Orlando punches Bieber.

Orlando Bloom punches Justin Bieber

If you're one of the few people that hasn't watched the video of this then you can watch it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSL4nP2uYmM

In possibly one of the greatest moves of his career, Orlando Bloom decided to punch Justin Bieber, therefore becoming one of the most beloved celebrities in Hollywood. This is due to the fact that Bieber is probably one of the most mocked and largely disliked celebrities in the Western world today. Admittedly, Orlando may have upset a few million 'Beliebers' but who wants them anyway?

The fight supposedly occurred after some sort of dispute over Miranda Kerr.

Well, she seems a pretty good reason for a fight so I wont begrudge either man for their decisions.

Orlando can now enjoy millions of men now considering him a bit of a lad as well as the huge number of memes that will probably now be made to commemorate the occasion.  

As for Bieber? Well, his fans will probably feel sorry for him whilst the rest of the world just uses it as yet another excuse to unscrupulously take the piss out of him. However, he is a twenty year old multi-millionaire with a string of beautiful women so I'm sure he will get over whatever a few keyboard warriors have to say about him. 

All in all, don't piss off an Elf. 

My Top Five Underrated Films.

My Top Five Underrated Films (Part One)

This is by no means my favourite 5 films of all time, just films I like that I think are underrated and other people never seem to like much. 

#1 - Brother Bear (2003).

One of my favourite Disney films of all time but for some reason, you hardly hear it mentioned. The characters are easy to care about and there are moments when it is genuinely funny. As Disney have entered an era of pumping out generic films that are generally awful, Brother Bear stands up very well in comparison. 



#2 - Waterworld (1995).

I can't think of many reasons to defend this film. It probably has more of a nostalgic feel because I remember me and my brother enjoying watching it when I was little. It isn't as brilliant as it should have been but definitely not as awful as people say it is if you take it with your tongue firmly in your cheek.



#3 - Oblivion (2013).

Another film that I never really hear anyone talking about and critics didn't seem to enjoy very much. However, it is one of the best films I have watched in the past year. It is shot beautifully and Tom Cruise gives a subtle and strong performance. He is, in my opinion, very underrated as an action movie actor. 



#4 - Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (1999).

Yes, it is definitely shit compared to the originals and it was a disappointment. Believe it or not though, this is my favourite of the prequels. If you took Jar Jar Binks out of the equation then it has a lot of redeeming factors. Plus, Darth Maul is just awesome. Now THAT'S an unpopular opinion!



#5 - The Godfather: Part III (1990).

Another film that suffers due to its predecessors being so good. Sofia Coppola does put in a pretty bad performance but asides from that the acting is generally good. My favourite Godfather film will always be the first one (just about) but I have a soft spot for the final piece in the franchise. 

 

Are UKIP As Awful As Everyone Says They Are?

Are UKIP As Awful As Everyone Says They Are?

One of the latest trends on Facebook is to bash UKIP and, in particular, their leader Nigel Farage. Do they deserve it? Well, in a word, yes. I noticed recently that some UKIP posters have turned up in Northampton, where I live. One of them looks like this.



Now, I find that fairly offensive. It is the kind of propaganda you expect see from the likes of the BNP going for the prejudiced idiot vote. The current difficulty of finding work in this country is a huge issue. However, things like this, that place the blame on immigrants, do nothing but create intolerance and help prevent the rich and powerful who run the country from being accountable for Britain's economic problems.    

There is also the fact that a UKIP council candidate tweeted a comment describing Islam as 'evil'. Another council candidate stated that Lenny Henry should emigrate to a 'black country'. Clearly, these people are also prejudiced idiots and shouldn't have anything to do with the running of our country. 

There is one problem with people jumping on the bandwagon of criticising UKIP. It gives other crooked parties the opportunity to make themselves look more reputable by making a show of opposing the unfavourable views themselves. David Cameron has previously accused UKIP members of being 'closet racists'. Aren't you fighting the good cause Mr Cameron? This is the same man who heads a conservative party that allowed vans to patrol the streets telling immigrants to go home. Also, it's not that long ago that posters like this were seen on the streets (graffiti optional).



So, in conclusion, please feel free to jump on the bandwagon of bashing UKIP and Nigel Farage but remember to remind yourself what other parties and politicians are doing as well. Don't let them use your anger for their benefit. 

Things I've Learnt About Other Drivers.

Things I've Learnt Since Passing My Driving Test

I'm relatively new to driving having only passed my test fairly recently. However, there are a few things I have noticed about other drivers on the roads of Great Britain...

#1 - Everything they say about white van drivers is true.

Before passing my test I thought that white van drivers had an unfair reputation. They can't really all be that bad...can they? Yes, they can. The most common thing I've noticed about them is pulling out in front of you at the last minute before proceeding to drive 10mph under the speed limit. They look of hate they give you when you finally get passed them tells me the feeling is very mutual though. 

#2 - Ice cream van drivers are even worse. 

Don't let the cheery music and frozen treats fool you; these guys (usually blokes) are terrifying. Their driving just tends to be so bloody erratic. This is probably largely due to last minute decisions about where they can go to get the most business. They drive similarly to white van drivers except with added stopping and starting at random intervals. 

#3 - Most drivers are fairly polite. 

I have noticed a lot of camaraderie on the roads. People will often let you through if they know you are going to be stuck there for a while and 90% of people will thank you if you do the same for them. If only you got the same treatment from fellow pedestrians! From what I've observed, it does help if you happen to be a beautiful woman though. 

#4 -  Other drivers are good entertainment. 

I've always been a keen people watcher and I've seen it all from other drivers when waiting at traffic lights. From kids pulling funny faces at you to a morbidly obese, middle-aged bloke doing an impassioned solo performance of 'Let it go'. It's all fun and games until you make awkward eye contact with then and find yourself having to stare dead ahead instead. 

#5 - Women are better drivers than men. 

Without a doubt, most terrible drivers I've encountered are men. Discuss. 

Scourge of the roads and deliverer of tasty treats.

Book Review - 'Stoner'.

Book Review - 'Stoner' by John Williams

As far as I know this book was considered something of a hidden classic until recently. Indeed, the review quote on the front of my copy says 'the greatest novel you've never read' which is probably quite an accurate description. For some reason it has had some sort of revival recently. I first heard about it on some literature forums (yes, I'm that sad) where readers were celebrating the fact that such a classic had been rediscovered. When I went into Waterstones it was on the best selling shelf along with mostly new material. 

I liked the novel straight away. It was an immediately profound exploration of a seemingly ordinary life which tends to be a favourite subject matter for me. It was also written in the type of prose I like which is simple, readable and littered with hidden context without being pretentious. It charts the life of a man called William Stoner from adolescence to old age. Stoner spends most his life tutoring at a University. He makes such decisions and things happen to him in such a way that you feel a deep sadness and pity for what appeared to me a fairly unfulfilled life. 

It's not quite as simple as that though. Stoner doesn't make completely awful decisions he just makes relatable mistakes. These small mistakes gently push him down a life that we know could have been better but that he accepts with a gentle grace. It is this type of dramatic irony that affected me the most as a reader and made me find the novel very moving. To some extent, it is also the study of a more repressed time where people were not fully able to lead the lifestyle they wanted to. However, I am slightly reluctant to say this because I feel there are probably just as many William Stoner's today as there were then. 

This novel is definitely worth a read and is fully deserving of it's recent revival. It comments on the human condition beautifully and like all great novels (in my opinion) it says so much by saying so little. That's why I would give it 8 dancing bananas out of 10. 

Judging Websites Based On Their Internet Communities.

Judging Websites Based On Their Internet Communities 

I have noticed that websites where people communicate in some way often differ drastically in the types of people they seem to attract. Here are a few things I've noticed. 

#1 - reddit.com - attention seekers.

The comments on reddit links tend to be increasingly desperate attempts to leave the funniest comment. Even if it is a link about some sort of serious issue the smart-arsery in the comment section will very quickly become apparent. The long chains of people replying to each others comments will often be a diatribe of witty comments. This is how I imagine these people to look whilst they do it.
   


#2 - worldstarhiphop.com - racists. 

For those of you who don't know worldstarhiphop, it mostly seems to be a video library of street fights caught on video. The comments to these videos become particularly horrific when showing a fight between people of different race. Users will instantly start hurling racial slurs at each other, each convinced of their own prejudice. Awful. 



#3 - dailymail.co.uk - bitter old men. 

One thing I've noticed about people that comment on Daily Mail articles is that they really hate the United Kingdom nowadays. Whenever the Daily Mail posts some vile article aimed at making immigrants of poor people look like the anti-christ you will immediately get hundreds of comments claiming that, 'Britain didn't used to be like this!'. If you sent these idiots back to the 'good old days' they might learn that immigrants and poor people existed then too. 



#4 - youtube.com - procrastinators. 

If I really waste a good amount of time on a website it is usually on Youtube. I'll start off watching something relevant to my work or interests then before I know it I'm watching a video entitled 'CHINESE MAN SQUEEZES WORLDS BIGGEST SPOT!'. What really shows me that the Youtube community are procrastinators though is that they will argue over ANYTHING, no matter how tedious. Regardless of what the argument started over it will usually eventually digress into petty snipes at someones grammar or promises of violence.