshan's directorial debut film Khudgarz. Man this film was brilliant, and yet so sad in places, had me in tears. Loving the dancing at 1.47, I wonder what will happen if I duplicate that at the christmas do......

1 - Sholay - Yeh Dosti (1975)

No dostana song list can be without this track. Known by everyone, sung by everyone, loved by everyone.

This friendship....nothing can break it.....not even flipping a coin to choose who gets the girl!!!! Dostana...im afraid its here to stay!!!

Eid Mubarak

2009-11-27T17:06:00.000Z

Eid Mubarak everyone! A fitting song is it not.......

I am Falling In Love With A Stranger - RD Burman (Deewaar)

2009-11-18T21:56:00.001Z

A change of pace to this weeks tune - This song was played in the background during the shot taken in the bar starring Amitabh Bachchan and Parveen Babi in the movie Deewaar 1975. This is an extremely rare and unreleased gem of the composer R D Burman which was sung by Ursula Vaz. I've included it in my album Bombay Bliss 6. Very difficult to get more info on this track, but who cares when its so lovely....enjoy....

Tokyo Gore Police

2009-11-18T21:50:00.000Z

Great title isn't it? The last time I saw a real gore fest of a movie was probably Saw. Haven't really been into gorey movies, so I didn't really have really to compare this flick to. On its own merit though....bloody good fun - pun intended. When it starts off with the below image, you can pretty much guage how the rest of the movie is going to play out!!

Set in the near future in...well...Tokyo...a battle is taking place between Tokyo Police Force and mutants known as Engineers. A scientist known as "Key Man" devises a way for when a human is wounded they mutate into this monstrous creature developing a weapon like body part to attack their prey.

The sheer variety of body weapons presented to you for the next two hours is like a visual assault on your eyes. Someone's imagination here went into overdrive! But more on that later.....

The main protagonist of the story is a female cop called Ruka (played by the beautiful Eihi Shiina from Audition fame). Ruka isn't exactly the happiest girl around, shes a pretty miserable, anti social, self harming kind of girl, and to be fair you can see her point after watching her dad's head explode (above) in front of her eyes.

We get this grim insight within the opening five minutes and shortky Ruka is called to deal with an Engineer who has a chainsaw as his an extension for his arm, bit like Ash in Evil Dead, but this time played by Tak Sakaguchi of Versus fame in a special appearance. Ruka, although impersonating a sad goth teenager is actually very good at dealing with Engineers, and she deals with Chainsaw man pretty swiftly in a cool chainsaw fight.

Yo...

VICTORIOUS!!

After being called to investigate a pretty gruesome murder (body parts in a box), Ruka starts to investigate and search for the guy responsible, who we learn to be the Key Man. With a twist of irony which I thought only existed in Bollywood, this investigation of Key Man is also linked to her fathers murder! As the story progresses we find out how Key Man came to be who he is and we come to know how he inserts a key into a human which turns them into Engineers - visually. The story does flow pretty well and does eventually conclude quite nicely, but at the end of the day this is all about the gore, and the imaginative mutations and killings are hilarious! There are some great set pieces showcasing some horrific engineers designs....I can't show some of them as this is a family site.....but if you recall back to From Dusk Till Dawn, remember a guy in the bar had a gun in his crotch....yeah well think about that but multiply by like a hundred!!

Key Man

What I loved about the style of TGP is the satirical edge it had. Director Yoshihiro Nishimura gives Robocop's Paul Verhoeven a run for his money in some great in film commercials in the same vain as, Nukem, 6000SUX, The Heart Centre et al. Be it from the Anti Harikari advert to commercials on the privatisation of the police force - morbid humour at its best and very relevant to current Japanese culture and satire. The latter coincidentally has some relevance to the greater plot, but great commercials none the less.

Speaking of Japanese culture, there was a great scene in response to one of Japan's public transport problems - Chikan or Train Groping. There are around 4000 men arrested each year for groping in public transport. A campaign was introduced to help reduce the fetish by promoting women to grab the man's hand and shove it in the air and shout Chikan to embarass and shame the groper, but most women did not do this as to not create a scene. Well they are Asian! Gropers know this and subsequently exploit it. However our beloved Ruka isn't going to take any of this bullshit, are you Ruka?!

Yeah I think I'll keep my hands to myself!

Eihi Shiina performs well in the role of Ruka and does pull off the tough cop persona very well. I will always remember her though as the pycho wife from Audition even though, I mean that film puts the fear of marriage into any men! The supporting characters do their job well, I love the despatch girl with her inputs into the story to help the viewer along. Ultimately TGP doesn't take itself seriously and that's the main reason why it is so enjoyable. Yes there are some effects where you can blatantly tell its a rubber face or rubber arm, but that's lovable nature of gore fest movies. The amount of fake red blood used is nothing short of phenomenal, very reminiscent of the old Samurai and Baby Cart films, slow motion arms cut off and a elevating spraying of blood that lasts for a good ten minutes. The climax was great if a little predictable and fight scene between an engineered Ruka (very cool) and her step dad's pet dog (!) was actually very exciting and impressive. The end scene does leave it open for a sequel and if there is one and Eihi is in it I am there! Right next stop Machine Girl and Vampire Girl vs Frakenstein Girl (yes I know!!!!).

Amar feat Rebel - Chup Chup Ke

2009-11-04T21:22:00.002Z

Hey guys, thought i'd start a post every week sharing my tune of the week. Will be a mix of new and old tunes, western/eastern anything really. hope you like!

First heard Amar on Timbalands track Bombay, which was very good, even though Timbaland's lyric was hilarious - yes come ride the titanic - wtf?! Anyways here she teams up with Rebel, fantastic collabo me thinks. Check it out.... peace!

Do Aur Do Paanch Review

2009-11-04T17:49:00.002Z

Do Aur Do Paanch...hmmm...2 + 2 = 5...this is probably the reason my maths is rubbish after growing up with film lines like this. Released in 1980, directed by Rakesh Kumar, the film was a nice little entertainer masala film, mostly playing for laughs and it succeeded.

The opening title sequence is amusing to say the least, with some rudimentary animation intertwined over the credits, while the music is like it is from old 1970's TV cop show. In cartoon world, Shashi Kapoor is apparently white with brown hair and Amitabh Bachchan has somehow obtained a black mans lips - I kid you not!

But its okay, as with the explosion ending the sequence we see our heroes of the film in jail wasting no time cursing each other - so it looks like they aren't exactly best buddies - "But why??" I hear you scream, well good old Om Prakash (in a guest appearance) tells the story.....

At night, Vijay (Amitabh) and Sunil (Shashi) are both burglars apparently, even though Sunil wears a bright red polo neck jumper! They're both after the same stash and meet at the safe. After some seriously evil daggers exchanged they both grab the bag and somehow amazingly enough end up on a roof where its clearly day time, while the guards are down below patrolling in errm night time. The have a very cool slow motion fight on the roof while both still holding onto the bag but eventually in their ruckus the bag rips open, the money flies away and they get caught. Rival robbers they are, each other despise they do, they will surely kill each other.

Bitoo....feel sorry for this kid...I really do....he has so many bodyguards, hot female nannies, massive house, a Dad who looks like he's working his socks off in order provide enough wealth for Bitoo to, as his Dad states..."play" with! Ungrateful little shit...at this juncture I would like to point out that I was actually unsure of Bitoo's gender...boy or girl...or maybe both..I don't know, isnt Bollywood great! Anyway, Bitoo however, all he wants is to spend time with his Dad, and to get rid of the bodyguards as they don't let him enjoy the spoils of his fathers hard work, however his Dad explains his body guards are necessary as they keep the rakshas far away.....and what demon is kept at bay....Kader Khan of course...or as he is known in this film....UNCLE!

After a cool intro, Uncle greets his "nephews" and makes plans to kidnap Bitoo. So whats his problem with Bitoo and his Dad, well apparently Bitoo's Dad ruined Uncle's dreams. Uncle wanted to start a gambling den, and to finance it he silently stole it from the workplace of his former Boss'...yes Bitoo's Dad...and would put it back within 3 months.....great dream Uncle....truly ambitious stuff. Obviously he got caught and thrown in jail.

Unfortunately Uncle's plan to kidnap fails, not because of Bitoo's uncanny ability to outrun four cars, but it is because Shalu (Hema Malini) manages to intervene by either laying down a bicycle in front of a car or by moving a melon cart in front of the car which manages to divert a car, yes a CAR, and manages to make the CAR turn on its side and spontaneously combust. Wow. Only in the 70's. Have to say though as totally unrealstic it was, enjoying and amusing it was. Shalu takes Bitoo into her school and convinces her Father to enrol him at the school where she works, after he's satisfied of the security.....I mean he should be, I mean what school has sharp shooters in place!! So it all seems okay for Bitoo, he's at a great school, has the chance to make friends and all is well. Kind of....you see both Vijay and Sunil get wind of how much Bitoo is worth and both infiltrate the school as teachers in an attempt to kidnap Bitoo and get some dosh.

Vijay enters the school as a PE Teacher taking the alias of a dead guy that nobody knows is dead who is the best friend of the head masters daughter (Parveen Babi - yum!) as Ram....and Sunil, well he is actually one of Uncles nephew's, so you can see why he's in there too. He comes in as a music teacher as Lakshman. Ram? Lakshman? Great thinking writers, I applaud you!!

What follows now as the basic premise is set up is the hilarous adventures of Vijay and Sunil in school both trying to kidnap Bitoo, try to be teachers, and usurp each other. The set pieces are very funny, and this is solely due to the sheer strength of performance by both Amitabh and Shashi. Their comic timing is perfect, and they play off each other very well. Whether its Shashi forcing the kids to feed Amitabh a puri each after hes just stuffed himself, or when Amitabh gets his own back by spreading dirty rumours of the music teacher to Shalu.

Deep down though they are good guys, and after a session they open up, and talk about their stupid way of life as theives, which is of course is heard by their respective love interests. They vow to fix them (as like most asian girls like to do with their beaus) and make them realise the Do aur Do Char hai not Do Aur Do Paanch (2 plus 2 = 4 not 5). They eventually become friends and realise Bitoo is just a kid, and both turn their back on Uncle. The best scene for me though was when Shashi had to make run for it through the gauntlet of sharp shooters to help save his mum and sister from Uncles grasp, with every chance of getting shot, but no, NO way was that going to happen, as his best buddy managed to steal the bullets. They both run down the hill in slow motion, look at each other, smile, then hold hands as they continue to run to save the day - vaaah...kya dosti! Ram Lakshan esa toh hi hai! After a cool show down with our heroes and Uncle in his hideout, the day is saved. Did get a bit melodramatic at the end, would have been nice to keep the comedy going, but hey, this is a bollywood film, and it wouldnt be a bollywood film without some kind of melodrama!

Not many songs in the film, the main one being the title track, sung by Kishore Kumar was brilliantly picturised by Amitabh at an bonfire night for the kids. He was so cool he even made flowers rise from a rock and walk in the air, while poor Shashi was getting shoved about all over the place. Easily the highlight of the song list. The others boring, not even worth mentioning.

Watching the film again after about 7 years, still funny, the chemistry between Amitabh and Shashi is an absoloute joy to watch. It has the usual quirks and crappy effects from films of that era, but that is what makes these films gems, and it sits proudly among my Amitabh DVD collection.

Samsung Omnia

2009-11-01T18:18:00.001Z

Hey folks thought i'd share with you the latest customisation I've done on my Omnia, after I installed SPB's latest mobile shell, version 3.5, along with some of my favourite software. Enjoy!

I'm using SPB Mobile Shell 3.5 as my main front end on the phone, as lets face it, Samsung Today screen is pants. The upgrade from version 3, now we have 5 screens - you can however increase this by editing the registry, for me as you can see im not even using one of the screens. The centre is really where I can access everything I want to. One thing I love about SPB mobile shell, is how easy it is to customise. You can add as many or as little widgets your like, and place them where ever you want on the screen. The default skins is not bad, however I am waiting for IMARCHE (http://www.imarche.net/omnia/index.php) to update to version 3.5 to make it look even more prettier!

Other cool features of the shell from left to right; 3D carousel of the various pages, 3D message viewer (love this), usual contacts page iPhone style, contacts carousel.

Okay some of my must have apps, left to right; SPB Insight (or RSS reader) to keep up to date on my blogs, news channels etc, great when you're on the move. S2U2 - Slide to Unlock app like iPhone's locking mechanism, great for not accidentally starting things while the phone is in your pocket. SPB Weather. Changed the skin of the dialer, pretty isn't it? Ive also changed the keyboard to TouchPal keyboard which is much easier to use than Samsung's one, and finally a little cool app OMNIANO- make your Omnia into a piano....shame I can't play anything other than the first few notes of Eastenders......

Other apps:

X-Button - Hold the X button to close, press to minimise

MemMaid - great for monitoring space and memory usage

Resco Explorer - like File Explorer but better functionality

Shake and Save - great screen capture utility, go to the screen, shake the phone and saves the picture! Genius

SMS-Vito Chat - Much better looking than the default SMS chat program

SPB Traveller - must have if you travel a lot, currency converter, time zone, clothes size, flight search etc.

Core Player - great player if you watch films

TorchButton - instead of pressing down the button on the side (which I can't do as i dropped my phone in the toilet....dont ask) click here and torch comes on.

If you want any of these programs, do a quick search in Google and you will find the software's home page easy. You know after the fun I'm having with this phone, I don't think I will ever go back to a normal phone again....well lets see what's available next upgrade time -July 2010 (!)....great! Later dudes!

Fuel.....

2009-11-01T16:08:00.001Z

Three years I have had my car, Passat Diesel....three years.....so what did I decide to do on Thursday night??? Yes...thats right, fill up the car with 60 litres of unleaded petrol!!!! Muppet!!!

Good job I fancied a kebab as I would not have noticed until the morning. Called up the AA, they told me an hour, great, okay mate, give me a call when you are 10 minutes away. I walked home with my kebab and laptop, pissed off, cursing at myself for the sheer stupidity, about to put the key in the door.....oh hello mate, i'm bout 5 minutes away from you....an hour...really..... Walked back to the car, and booked a fuel assist in the morning and started to tow the car back to the house....which was a comedy show in itself as the strap kept coming off due to my lack of ability to keep the strap taut. The guy ended up just pulling it himself into the house in frustration.

Was nice that he wanted to chat to me for half an hour at midnight telling me his life story......at least my kebab was nice.....

Top 5 Kalyanji Anandji Tracks

2009-10-13T20:43:00.007+01:00

The funk brothers from Bombay.....the word genius springs to mind, below my personal favourites...let me know what you think....!

1 - Laila Main Laila - Qurbani (1980)
Possibly the best intro to a bollywood track ever with its crescending drum beats kicking into the bass that set the tone for the entire song. Its the bass that makes the track great, especially the descending riffs during the secondary verses and the crazy drum beats half way through culminating in a very sexy scream from Kumari Kanchan. No remix has come close to the original and to be honest never will!

2 - Pyar Zindagi Hai - Muqadar Ka Sikander (1978)
"Hey man you dig this sort of music hey, you like it, why dont you come and join the lovers paradise?" If this is the music they play in lovers paradise - psychadelic beats - then i'm there!! Again, a track way ahead of its time, with the fast drum beats and crushing trumpets, together with the visual of the hosts' ass shaking to the beats...i bloody was in heaven when i saw this track for the first time! "Pyar pyar pyar pyar, pyaaaar....haramzaade"

3 - Kya Khoob Lagti Ho - Dharmatma (1975)
With its intro of a harmonica flying through the wind, this track again in true Kalyanji Anandji style starts with a well defined bass into their trademark shadows style guitar riff. Phir se bajao!

4 - Theme from Don - Don (1978)
CLASSIC! I cant really say much as it is the epitome of cool....

5 - Yaari Hai Iman Mera - Zanjeer (1973)
Proving the duo can do more than just crazy jazz and funk. Beautifully sung by Manna Dey and similarly picturised by the great Pran.

So there you have it, my personal faves, although it could all change tomorrow when i pop in another compilation CD in my car tomorrow and realise what I ve missed off!!

New Blog in town

2009-10-13T20:36:00.003+01:00

Okay folks, looks like we have a new blogger in town, check it out at www.curryhouseblues.blogspot.com , to read about how we spend our nights at the restaurant complimented with some very salivating pictures of food...... he might hopefully plug this blog on his site......!

Arcade Cabinet Project - Finished!! (Nearly!)

2009-08-03T13:05:00.013+01:00

Hey folks, okay after finally getting some time to get back onto it, (something called work got in the way), I have more or less finished!! YEY!! Few bits and bobs to do, and the side art which I want to think about before rushing it....

Okay after painting the cabinet with the third coat, I decided I needed to move it up to where it going to be, my tiny room....can't believe I managed to find a place to squeeze it into, but looks good none the less!

Marquee

While it was sitting in my room, I designed the marquee in Photoshop. Decided on the name - Arcade Connections - homage to one of my fave Cd's Bombay Connections. I had the font in some cool flamed outline and the background images were various Street Fighter characters re-edited in a cool multicolour outline. Got it printed at a local print shop (for two quid!!) on some high quality photo paper. Sealed it on the marquee acrylic with some film and clear adhesive pads.

I have temporarily fixed it on the cab with some tape, but will use Velcro pads. Reason being is if I want to change the design I can do easily. Also need to out some foam padding around the edges to hide the light coming through the edges. Once i switched on the light, drew the curtains, it did look awesome....!!

Internal

I fitted in the PC, speakers, monitor and all the wiring inside to a single extension lead. Fired up the PC, put on King of Fighters.....then kind of played it for about an hour!!

Monitor Bezel

Next up (when I managed to tear myself away from playing) was the monitor bezel. As soon as I got the monitor in the right place and right angle, i placed the acrylic sheet in front, rested with some carpet edge (might need to paint this black as the gold looks a bit out of place), so I could see the display properly. Taped up the edges where I needed it to be blacked out. Up close you can see that the cab wasn't perfectly square, but to be honest, doesn't detract from the pleasure. Painted the sheet on the reverse with some fast drying enamel paint, did around 3 coats just to make sure. Now when I put it up on the arcade, it did look smart......i think i spent more time admiring the work then actually working on it!! Again I will be fixing this with Velcro, as in the future I'm sure I will probably replace with glass.

Okay so like I said, just need to a bit more touch up on painting and the side art, and a little strip between monitor bezel and controller, but more or less all done!! The only major thing now is choosing the best front end, and configuring the PC, but to be honest, I need to spend time on this as I don't quite get it!! I really want one front end that I can use to access all my emulators and games, and make it look pretty. Probably end up using GameEx as it looks nice.

Summary

Enjoy the pics, and have also put in the material list. The whole thing cost me just over £600. Would've been higher if I had to replace my PC, but my brother managed to fix it (THANKS!!!) apparently one of the transistors needed replacing. However I imagine if i needed a new PC, add around £300 to the price. Possibly the controller if I decided to make my own, would've been a little less, but I will definitely build my own for the next one, and definitely using Sanwa parts.

So, did I enjoy the process of building this thing, was I happy with the end result....short answer YES!!!! Even though this was the first time I really built something since school days, and no way a skilled craftsmanship, I found with research, and using common sense, you can get away with it. If I were to do it again, then yes there is a lot I would do differently when building, probably different material, more brackets, better measuring, even the paint, but to be honest I would do a different design too to accommodate a bigger screen - 27" monster!! At the end of the day I wanted to build a simple cabinet that looks like an arcade cab, fairly quickly, so I can play my favourite games and enjoy with with friends and family, which also looks fairly decent in the house. And I think that's what the result was...so no complaints...remember...its all about the game!! Let me know what you guys think. Any more updates on this....definitely with the artwork, front ends, new controller perhaps....also my brother has now decided he's going to build one, and trust with his skills, it will be awesome!! At least he knows he wont commit the same muppetry I did!

Arcade Cabinet Project - Day 3 and Day 4

2009-07-14T21:10:00.011+01:00

It's funny how the little things take such a long time, plus after nearly killing myself I decided to have a break from it all!

Before I got down to sanding and priming, had to make the speaker shelf and sort the light out for the marquee.

With the speakers, I cut a circle in the shelf, where the main speaker would be if I placed it on the shelf. I will eventually cover the hole up with a grill. I made a "barricade" around where the speaker would sit to stop it from moving around, and attached a back supporting shelf to stop them falling back.

Next up the light, simply fluroescent tube light with a cover on to help diffuse the light a little. Few little other bits and bobs, like door handle at front and front plank under joystick.

Now I was ready to go and buy my acrylic, now that I had exact measurements. I got my local store to cut for me, as I was not confident I would be able to cut the acrylic without screwing it up.

I realised I had better stop staring and admiring it, and get down to sanding it down and at least getting some undercoat on it.

And thats what I did, and I even managed to get my first coat of glossy black paint on there too. Main aim was just to cover the undercoat. Hopefully over the weekend, will sand it down again lightly, and put on a second coat. Most definitely will require a third coat, as my painting is rubbish!!

Nearly there folks!!

Arcade Cabinet Project - Day 2

2009-07-12T02:09:00.007+01:00

After the buzz of seeing a half erected cabinet, I got up early and headed straight out to start working on it....at this juncture I should state I took a week off work to build this thing, so for the first time it was a pleasure getting up early! Main aim for today was to get the rear doors done, the top ledger, the front door, and the keyboard drawer.

I decided to split the rear door into two. Main reason was that I wasnt confident that one big door at the back was going to look okay largely due to that I wasn't all that confident in the straightness of the whole thing. So it gave me leeway. Used flush hinges to attach them, and some brass cabinet hooks to secure them.

Found some scrap drawer railings in the garage from my old fitted cabinets from my room which proved useful in fitting the drawer. I must say I was impressed with the drawer, I swear I must've pulled the drawer back and forth,

oh i don't know a million times, and still never got bored of it.....

Added a support beam to the control panel, and attached the casters for the second time. I picked up the wrong ones, i.e. casters that did not swivel. Muppetry. Then to finish off the day, the font door, using a magnet lock to secure it, the top roof legder and some photo opps, before taking measurements for the perspex sheets.

Arcade Cabinet Project - Day 1

2009-07-12T01:30:00.010+01:00

Right, finally I have decided to construct my own arcade cabinet. After 5 years of dreaming, I finally managed to put pen to paper and start designing my dream. I scoured the net for inspiration and found there were a lot of similar geeks like myself who have made some truly amazing cabs.

Design and Controller

I decided to build a simple cab, and used the X-Arcade joystick as the main controller and built the design round that. I went for the standard 2 player controller. I was tempted to go for the tankstci with the trackball, so I can relive moments of Missile Command but for an extra £60-70, I thought not! Maybe on the next one.

Display

I opted for a 19" LCD monitor (widescreen im afraid - again cost factor!). Considering I went for the LCD monitor and not a CRT, I did want the size of the cab to be quite imposing and instantly recognisable as a cab as opposed to a wardrobe!! I mean wheres the fun in that!

Okay so what I'm going to do do is give you a brief summary of my days spent building this monester, with some select pics, most of the pics by the way on my facebook page, so feel free to check them out. At the end of it, i'll provide a full rundown of the cost, material list and some moments of muppetry because lets face it, im winging it!!

Planning

Okay as you can see in the pic, my design, if anyone wants the full spec and material list now, then let me know. I decided to construct the cab in plywood, around 18mm thick, softwood birch quality. So it was quite chunky and heavy. The main reason I chose plywood over MDF, was I just know some kind of liquid was going to spilled over it

and MDF is like a sponge. So off to the local DIY store to pick up 3 sheets of 8' x 4' plywood, 8 2m long studs, screws, hinges, cabinet hooks etc.

Game Day

Measuring, measuring and measuring - I spent a good hour

marking things out for the first side panel. I made sure the dims were 100% correct, as at £25 a sheet, and the

size of the sheet meant I dont want to be making any school boy errors!! Once all marked out, cutting the shape was pretty easy with the circular saw, although on my first attempt it nearly flew out of my hand, nearly ripping my arm out in the process....remember, hold it tight....!

The second side panel was easy after tracing from the first. Next was the base construction. As this was going to take the whole weight of the cab, it had to sturdy. Once the side panels were attached to the base and it stood up, the monitor shelf was fitted. The side panels were screwed from the inside through the studs. Most screws were done from the inside as I wanted have as few as screws as possible visible from the outside. I was fairly liberal with screws, just to make it sturdy as I wasn't using any glue. The screws were 50mm coountersink rapid screws. Now as I stood it all and breathed a sigh of relief nohting fell apart, I sat back and admired my work so far, and I was filled with excitement, it really started to look like an arcade cabinet. I even tested out the fitting of the joystick and monitor shelf and pretented.....had to done! Gaming nirvana here I come.... Not bad for half a days work I say!

Claymore (Anime)

2009-03-13T17:00:00.001Z

Set in a medieval environment, Claymore takes an interesting take on the girls with guns genre swapping the guns with a broadsword (or Claymore).

Starting off, the first few episodes set the foundations of who the Claymore are, and how they are tasked to battle the the Yoma (demons that have crossed into this world whom have a taste for human flesh - guts especially!). Although a tad boring but a necessary set up, the series really doesnt become addictive until episode 4 when we see the backstory of the lead character Clare and the entrance of fan fave Teresa (I love her!).

Although action heavy, as the series progresses the question of "what does it mean to be human" does come into play, as does the concept of fighting for people who fear/dislike you. Clare is a likeable lead, with striking beauty and you can feel the emotions she goes through. Which was a difficult feat to represent given that the Claymore are emotionless killers. Some of the higher level Yoma have interesting designs and you can sense the fear in the characters when they are in battle.

The supporting characters are just as fascinating to watch if not more due to their differing personalities, and if this is show doesnt inspire the ladies for a new hairstyle i dont know what will! ;) This was in my opinion one of the series' strengths, the development and focus on the supporting characters. The sense of camaraderie between the Claymore is apparent and their actions are worth your attention. Also it is refreshing to see the Claymore as intelligent, tough, skilled female warriors without the ecchi factor thrown in which would've made the series a joke. The last 6 episodes do have an epic feeling to them which makes you want to keep watching.
The series is not perfect however. Some of action sequences become generic and slightly boring. I also felt that the fights couldve been a bit more "cooler" for a better choice of words. There is also a tendancy that in a middle of a battle, a long speech or story is given that does ruin the pace, and couldve been handled better - i think this is where the manga is superior and somehow works better when reading. The supporting character of Raki is so annoying and nearly ruined the whole series for me. He is important in Clares development however, but did he really have to be such a whiny, annoying t*t??!! The conclusion to the series was a bit of a let down and didnt make much sense, however the ride getting there was worth the investment, if anything a good introduction to the manga.

The opening and closing themes will grow on you, and the soundtrack - although the guitar riffs sound okay, i think this series wouldve been suited to a more natural orchestral sound track given the lush environments and medieval settings. The rock just didnt seem right, but nothing too distracting to the overall enjoyment, and that what this series is, entertaining.

An overall 8/10.

Speed Grapher

2009-03-13T16:56:00.001Z

I was on the lookout for as mature anime series - mature in the sense of gritty and adult themed plot - and following some surfing I found this gem - Speed Grapher.

Once the I saw the opening with Duran Duran's Girls on Film, I knew I would like this. The idea of the main character using his camera as a weapon was an interesting concept, kind of reminded me of the horror PS2 game Project Zero (Fatal Frame), and although this series has slight horror by the way of various monsters making their entrance in the show, I felt this series to be more of a action drama.

The relationship between Saiga and Kagura was sweet and core to the series. It was his teachings to Kagura about the reality of the world which was interesting to watch and you can really see their affinity for each other grow as the series progresses. However it was the villain Sitengu who stole the show for me, after seeing his background and motivations in what he is doing and I personally felt - good on him and hope he succeeds, which to have that kind of feeling for the villain for the peice proved to me that this was good story. YOu even start to have feelings for his back up crew of villains, which again I have only seen in Black Lagoon.

I did feel however the series did become a monster of the week scenario, and the series could have been shorter, but its a TV series so I think we all have to live with this!

Fan fave - Ginza was welcome humour relief to the series, however she was a much needed contrast and flip side of the coin in protection Saiga. It was nice to see that similarity portrayed. Plus she fulfilled a guys fantasy of taking control of some situations - if you know what i mean! ;)
With regards to the sexual themes, were they required? I think this aspect is where Speed Grapher was trying too hard to aim for its intended mature audience, and could've been handled better, but I think it was probably a way of enticing people to watch the series,m thankfully it didn't interfer with the story.

Animation wise - not as good as Gonzo could be, but not that bad that it effects enjoyment. Sound track wise - fiited the series well, but nothing too memorable that makes you want to OST.

At 24 episodes not much of investment of time, and if you do like a dark gritty character driven story, and you dont mind some OTT, give Speed Grapher a go, especially past episode 4 where it starts to shine.

An overall 8/10.

Sundome Vol 1-3

2009-03-13T16:53:00.001Z

Having mostly dark gritty (depressing!) manga in my collection I'd thought I'd branch out and try something different and saw Sundome in my local bookstore. It wrapped up so couldn't preview it, mature series...has to be up my street!!

After reading the first volume (just finished the 3rd) the first word that came into my mind was - PAINFUL. Not in the sense it was a bad read, but due to the feeling I felt for the main character Hideo. His relationship with Kurumi is so fascinating to read, and to see how the guy started off in volume to what kind of guy he has become in just 3 volumes was entertaining to read. I keep questioning to why Kurumi behaves the way she does towards to Hideo, is it because she does like him, or is it because she is a sadist? And that's what keeps me hooked as you want to see how their relationship pans out and develops.

The book actually made me laugh out loud which is very rare. The supporting characters crease me up, but again its great to see their development too.

Is it perverted? yes! is it entertaining? hell yes! is it worth the read - if you don't mind the blatant fan service - although not as bad say Battle Vixens, then give this a go, you'll either like it or hate from volume 1 alone. If you dont like masturbation (?!?) then avoid this manga like the plague! Just got volume 4 so I'll post that review up soon.

Qurbani Review

2009-03-13T15:19:00.005Z

Having watched this recently I thought i'd write a post about why this film is possibly one of the greatest reasons why you dont fuck with people in the 1970's. One of the best masala films of all time, Qurbani blended together some great, if amusing action, some romance, friendship and a case of the worst road rage ever filmed. The opening funk filled credits are typical of the time zooming over explosion filled screens reminding us why Kalyanji-Anandji were one of a kind in music direction.

Our villains of the piece open the film up, when Rakka (Amrish Puri with hair) refuses to drop charges against his ex-wife's (Jwala - Aruna Irani) brother, Vikram (Shakti Kapoor) after he tried to kill him in retaliation for seducing Jwala and taking all her wealth. Not a very nice guy is he Rakka - he's also not nice to a crippled beggar who tried to clean his car. BUT - all is okay, the beggar gets righteous assistance in the form of hairy chest exposing all round bad ass action dude - Rajesh (Feroz Khan). Why? Because he wears his shirt open to his waist, a medallion round his neck AND a cravat! After trashing Rakka's car he's off to see his girl....the luscious and oh so sexy Sheela (Zeenat Aman) picturising a song that needs no introduction - Nazia Hassan's Aap Jaisa Koi, music by Biddu.

At 16 years old Nazia Hassan's career started here with this song. Known as the sweethart of Pakistan, she passed away on August 13th 2000 from lung cancer aged 35. Along with this song and Boom Boom, she was the reason I got into music of this era. She is sorely missed and will always be remembered.

Rajesh is a professional thief, an occupation he keeps hidden from Sheela for obvious reasons and after being captured by Inspector Amjad Khan, is sent to jail. I have to mention the fight scene between Rajesh and Amjad, although they lack any kind of fighting skills and the obvious presence of trampolines below the view of the camera, this does not stop this fight from being both amusing and exciting. Amjad Khan makes a pretty useless role into a memorable one and the film subsequently revived his career. The banter between both of the Khans are a joy to watch and very amusing. The second hero of the piece is Amar (Vinod Khanna), who lays some serious indian kung fu to some thugs harassing the lovley Sheela in a cafe - while carrying his cute daughter on his shoulder. WTF?! Rajesh and Amar become best friends, and show this by touching, hugging and winking at each other....a lot...and eventually overcome the evil of Jwala and her psychotic brother. The ending was both touching and satisfying. Amar dying and reaching out to his dost Rajesh without a single word being uttered....well it made me a have a lump in my throat and eyes a tad watery.

The whole movie is tight and the story flows quite nicely along, and is refreshing to watch a film that does not involve family melodramatics. Having a caused some controversey with Zeenat Aman in a skimpy bikini running out of the sea, man, see some of the stripper shows now! I have the greatest of admiration for Feroz Khan for producing a film that respects the maturer audience and delivers a fast paced, slick, fun action movie. Only he can produce a film that has both class AND cheese. Each role has presence and character, and its this character which I think is sorely missing in modern Bollywood. You try and replicate this film with a modern cast, there's no way it would hold up. The script has some cracking and poingant lines that still hold up today. The only donwside to the film are some of the comic relief moments, although welcoming, are not as funny, but slightly annoying. The soundtrack ranks as one of the best, each song is a classic and to this day are still fondly remembered by all. The favourite for me is Laila, possibly the best introduction with its crescending drum beats to Kanchans vocals.

The highlight for me though was the worst case of road rage mentioned at the start, where Vikram is blocking the road talking to Rajesh. Amar by typical Bollywood coincidence behind blowing the horn wanting to get past. Vikram obviously doesn't like this and curses at him. Remember when I said you dont screw with guys from this era, well what happens as a result is Amar shoving Vikram through every window of his car. Nice.

I was brought up with this film, I continue to watch this film every year at least twice and will continue to do so and I will even force my kids one day to watch this! It contains my favourite singer, my favourite song and my favourite music director. Mr Feroz Khan - I salute you!

Memorable quotes:

"Shut up you bastaaaard.."

"Am I following you, or are you follwing me!!!???"

"Well you certainly arent God, and are not acting like a man, and Im not afraid of the devil"

"Helloooo Sheela, kya sex hai teri awaz, sexy body, sexy le..."..."BASTARD...mere bhi kya khayal hai...DO YOU FIND ME SEXY?!"