COTT MAIN ORIG

Alot To Live Up To

"The original is a reference for creativity, how will the remake stack up?"

Clash of the Titans, the 1981 fantasy adventure film based on the myth of Perseus, was originally released on June 12, 1981. It cost a significant $16 million to produce (Laurence Olivier never came cheap!) for what was a steady if unspectacular return of $41 million at the box office. However the relative commercial success of the original is perhaps the least significant part of the film. Entirely more significant were the highly creative special effects used to create the imaginative creatures in the film and the extent to which these have come to represent a landmark in cinema history.

This was largely the work of the cinema special effects legend that is Ray Harryhausen and his stop motion animation technique. Although more sophisticated technology quickly eclipsed Harryhuasen’s pioneering approach his contribution to this film and the film industry as a whole is not lost on his ever growing legion of fans who have graduated into the professional film industry over the last decade. Although none of Harryhausen's films were ever nominated for a special effects Oscar, in 1992 he was finally awarded a Gordon E. Sawyer Award for "technological contributions which have brought credit to the industry" and near the turn of the 21st century, Harryhausen was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. More significantly in the 2001 Pixar film, Monsters Inc. pays homage to Harryhausen in a scene where characters Mike Wazowski and Celia Mae visit a restaurant named "Harryhausen's". Not quite South Park but a huge accolade none-the-less.

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Categories Film Tags Art culture Design Drama Media

By Juan on 11/1/10

RAGE CC

The Rage

"The X Factor artists themselves tell us how it is ... kind of."

The race for the Xmas No1 slot is really heating up with Rage Against The Machine (as fueled by the anti X-Factor brigade) currently on pole!  And in this head to head there are clearly some great opportunities for a bit of creative fun.  Check this for a taste of the wierd and wonderful (well certainly the wierd...) from one highly motivated soul. The SUBO cameo is exquisite although the ubiquitous adolescent tashes are a little unnerving!

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Categories Music Tags culture Media

By Juan on 16/12/09

RYAN MAIN

A Worthy Winner

"More than than many a Man U fan picked up the phone last night...."

Ryan Giggs is the UK's Sports Personailty of the Year 2009 (as voted for by the UK public). This a man renowned for his creativity, guile and scorching pace on that Manchester left wing (and more recently through the middle) ... and a man with the stamina and determination to go more than the distance.  Over 21 years at the biggest club in the world!  And throughout this time he has shown true humility without compromising his appetite for the game and the victory.  Neither Welsh nor a reds fan, my hat off to Mr Giggs.

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Categories Sport Tags Endeavour Media

By Juan on 14/12/09

Phillips MAIN

Sports 'personality' 2009

"I still have a dream of being Olympic Champion"

Throughout his career Hackney born Phillips ‘Olaosebikan’ Idowu has been accused of inconsistency and failing to fulfil his potential. In 2009, in landing the Gold Medal at the World Athletics Championships, he put an end to that debate. But the journey to gold has been fraught with obstacles that have only been overcome through a steely determination ... a determination often masked by his taste for fashion and the flamboyant.  And that's fundamentally what sets the elite apart ... not their talent but their unrelenting appetite to make something of their gifts in the face of daily adversity.

This is a man who has made it to the top from humble beginnings in a facility deprived London borough. A man who has had more than his share of injury and competition disappointment along the way. A man who for some years lived in the shadow of the nation’s squeaky clean favourite son. A man that, when asked to step up and become Jonathan Edwards successor, was criticised repeatedly for fashion over substance as he missed out tiem and again on the big title.

But ultimately this is a man who, in his relentless pursuit of his ultimate goal, has triumphed and in doing so with some style and no shortage of colour. On top of it all, when you ask around, Phillips has been able to do it all and remain a genuinely 'top bloke', respectful of fellow competitors, unassuming with us mere mortals, relevant and inspiring to the next sporting generation.  So when we talk Sports ‘Personality’ at the weekend, let’s look beyond simple sporting achievement and reflect upon the backdrop against which a titles were achieved and the sense of style with which they were delivered. Viewed as such Phillips is right up there in the reckoning. He gets my vote.

All great victories need a credible challenge, a worthy vanquished, and at the 2009 Berlin Championships, in Nelson Evora there was just that.  "Bring on 2012." - his words not mine.
 

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Categories Sport Tags Endeavour Fashion Media

By Juan on 4/12/09

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Take A Bow Mr Kay

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Categories Tags Art culture suso Endeavour Design Fun Media TV

By Juan on 26/11/09

CIN MAIN MAIN2

Take A Bow Mr Peter Kay

"The Animated All Star Band"

A stellar line up rockin out to songs that span the genenerations pulled together through one man's imagination and the creativity and determination of many more. 2 years in the making when many said it was just too complex to be done! Take a bow Mr Peter Kay for mobilising so many behind your vision and to all involved a pat on the back for contributions behind such a worthy cause.....

If you missed it Friday check out this animated masterpiece below and then get down to your local to buy your own CD/DVD copy. Alternatively check it on itunes. Just make sure you get your copy. It's for charity mate!


 

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Categories Fun Tags Art Endeavour Design Fun Media TV

By Juan on 26/11/09

AV MAIN

Beyond Our Imagination?

"Coming to a (suitably technically equipped) cinema near you from the 18th December 2009..."

James Cameron has made a career of innovating in film - Terminator (I and II), Aliens, Titanic and now come December, on the distant moon of Pandora we have Avatar. In 3D. For real. Avatar is, they tell us, a world beyond our imagination.

On top of the promise of revolutionary 3D, a key part of a creative storyline appears to revolve around a species called the Na'vi, humanoid aliens into which earthlings are able to implant their personalities.  Unleash your imagination on that!  We start by thinking any passport Gordon Brown might have for pasage in space should be immediately revoked.

If you managed to catch one of the 15 minute screenings at IMAX theatres across the country this weekend, we are more than a little green with envy. 

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Categories Film Tags Art Design Drama Media TV

By Juan on 21/8/09

Festivals Main

So Many Festivals

If you buy a ticket for Scunthorpe you should know you're in trouble.

With so many festivals now advertised in shining lights throughout the UK summer there's always the chance of getting stung by a ropey one.  There's no doubt this small piece of creativity captures the essence of how it can go wrong.  Artists at the BBC take a bow.

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Categories Tags Art culture Music Fun Media

By Juan on 19/7/09

BLACK AND WHITE COLOURS

Black And White Colours

Just the other day I came across a copy of Colors magazine. I’d never seen it before. Strange, because it was launched in 1991, and has been published quarterly in multiple languages ever since. Shame on me. Anyway, each issue is dedicated to a particular subject.

It was Colors that was responsible for famously doctoring the face of the Queen to look like a black woman in its issue on race in 1993, and it was Colors that caused uproar when an issue on AIDS discussed the disease in the kind of blunt and forthright manner that no one else dared adopt; a picture of US president Ronald Reagan engineered to look like an emaciated AIDS sufferer reflected their approach.

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Categories Music Media Tags Media Music Publishing

By on 14/2/08

YOU MAY TAKE OUR MONEY, BUT YOU WILL NEVER TAKE OUR MAGENTA

You May Take Our Money, But You Will Never Take Our Magenta

renaissance these last few years. It’s like those batwing tops women are wearing again which enable them, in tight situations, to jump off buildings and float to safety like the Dark Knight himself.

Yes, Magenta is back, and has been for some time now. But there’s a chance it will be taken away from us by that malevolent b*****d T-Mobile. They claim ownership of the colour in Europe. No one else can use it, they say. Ban us from using one of our most beloved creative tools? O2 monopolise the iPhone, and now this?

We will not be moved. Rebel here.

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Categories Media General Tags Media

By on 21/11/07

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