This was the best movie I saw all year. District 9, by Neill Blomkamp. It’s like a creature from a bestiary, made from the parts of many different animals. It’s a sci-fi blockbuster with aliens and giant robots, yes, but it’s also an exploration of prejudice and a take on possibly the best short story ever …
I just love this fella. He’s the Ooser (who I wrote about in the summer). Knowing that this big, dopey-looking wooden head exists is enough to bring a smile to my face. Since initially posting about him on this blog, I’ve found two great pieces of journalism that I wanted to link to. The …
I can’t even remember how I discovered www.butdoesitfloat.com, but I’ve found myself going back there with increasing frequency as 2009 has gone by. For the best explanation of what the site is like you only have to visit it once, but I think it’s more rewarding to check in there quite often. It’s remarkable that the people …
Then there came a third flash. Manoeuvres of a most extraordinary kind were going on in the vast firmamental hollows overhead. The lightning now was the colour of silver, and gleamed in the heavens like a mailed army. Rumbles became rattles. Gabriel from his elevated position could see over the landscape at least half-a-dozen miles …
Stornoway have been playing wonderful little gigs around Oxford for the last few years, but in 2009 things really took off for them. Their clever, melodic folk-pop has started to gain attention nationwide, and they’ve shown up several times in the papers and on shows like Later with Jools Holland. For a while they had a …