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I think I'm beginning to recover from the exhaustion now. Had a simply marvellous (darling) weekend, involving meeting many people, consuming much alcohol and watching many many many films. On Friday alone I was sat in various cinemas for over 8^1/2 hours. So, for those interested, a summary review of the films I watched, in order of showing.

Day one: Friday 13th

( 12.00: Brain Dead—but not the one I expected )
( 14.15: Vampire Diary—including unexpected friends in the crowd )
( 16.00: Black Christmas—traditional college slasher pic )
( 18.15 An American Werewolf in London—so much better than I was expecting, and I knew it was good. )if like me you've never seen this film?
Go and watch it. Now.( really, just do it )
( 20.15: The Mist )

Aftermath

After that, we went to a local Moroccan restaurant for a meal (hint to the waiter—if you want a decent tip, try to avoid serving the chicken dish to the vegetarian and telling him it's cheese), then onto the Gasworks. I was at this stage utterly exhausted (films tend to tire me anyway, enclosed atmospheres, etc), but it was fun. We eventually rolled home in the early hours.

I'm posting this via the flickr blog this tool from karohemd's picture of yself and miss_s_b in front of pmoodie's poster art, I'll do day two and three later.

Whatever thoughts crossed my mind that weren't worth a whole post.

• 12:56 Watching the wrong Brain Dead. It makes Jackson's film look good. #
• 14:14 is at the Fantastic Films Festival waiting for the next film. Lesbian vampires in goth club London. Sounds like a plan... #
• 20:06 No one ever told me American Werewolf was Funny. Would've watched it ages ago #
• 22:48 is thinking 502 minutes of film running time is enough for one day. Now we go clubing? I need sleep! #

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Microblogging using LoudTwitter and Twitter. matgb_twitter is there if you're mad enough.

The National Media Museum have finalised the programe for the 7th Fantastic Film Weekend and updated the website. They've also put up the rather nice artwork they commissioned for it, which the artist is justifiably pleased with, feel free to go congratulate him (after you've booked tickets, naturally).

Oh, for those still thinking of visiting, my parents stayed at the Waterfront Lodge last week and gave it a seal of approval, bus from outside goes straight to the museum and it's got a lot of other attendees in it, while being just downt he road from us.

Go on, y'know you want to...

Just received by email from the organisers of the 7th Fantastic Films Weekend (Friday 13 to Sunday 15 June):

Hot off the press (or whatever the equivalent is on the interweb) here's the full FFW 2008 programme, almost all confirmed...

( Cut for length )
Weekend Pass £40 (£35 concs)
Day Pass £20 (£15 concs)
Grindhouse/Dr. Phibes double-bills £10 (£7 concs)
BTW. Passes do NOT include IMAX titles

If you've got any questions let me know. Oh, and I hope to have at least some of the John Carpenter's exclusive intro to The Thing on YouTube for you all in the next week or so, as a nice little teaser.

Cheers,

Your friends at FFW HQ

I've bolded the stuff I'd like to see, but nothing specifc yet—some of the stuff I haven't highlighted (like Phibes) is cool but I've watched it recently as Jennie's got the DVD. It's in Bradford, 20 minutes by bus from us here in Brighouse, anyone wanting advice for accommodation give us a shout, sofa space may still be available.

Facebook event for those interested.

I've mentioned the Fantastic Films Weekend a few times recently, but today the National Media Museum put the new website live so we have some details:

This year the line-up includes the Tarantino/Rodriguez Grindhouse double-bill, the ultimate Cushing/Lee pairing in Dracula, Daughters of Darkness, Eyes without a Face, Blood on Satan’s Claw and John Carpenter’s The Thing in 70mm with an exclusive video introduction from Carpenter himself. Our guests will be cult filmmakers Harry Kümel, Peter Duffell, Piers Haggard and Robert Fuest.

Now, I'm not a massive horror film fan (because most horror films don't involve space ships), but I can appreciate a good flick, and the normal selection they've had has been brilliant, last year included Soylent Green, 300 on the IMAX, a showing of Ghostwatch and Forbidden Planet. So that's some proper SF, some decent horror, some weird FX driven stuff and SPARTA!

It's a really cool venue in Bradford, just a few minutes walk from Bradford Interchange bus and rail station, incredibly easy to get to. Especially from our house, the 363 takes 20 minutes from the end of our street. So that's:

7th Fantastic Films Weekend runs from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 June

Admit it, you're interested. And you want to come. You can even throw in a visit to sunny Brighouse and see where I live and everything.

And, honestly? Bradford's actually quite a nice place as well. Honest. Or you could do what some of the British Horror Forum regulars are doing (including pmoodie?), and stay in the hotel down the road from us because it's dead cheap and really nice. And they probably won't bite. Unless you're into that sort of thing. And I know you lot, some of you are...

Very (very) very cool. A few clunkers, a few wastes of time, some awesome silliness (Big Trouble in Little China on the big screen anyone?), 300 in an IMAX.

Countess Dracula. Ah well, can't all be good. Short films varied from fun and silly, to thought provoking to downright weirdness. Might manage a coherent revue, or at least summary, when I've got some functioning brain cells left, but, um, we left the house at 10.30am this morning, having started watching Doctor Who last night at about 2.30am. Oops. Jacobi interesting, end of the universe heat death interesting, "post humans" badly explained plot monsters, the rest, well, like an old school report; Could Do Better. If I'm coherent I might manage a poll thingy but odds are small.

So, right then, never did get around to that 'what I've been up to' post that LJ kept eating during the DDOS thing did I. So, a summary post, but first, a poll!
Poll #1003180 Fixing things
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

You switch on a light in your new(ish) house and all the lights go out

Visiting your (smarter than you?) girlfriend in her new house to be told the fuse has gone and her Dad is coming around later you...

When Jennie gets home from work and reads this, Mat is...

( Thursday May 31st - Last day at work, lunch in Portcullis House, the Houses of Parliament )
( Friday 1st June - Jennie visits, the Tate Late panel discussion ) ( Adrian Searle on State Britain - very luvvy )( Pubs and wandering late around Soho )
( Saturday 2nd June - Pirates, Disney and comic fangirls )
( Sunday 3rd - Wednesday 6th - Relax + job hunting )
( Thursday 7th June - Book signing at Waterstones with )( Jon Courtenay Grimwood,  )( Steph Swainston  )( and a BBC camera crew )
( Wondering home chatting, and putting names to usernames )
( Friday 8th June - A family visit and a meeting with friends )
( Saturday 9th June - Ballet - the Three Musketeers )
( Sunday June 10th - Wandering Wimbledon )
( Tuesday June 12th - Hyde Park with a friend )
( Wednesday June 13th - Yorkshire bound and zombie avoidance )( Rik Mayall - The New Statesman )
( Today? )
( Upcoming )

Did I say summary? That's a summary? Oops, probably good job I didn't go for the long version isn't it...

js84 posted this, kismet. Reminded me I had an email to reply to and some tickets to book as well.

Mat Bowles -- [noun]: A brand of soylent green breakfast cereal 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

How cool is that? And I get to see the film in two weeks, on the big screen. OK, it's in Bradford, but still.

*fingers crossed as I hit 'post' for this one*
*and now the edit to try to clean up their nasty code*