The A-Team star Quinton'Rampage'Jackson often "feels guilty" about his success because he's plagued by memories of his troubled youth.
The street fighter-turned-actor, who grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, admits many of his childhood pals have fallen victim to drugs and crime while he has since found fame in the blockbuster hit, replacing Mr. T in the role of B. A. Baracus.
And Jackson can't understand why he didn't share the same fate as his friends.
He tells The Sun newspaper, "I came from the streets. A lot of people I grew up with died or were on drugs or are in prison. All my close friends, apart from one or two, are like that. Sometimes I feel guilty or I feel like, 'God, why did you spare me?' I now make a good living and travel the world."
Courtesy of Pr Inside
Thursday, 29 July 2010
Daniel Radcliffe in Hammer Horror Revival
Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe has jumped at the chance to star in an upcoming movie version of THE WOMAN IN BLACK as the film will be one of the first new Hammer horror pictures since the 1970s.
The legendary British company, Hammer Film Productions, was well-known for its classic movies including The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula, but it went 30 years without producing a picture after a downturn in the firm's fortunes and various ownership changes.
But Hammer is heading back to the big screen this year with a series of high profile projects in the works, including an English-language remake of Swedish vampire thriller Let the Right One In.
Daniel Radcliffe is delighted to be a part of the Hammer revival with the new adaptation of Susan Hill's creepy book.
He tells the Los Angeles Times, "It does bring a smile to my face, and it's an absolutely genuine smile. Hammer is the company that everybody wants to see succeed. It's such a part of our film heritage. It was a massive producer of films in its heyday - they were really prolific, there were tons of them - and with actors like Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. It's wonderful to see that company, that name, in a resurgence."
Courtesy of Pr Inside
The legendary British company, Hammer Film Productions, was well-known for its classic movies including The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula, but it went 30 years without producing a picture after a downturn in the firm's fortunes and various ownership changes.
But Hammer is heading back to the big screen this year with a series of high profile projects in the works, including an English-language remake of Swedish vampire thriller Let the Right One In.
Daniel Radcliffe is delighted to be a part of the Hammer revival with the new adaptation of Susan Hill's creepy book.
He tells the Los Angeles Times, "It does bring a smile to my face, and it's an absolutely genuine smile. Hammer is the company that everybody wants to see succeed. It's such a part of our film heritage. It was a massive producer of films in its heyday - they were really prolific, there were tons of them - and with actors like Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. It's wonderful to see that company, that name, in a resurgence."
Courtesy of Pr Inside
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
Toy Story 3 in 3D Cinema Review
Well it’s been a long time coming but, the toys are back in town as Toy Story 3 hits our screens in 2D and 3D for the first time ever.
Buzz, Woody and friends are facing the moment they’ve all been dreading as Andy is due to leave for college and their fates are in his hands. In the confusion with sorting out Andy’s stuff, the toys (minus Woody who Andy wants to take to college with him) find themselves en route to Sunnyside Daycare centre instead of to the attic as Andy intended. Woody follows his friends to the day care centre in an attempt to convince them to come home.
Once at Sunnyside, the toys are lulled into a false sense of security by Lotso (a strawberry-scented bear) who was cast aside by his human, leading him to take control over the other toys at the day centre. He promises them that there will always be children to play with them no matter what and shows them to their new home, The Caterpillar Room. Woody still feels that they should get back to Andy and after failing to convince the others, he escapes the centre to try and find his way home.
However, all hell breaks loose in The Caterpillar Room after the recess bell and the toys are tossed around by a group of toddler’s and played with more roughly than they ever imagined. The toys try to reason with Lotso but, they soon realise that he isn’t as cuddly as he makes out; he has Buzz reprogrammed by his minions and takes the other toys prisoner for resisting his regime.
In the meantime, Woody finds himself being taken home by one of the kids at the day centre, Bonnie; she treats him to her imaginative games and he remembers how much fun playtime can be. He gets talking to Bonnie’s other toys about Sunnyside and finds out the truth about Lotso from them so, naturally Woody has to embark on a mission to go back and save his friends before it’s too late.
Toy Story 3 is a great sequel and proves to be much better than Toy Story 2. It’s full of fun and interesting twists and parts may even bring a tear to your eye. I thought there was only so much that could be done with a group of toys but, the storyline is much better than expected and proves to be a great summer film for all the family.
My only criticism of Toy Story 3 would be that it is completely unnecessary for it to be viewed in 3D, so the 2D version would probably be the better option if you can catch it as you won’t miss out on anything and you will also be saving a bit of money!
Monday, 12 July 2010
Law Abiding Citizen DVD Review
Law Abiding Citizen starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx depicts the battle between good and evil in the extreme and will have you on the edge of your seat right up until the last moment.
Clyde Shelton (Butler) is an inventor who lost his wife and daughter as they were brutally murdered in their home while Clyde watched helplessly. Ten years later and Clyde is seeking justice for his family but, not in the conventional way; after being let down by the justice system, he decides to take matters into his own hands and puts his invention skills to use as he develops a series of techniques for wiping out whoever he wants to without anyone being able to stop him.
After killing the man who murdered his wife and daughter, Clyde then embarks on a mission to bring the justice system crashing to its knees to prove a point to everyone involved in his families’ case, including his ex attorney, Nick Rice (Foxx), who soon discovers that Clyde is not a man to be messed with.
Law Abiding Citizen is a gripping film from start to finish with an excellent pace of action. It has all the right ingredients to make it an excellent thriller and it’s definitely one of the best films I’ve seen in a long time. You don’t know what’s going to happen next with this film and each scene leaves you wanting more.
Sunday, 20 June 2010
Summer 2010 Movies
June is now in full swing and the sun is shining with all its might (well some of the time anyway) so summer is definitely here and the list of up-coming cinema releases proves that it is indeed that time of year again as the blockbusters get ready to battle it out on the big screen.
Last summer we saw titans such as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Inglorious Basterds take to our cinema screens in a bid to rake in the biggest takings. This year, however, things are looking a bit on the quiet side with very few highly anticipated releases but, it’s bound to be a summer of film fun none-the-less. Let’s take a look.
May was a fairly quiet movie month with the highlights being Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Robin Hood and Tooth Fairy but, at the end of last month Sex and the City 2 was released which set ladies all over the country in a frantic frenzy to get to the cinema and catch up with the girls in this sequel. This blew all the other May releases out of the water (for the women at least).
Now, mid-way through June, we’ve seen the American remake of the British hit Death at a Funeral enter our cinemas along with the chick flick Letters to Juliet and we can look forward to comedies Get Him to the Greek and Wild Target later this month.
July is when we really see it kick off and get a glimpse of the blockbuster battle with the release of Shrek Forever After 3D on 2nd July, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse on 9th July and Toy Story 3 in 3D on 19th July. As usual the summer holidays are packed with movies to tempt the kids but, isn’t that why we love July because we all get to join in on the fun too? Apart from these, we can also look forward to quiet contenders The A-Team and The Karate Kid which will both be popular watches.
By August, we see things calm down once again with fewer anticipated releases; we can expect to be entertained by Cats and Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore 3D released on 4th August, Knight and Day and Step up 3D, both out on 6th August but, there’s little else to get excited over this month.
So, all in all we have a summer of good movies ahead of us (with 3D glasses galore) but, the murmur of excitement revolves around a very small minority of the films this year and there will likely be less people rushing to the cinema to see the latest release. My pick of the favourites this year is Toy Story 3 – it’s been such a long time coming so it’ll be really interesting to see where they go with this one and whether it can stand as a strong sequel.
Happy summer viewing.
Last summer we saw titans such as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Inglorious Basterds take to our cinema screens in a bid to rake in the biggest takings. This year, however, things are looking a bit on the quiet side with very few highly anticipated releases but, it’s bound to be a summer of film fun none-the-less. Let’s take a look.
May was a fairly quiet movie month with the highlights being Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Robin Hood and Tooth Fairy but, at the end of last month Sex and the City 2 was released which set ladies all over the country in a frantic frenzy to get to the cinema and catch up with the girls in this sequel. This blew all the other May releases out of the water (for the women at least).
Now, mid-way through June, we’ve seen the American remake of the British hit Death at a Funeral enter our cinemas along with the chick flick Letters to Juliet and we can look forward to comedies Get Him to the Greek and Wild Target later this month.
July is when we really see it kick off and get a glimpse of the blockbuster battle with the release of Shrek Forever After 3D on 2nd July, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse on 9th July and Toy Story 3 in 3D on 19th July. As usual the summer holidays are packed with movies to tempt the kids but, isn’t that why we love July because we all get to join in on the fun too? Apart from these, we can also look forward to quiet contenders The A-Team and The Karate Kid which will both be popular watches.
By August, we see things calm down once again with fewer anticipated releases; we can expect to be entertained by Cats and Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore 3D released on 4th August, Knight and Day and Step up 3D, both out on 6th August but, there’s little else to get excited over this month.
So, all in all we have a summer of good movies ahead of us (with 3D glasses galore) but, the murmur of excitement revolves around a very small minority of the films this year and there will likely be less people rushing to the cinema to see the latest release. My pick of the favourites this year is Toy Story 3 – it’s been such a long time coming so it’ll be really interesting to see where they go with this one and whether it can stand as a strong sequel.
Happy summer viewing.
Sunday, 6 June 2010
Pets at Home Re-homing Weekend
Pets at Home on Newport Road in Cardiff will be holding a small animal re-homing weekend on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th June to find loving new homes for the many pets that have been given up for adoption.
Acting store manager John Tweedy said: "The re-homing weekend is a fantastic opportunity for the community to give lasting new homes for the unwanted pets while raising money for local re-homing charities."
Hundreds of animals are abandoned or given up for adoption every year but, a few years ago Pets at Home established re-homing centres in most stores to combat the problem. They take in unwanted pets from the public and find suitable homes for them; the donations made for the animals by the new owners contribute to the Support Adoption Charity which helps support re-homing centres all over the UK.
This April, 18 degus (small rodents) were abandoned in a cardboard box outside the store, there was a mixture of ages and some were estimated to be as young as three weeks old. This is the third time this has happened and staff believe it is the same people who are dumping these pets. John said: "We're disgusted at the callous treatment of these lovely animals and are shocked that this continues to happen in this day and age but, on the positive side this gives the true pet lovers of Cardiff a chance to give these poor pets a new lease of life"
Sadly, many animals pass through the re-homing centre in the Newport Road branch for various reasons; Assistant Manager Deborah Harford said: "It's a shame to see the amount of pets that people hand over to us. We usually find people giving them up because of financial difficulties, because they're moving home or simply because owners haven't done their research first and don't realise the costs and commitment involved with a pet.”
The re-homing weekend aims to find as many homes as possible for the pets in store and staff will be introducing customers to the abandoned degus, rabbits who have been unable to find new homes due to their temperaments and any other small animals that are in need of a fresh start.
John said: "We're hoping to re-home at least half of the unwanted pets in store and any more would be an added bonus. We just want to give these animals a chance to find a new owner who is committed to keeping them for life. We hope the weekend will be a huge success and that customers will support us all the way."
Sunday, 23 May 2010
Westlife Live at the CIA
It’s been two long , agonizing years since I last saw Westlife live on tour but, their performance at the CIA on Friday 21st May proved that it was definitely worth the wait.
The show ‘Where We Are’ featured some of the best songs from the album of the same name. They sang ‘What About Now’, ‘Shadows’, ‘Where We Are’ and a jazzed up version of ‘How To Break a Heart’’.
As well as the new tracks, they also played some old favourites such as ‘If I Let You Go’, ‘Uptown Girl’, ‘Tell Me What Makes a Man’, ‘When You’re Looking Like That’ and of course ‘Flying Without Wings’ which had me in tears for yet another year.
As is tradition for a Westlife gig, the boys did a medley of cover songs in the middle section. I look forward to this every time as I never know what they’re going to sing. This year we were treated to ‘The Boys Are Back in Town’ (very appropriate for this tour), ‘I Gotta Feeling’ and ‘Sex On Fire’ – all were huge crowd pleasers.
The encore was definitely one of the highlights of the show as it was full of emotion that could be felt rippling right throughout the audience. The lads sang ‘I’ll See You Again’ as a dedication to both Kian and Nicky’s Fathers both of whom passed away last year. They sang with their eyes closed and with images of both of their dads coming up on the screens behind them. The emotion emanating from the stage was incredible and it was such a moving moment that I bet there was hardly a dry eye in the house. It really was a brilliant dedication and a strong testament of their ability to move between up-beat feel good songs and deep emotional ballads.
The scenery on stage and on the big screens for this tour was very varied which wasn’t always a good thing. The props and images ranged from giant multicoloured inflatable balls, an arch of red roses and an enormous robot with lighting and fireworks attached to a scantily dressed woman dancing sexily on the screens (which was obviously there just to keep the men who had been dragged along by their partners interested in the show) my only criticism of the show is that this wasn’t such a great idea as it was hardly a hit with most of the female fans and seemed a little out of context with the songs they were singing.
The vocals from all the lads were spot on as usual and the banter and chemistry between them on stage is great to watch, they really know how to put on an entertaining show; there are very few acts with the ability to make me laugh and cry in the same concert.
This year’s gig at the CIA really was amazing, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world and I look forward to next year. It’s a relief to see them back and doing what they do best.
The show ‘Where We Are’ featured some of the best songs from the album of the same name. They sang ‘What About Now’, ‘Shadows’, ‘Where We Are’ and a jazzed up version of ‘How To Break a Heart’’.
As well as the new tracks, they also played some old favourites such as ‘If I Let You Go’, ‘Uptown Girl’, ‘Tell Me What Makes a Man’, ‘When You’re Looking Like That’ and of course ‘Flying Without Wings’ which had me in tears for yet another year.
As is tradition for a Westlife gig, the boys did a medley of cover songs in the middle section. I look forward to this every time as I never know what they’re going to sing. This year we were treated to ‘The Boys Are Back in Town’ (very appropriate for this tour), ‘I Gotta Feeling’ and ‘Sex On Fire’ – all were huge crowd pleasers.
The encore was definitely one of the highlights of the show as it was full of emotion that could be felt rippling right throughout the audience. The lads sang ‘I’ll See You Again’ as a dedication to both Kian and Nicky’s Fathers both of whom passed away last year. They sang with their eyes closed and with images of both of their dads coming up on the screens behind them. The emotion emanating from the stage was incredible and it was such a moving moment that I bet there was hardly a dry eye in the house. It really was a brilliant dedication and a strong testament of their ability to move between up-beat feel good songs and deep emotional ballads.
The scenery on stage and on the big screens for this tour was very varied which wasn’t always a good thing. The props and images ranged from giant multicoloured inflatable balls, an arch of red roses and an enormous robot with lighting and fireworks attached to a scantily dressed woman dancing sexily on the screens (which was obviously there just to keep the men who had been dragged along by their partners interested in the show) my only criticism of the show is that this wasn’t such a great idea as it was hardly a hit with most of the female fans and seemed a little out of context with the songs they were singing.
The vocals from all the lads were spot on as usual and the banter and chemistry between them on stage is great to watch, they really know how to put on an entertaining show; there are very few acts with the ability to make me laugh and cry in the same concert.
This year’s gig at the CIA really was amazing, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world and I look forward to next year. It’s a relief to see them back and doing what they do best.
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