Waiting for Transformers 2 screening

Wow, it’s been 3 months since my last post. That’s pretty poor form. I’ll have to do something about that.

At the moment I’m in The Eastern Hotel at Bondi Junction, waiting for a 7pm screening of the new Transformers movie. I’m very excited. Excited enough to write a post on the Shuffle…

The room is currently filled with beautiful people who I assume are used to attending movie premieres. I, on the other hand, feel very out of place. At least when we sit in the cinema, it should be dark enough for me to blend in…

Who Will Watch Me Watching The Watchmen?

So I turned 29 last week, and one of the presents my lovely wife gave me to celebrate my slow and deliberate approach to retirement was a copy of the graphic novel Watchmen. You know: the one they’re making a movie of.

Now despite my slightly geeky disposition, I never really threw myself headfirst into comics. When I was a teenager I did start collecting X-Files comics, but that was more an obsession with the X-Files than with comics themselves. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve always been a fan of Superman, Batman, Spiderman and their superhero kindred, but more their on-screen and merchandising aspects than the comics from which they are based.

So it was with some surprise (to me, at least) that I initially found reading the graphic novel format a bit… well, a bit weird. For someone who reads as much as I do, the notion of actually taking time to take in each comic square – both pictures and text – took some getting used to. But the end result is one of fascination – not only did I absolutely love Watchmen, but it has become something of an obsession – I find myself constantly thinking of the characters, the imagery, the awesomeness that is Dr. Manhattan…

It’s also gotten me very excited about the movie. I’ve probably watched the trailer half a dozen times since finishing the book. And pretty much every scene in the trailer, I can picture the illustrated frame in the book. Considering how bad movies based on novels tend to turn out, I’m hoping that the opposite happens for this graphic novel.

I’m also hoping to read even more graphic novels, although I am a little bit lost for somewhere to start. Any suggestions for me, people of the Internet?

And if you’re a bit like me at the moment and can’t get enough of the Watchmen trailer, click through to watch it again…

Taking a Leak With Glenn A Baker and Jack Thompson

I was fortunate enough to get a single pass to the premiere of the new Indiana Jones movie last week in Sydney. My thoughts on the film can be found over at Giz, but a quick summation is that its enjoyable, but they overstepped the “suspension of disbelief mark” a couple of times, which really detracted from the film.

When we went into the theatre, we had to hand in all mobile phones and cameras. By the time the movie was finished, I was so desperate to go to the toilet that I ran out past the table to collect my phone, straight past the throngs of people hanging around, presumably hoping for a chance to test out their Russian accents on Cate Blanchett, until I found sweet relief in the urinal’s embrace.

Once the fear of staining my good jeans had disappeared, I noticed that next to me were Jack Thompson and Glenn A Baker having a discussion about some thing or other while they drained the dragon.

And before anybody asks, no I did not introduce myself. I went to the basin, washed my hands and went back to collect my phone… There are just some places where you don’t talk to strangers, especially if they’re celebrities of any grade, and the urinal is right up the top of that list.

I Am Iron Man

Finally saw Iron Man on Saturday afternoon. If you haven’t seen it already, get out to the movies as soon as you can to check it out – it’s fantastic. Robert Downey Jr is perfect as Tony Stark… I can’t wait for the sequel to launch in 2010…

Lauren and I also picked up Wii Fit on Saturday… It’s great, although it does involve exercise, which is something my body isn’t quite used to. Which is obvious to Nintendo, apparently, because I have a Wii Fit Age of 40. Lauren’s is 20. I know, it’s a farce.

Saw Jordy for the first time in months today – Andy, Sarah and Lyn all came over for a Mother’s day lunch. He’s such a litle cutey. Laclan’s gorgeous too, but he wears me out so quickly. Seriously, if scientists could find a way to bottle his energy, the world would be so much more active. And I probably wouldn’t have a Wii Fit age of 40.

This week’s going to be a busy one – I’ve taken on a few freelance jobs which will be very handy money -wise, but a lot of work in the meantime. I’m also starting my PR presentations this week. Hopefully all that will go well.