Indiana Jones and the Movie Event of the Year.

I've seen it! I've seen the trailer for the movie event of 2008. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has been in the pipeline in some shape or form for years and judging by the trailer it's worth the wait. Harrison Ford returns and is joined by an able cast of John Hurt, Ray Winstone, Cate Blanchett and Jim Broadbent. Karen Allen is back to play Marion Ravenwood bringing things nicely full circle. I know there's a few concerned fans thinking Ford wont be able to carry it off aged 65. All I can say is watch the trailer and you will feel confident that Lucas and Speilburg have captured the look and feel of the previous films. Indiana Jones faces some tough opposition at the Box Office this year. Everyone from Batman to James Bond, Rambo to Captain Kirk are gracing the screens in 2008. All iconic characters and household names but I think when it comes to a cinematic experience you'll be hard pressed to beat Indiana Jones.

Please go and watch it now on the official website. I was going to put up a YouTube video but it doesn't do it justice. Go to the site and watch it in all its HD glory. Awesome!

Cloverfield

In the world of cinema, New York has taken a pounding. It must be the most devastated city in movie history. They've faced the lot. You've got aliens blowing up the Empire State Building in Independence Day while asteroids shower the city in both Armageddon and Deep Impact. A.I: Artificial Intelligence sees it submerged in water and in The Day After Tomorrow it's buried in snow. Godzilla smashed up the place in the mid nineties and that gigantic randy ape King Kong has visited three times. A derelict Statue of Liberty pops up in The Planet of the Apes as a reminder of the age of man. Hell even the last film I saw in 2007, the loose adaptation of the book of the same name, I Am Legend had New York as a starting point for an apocalyptic virus. If I was New York I'd take this personally as Richard Matheson's novel is actually set in California.

Yesterday I went to see the next cinematic contender to take on New York, Cloverfield. It's pretty much a monster film from the perspective of Joe Public following characters that act how you imagine you might in such strange circumstances. Without wanting to add to the already enormous amount of hype surrounding the release, I have to admit I found the film fantastic. I'd even goes as far as to say it was more of an experience then a film, one I found exhilarating. I left the cinema with my heart still racing. The film is packed full of intense set pieces particularly the first couple of times you see glimpses of the beast. There's plenty of jaw dropping images of destruction made all the more potent by my recent visit to New York. In a strange similarity we walked over the Brooklyn Bridge and filmed the journey with a digital camera as they do in Cloverfield. Our footage is freakishly alike although our stroll wasn't interupted by a creature of the deep. As you probably know it's all filmed on the shaky hand held digital camera which can lead to some feelings of nausea. As I purchased my ticket the lady asked me to read a note stating those watching the film could experience a motion sickness similiar to riding a rollercoaster. I took some time in getting use to this, it's far more heavy going then The Blair Witch Project. The monster itself is rarely seen, a technique that works so well in modern classics such as Jaws and Alien but is somewhat lost on a lot of people today. I've read comments on Internet forums saying things like "the film is rubbish, you never see the monster" or "it's rubbish there's no blood in it". I suppose when gruesome franchises like Hostel and Saw score big in the Box Office it perhaps shows that people are beginning to think that horrors have to be taboo breaking to be considered an entertaining film. A thought scarier than any scary movie.

I've heard people criticise the film for being overhyped. Definitely a fair comment but come on, everything is overhyped these days. Take the second series of Channel Four's Skins, you'd think it was a television masterpiece and not what it is, a creepy show about sixteen years olds having it off thats predomintely watched by over thirties. Every other ad break on Channel Four, More 4 and E4 has some sort of reference to it while bus stops and billboards alike are covered with images of the 'stars' of this piece of shit programme. Then look at the Dave channel who are currently running trailers for the television premier of Bottom Live. "See Bottom as you've never seen it before" says the man proudly on the trailer, geniuningly expecting us to be excited by it. It's bloody fifteen years old, older than most of the cast of Skins.

Juan Ugarte Retires

If you know who he is great, if you don't, i'd introduce him as the Wrexham / football league goal machine of the 04/05 season. The clubs first Spanish player (?), with a goal tally up at around 25 in 30 appearances (league and cups - with 5 in one game) in 04/05. After a triumphant day, and scoring the winner, in the Millennium Stadium in April 2005 he would only make 3 more appearances for Wrexham FC. His injuries would never recover, and on Wednesday he took the decision to retire from the game, this is his farewell letter to the fans and club:

Firstly - thank you all very much!

I would never have thought I was going to be in this situation, but I have to say that I'm retiring from football. The football club and I have agreed to cancel my contract by mutual consent.

My hamstring won't let me give 100% to play professional football and that's why I am taking this decision.

After speaking with Brian Little, and I have say that he is one of the best managers I have worked with in my career, we thought that this was the best option, because he can now bring in another striker that, hopefully, will score a lot of goals and help the team stay up.

As for our supporters, the only thing I can say to you is "Thank you very much". You have been absolutely fantastic to me, even if I haven't been able to do for you what I would love. You made me feel I was in the best team in the world. The day we won the LDV Vans Trophy is going to live with me forever, because, without a doubt, it was the best day of my life.

So thanks again to you the supporters - I love you all!!!

Thank you very much also to Denis Smith and Kevin Russell because they were fantastic to me, and that season I scored all of those goals is going to stay as the highlight of my career. That is why I was working hard, because I wanted to have those feelings back.

Thank you also to all the players, including the YT's, that I have played alongside, with a special mention to Matty Crowell - I wish him all the best in his career that I am sure is going to be good.

Thanks a lot to all the staff, especially Brian Little, because they have been fantastic to me.

Thanks to Mel Pejic for being so patient with me.

All the best to Wrexham FC for the rest of the season and I hope we stay up!

Wrexham will be in my heart forever. Love you all!

Juan Ugarte

It's not often a player gets to sign off on such good terms, I thought it worth a post in it's own right.

I only saw Ugarte score 2 goals, and I only saw him play in 3 full matches; but one of those matches, and one of those goals was that Millennium Stadium final. A trophy which in the July 2005 was paraded around the Racecourse by Juan and Co., alongside Steven Gerrard & Co.'s big shiny trophy at the Pre-Season Liverpool friendly; they'd won something in Europe that season...

Cynics would say; he was a striker paid for doing what he did. Fair comment, but this was Juan Ugarte, who early on in his time at Wrexham was placed amongst the legends (he even had his own mug made and on sale in the club shop the week after his 2 goals against Chester!). "He came from Real Sociedad, and made the Chester sad"; Thanks for the memories.