The 500 Faces of Hebden Bridge

A fantastic project by the legend that is Jason Elliott.

Well done Jason, absolutely fantastic!

The Big Night In 2

After the success of the first ever ‘Big Night In’ back in January 2010, popular demand has led to the event being held again on Friday 9^th July. The event is a unique initiative designed to entertain all audiences, with various acts of entertainment scheduled in to take place throughout the evening.

Performing on the night will be a total of four live acts, with extremely talented Patrick McCallion opening the evening, local bands Pink Elephant Fish and Frontier Psychiatrists and headlining the event will be an unmissable band...

There will be plenty of audience participation too with a round of ‘Play Your Cards Right’ and a family quiz. A bar and BBQ will also be present.

Tickets cost just £4 (including quiz entry), with a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) just £15.

Money raised will go towards the Great Generation Project and Cancer Research UK.

The event will take place from 7pm onwards at the Ted Hughes Theatre, Calder High School, Mytholmroyd and promises to be an even bigger and better event from the inaugural ‘Big Night In’ back in January. Do not miss what will be a fantastic evening of fun, entertainment and pure enjoyment!

Film Review With Sam Larner

Firewall

Firewall is a 2006 American film starring Harrison Ford as a bank security manager whose family are kidnapped by a criminal determined to steal $5 million. So how does it rate?

Well, firstly, it is absolute standard fare in every single way. It’s 100 minutes long, it was made for $50 million and it took $82 million. It stars Paul Bettany as the criminal mastermind who hopes to steal from the bank. He does a perfectly fine job in this role although he is effectively playing himself.

A slight problem with the film is that Harrison Ford growls his way through it like Clint Eastwood without access to Lemsip. It starts off just being annoying but by the end it becomes amusing as Ford delivers every line with his own ridiculous growl. This includes the line “Don’t hurt the dog.” which I thought was rather good.

Another problem is that the plot is just so generic. Main character's family kidnapped, he has to do some bad things to get them back, it all ends happily. I mean it’s not the most original of stories. This isn’t a major problem if all you want is a mindless couple of hours however it does make you wonder why the needed to spend as much as $50 million on it.

It’s not a terrible movie by any means but what’s most striking is its complete mediocrity. This film is Stoke City, Birmingham, toast and cricket all rolled into one, it’s fine but it’s no more than that, passable but not astonishing. I would really only advise it as a watching experience if it happens to be on TV when you’re there. In short it is the filmic equivalent of the Gaelic shrug.  

Painter's Journey Post

I'd like to start today's 'Painter's Journey Post' by making one thing absolutely clear, I am not in any way, shape or form becoming slightly southern, an impression you may get when reading this post. Not happening, and never will, I'm a proud Yorkshireman!

You could argue that today's post isn't technically a journey post as I sit here typing away in Terminal 1, London Heathrow. Sadly aeroplanes do not have the luxury of wireless internet yet, but I am sure with worldwide technological advances that are occurring every minute, they soon will. Watch this space...

When waking up this morning I had no idea what I would ramble on about today, and I must admit I even consulted Joe for an idea. And with Callum still not putting in place a strict brief to adhere to, I could literally natter on about anything. The challenge is, getting a subject that might slightly interest the two readers of this post...I'm rambling again, here goes!

Today's subject is...Cities Worldwide and Our Capital

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has grumbled about our capital, London. 'It's too busy' ... 'There's far too much noise and pollution' ... 'Where are all the hills in this place?' However, having spent the day touring round a summery London, I was inspired to write this piece.

Yes, London isn't perfect, but when you open up your eyes, become open minded and appreciate the surroundings you soon realise that it's a rather nice place to call our capital city. An international hot spot, cafes and restaurants for all and a genuine place for people wanting to see more of the world.

My main message and purpose of this post however is not a sales pitch to drag more of you to London, yet again I'm thinking of a deeper message (lights dim)...

We see international capital cities on our news every day, and the majority of stories are bad news. People killed, terrorist attacks, civil wars, how often does London fit that category? Not often, does it?

We have a capital that we can be proud of. We can visit and enjoy our stay without the pressures of problems occurring. Maybe we take it too much for granted. Can you imagine Christmas in Karachi? Holidays in Harare? Weekends in Beirut? Wouldn't quite be the same, would it? 

We're fortunate to live in the country we do. Remember that.

The Vuvuzela

This is the sound of the world cup in South Africa, and indeed may become the sound of the British summer 2010. Sales of these natural horns, made of plastic, have rocketed in UK supermarkets since the start of the World Cup. But why? Probably because there is something innately pleasurable about blowing a horn and making a loud noise.

They don't require much skill, just a basic grasp of brass playing techniques - blowing 'raspberries,' so to speak. Indeed, talented brass players are able to play a tune on the instrument, like the great Byron Wallen, see here.

Incensing people who hate them, and inspiring people who love them, the vuvuzela has it's fans and critics. Yet it's probably going to become a more regulare feature of British sport.

Robert Holme

An Apology, An Excuse And A Link

Hello all you subscripients,

I am writing to sincerely apologise for the neglect you have been suffering at the hands of the malicious and cold hearted web team. Unfortunately (and I sense a strong feeling of deja vu here...) the exam season has caught up with us, and if it wasn't for the commitment and dedication of the brilliant Sam Larner (who is also in the middle of exam season, yet doesn't let that stop him) the site would be well and truly dry, so to him I am extremely grateful. However, I am sure this is not a repeat of last years tragic closure of the Painter's Chronicle (touch wood) and as the exam season is drawing to a close now, I'm sure the site will be full to the brim with exciting articles once more in no time.

I'm sure that many of you have been following the World Cup this year, as have I, and the completely unpredictable nature of the tournament so far in has blown it wide open, I'm sure this coming month has plenty of exciting twists and turns in store for us. To those that are watching (and for those that aren't I strongly suggest you start soon!) I strongly recommend Oli White's brilliant, and often hilarious, blog.

Well, that's all from me for now, I promise to get the site churning out fantastic articles and features again as soon as possible,

Callum MacRae

Website Manager - Painter's Chronicle E-Magazine

Web: www.painterschronicle.co.uk

Email: callummacrae@painterschronicle.co.uk

Film Review With Sam Larner

Airplane!

There's a story that when Mel Brooks — until then acknowledged king of the movie spoof with the likes of Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety and Young Frankenstein behind him — first saw Airplane! his heart sank.

Airplane! is based on a 1957 disaster movie called “Zero Hour”, although it is now considered a great example of how to make a spoof it wasn’t initially accepted, some studios wanted it as a 20 minute sketch whereas others couldn’t see the potential. Eventually in 1980 it was made.  It is still considered the ne plus ultra of comedy films.

The plot revolves around ex-fighter pilot Ted Striker as he attempts to win back his wife. He does this by following her onto a flight, however when the pilot's are killed by the food he is forced to step in and land the plane. The plot is mostly lost beneath the great and plentiful gags that adorn this cinematic masterpiece.

The most amazing thing in Airplane! is the sheer number of gags. Between 5 minutes 14 seconds and 6 minutes 14 seconds there are 8 jokes, all of great quality, including the brilliant, “give me Hamm on five, hold the Mayo”.  Some people have counted the number of jokes in Airplane! and a conservative estimate puts it at 600!

Another distinguishing feature in the movie is that the actors are not comedians; instead they are straight actors who were used because the directors wanted to maintain a feeling of seriousness. This leads to some fantastic lines delivered in a deadpan way, “Joey, have you ever spent a night in a Turkish prison”, springs to mind.

It truly is the Citizen Kane of comedy movies, and the Wayan brothers should have their cameras taken away from them until they have been forced to watch Airplane! at least ten times. Is it one of the best films I’ve ever seen? Yes, surely I can’t be serious? I am and don’t call me Shirley.

Photography Competition

If the bird chorus waking you up hasnt reminded you of the fact that spring is here then its about time you got out there to see if for yourself..! This months competition is to get a photograph of a spring creature, whether it be a bird or a lamb, or even the first litter of baby pigs!

Also, congratulations to Duncan Lomax, who's photograph of Mumbles Head won last month's competition, the subject of which was 'Nature'.

Remember to send your entries in an e-mail entitled 'PC Photography Competiton' to callummacrae@painterschronicle.co.uk

Fay Bland