My week according to twitter - Week 4

Plug. Yes! Been far too long!

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) January 27, 2012

Finished my exams on Thursday so had a long over due night out at Plug. Jump Around at Plug on a Thursday night was one of our regular nights out in first year. We occasionally went in second year. I went once in third year and hadn't been at all this year. Even in fourth year I can confirm that it is still one of my favorite nights out in Sheffield.

The Artist - a feel good look at 1930s cinema

The Artist (2011):

Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break.(IMDb)

I was a bit unsure what I would think of The Artist. It is by a relatively unknown French director (Michel Hazanavicius), the trailer didn't give much away and it is very different to the types of films I usually watch. But I had only heard positive things about it, so I made sure I went in with an open mind. And I'm glad I did.

My week according to twitter - Week 3

Only got my @grazedotcom box on Wednesday but I have already finished it all! This is what revision does to me.

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) January 20, 2012

That sums up most my week. I've not really done much as I'm in the middle of my exams now so have mainly been stuck in the flat doing revision and eating.

Shame - a hard hitting, thought provoking masterpiece

Shame (2011):

Brandon is a 30-something man living in New York who is unable to manage his sex life. After his wayward younger sister moves into his apartment, Brandon's world spirals out of control. From director Steve McQueen (Hunger), Shame is a compelling and timely examination of the nature of need, how we live our lives and the experiences that shape us.
Written by Momentum Pictures (IMDB)  

I've just got back from watching Shame at the Showroom cinema in Sheffield. It's really a 5 star film but my rating method has resulted in it me giving it only 4 stars (One to buy on DVD). This is because of the girls who happened to be sitting in our seats. If that was all they had done then I wouldn't have minded, but no, there was more. Throughout the film they insisted on giggling at inappropriate moments and chatting with each other while there was silence on screen. To enjoy this film fully I feel you need to be able to watch it without any distractions, i.e. on DVD.

But now I'm torn.

My week according to twitter- Week 2

This week I've mainly been revising for my final year chemistry exams which I have got coming up over the next couple of weeks. I've decided I'm going to write my review of 2011 in the week off I have between exams finishing and uni starting again. Along with watching some DVDs I've had for a while and making a runny yolk scotch egg.

The Tweets:

My week according to twitter- Week 1

So its the end of the first week of 2012 and I still haven't got round to writing my review of 2011, but I am about to write a summary of my week according to twitter (@mfaz).

#thebankjob and #millionpounddrop. Two programmes that are only watchable with the ability to fast forward through the slow, boring parts

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) January 2, 2012

On Monday a new show started on Channel 4 called the Bank Job. A few weeks ago Channel 4 launched an online version of the game (The Bank Job online) to get people for the show. I got quite addicted to it, answering questions, winning 'money' and trying to beat my opponents for a good hour, so I thought I would watch it on TV. Unfortunately it was very much in the same category as The Million Pound Drop. I liked it but it was very slow with 2 minute rounds taking nearer 20 minutes. This is definitely a programme I will only be able to bare if I record it and fast forward through the pointless chat and attempts to build up tension.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol - one to watch at the cinema

The second thing I want to write about while it is still fresh in my mind is Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol.

I went to see Mi4 at 10.30am today meaning me and my brother were the only 2 people in the cinema! I think this was only my second ever 'private' viewing. 

Lets start with my '140 Character Film Review' that I posted on Twitter straight after leaving the cinema:

"Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol: fun filled, action packed adventure across the world, with a brilliant Simon Pegg"

For me, Simon Pegg was definitely the star of the film. Even though he wasn't involved in as much action as the other characters he made it humorous throughout.

It was a fast paced film with lots of action and some great tension sequences, enhanced successfully with the choice of music. Every time I heard the well know Mission Impossible tune I started to tingle all over.

I thought the four main characters went well together and were all had something to give, helping the story line move along well. (I couldn't stop wondering where I had recently seen the actor who was playing the analyst William Brandt. Turns out Jeremy Renner was in The Hurt Locker- should have just got on IMDB while I was there!)


Once again lots of amazing gadgets were used, particularity an 'invisibility screen' that came out near the start of the film.

Overall I thought this was a great film that kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat for the full 133 minutes. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, especially if you liked the previous Mission Impossible films, the Bourne series or the recent James Bond films. 

My star rating: ***** (explanation below)

Kik vs WhatsApp

Ok, so I haven't got round to writing my review of 2011 and look forward to 2012, but I wanted to write about somethings that are quite current.

Firstly, the Kik vs WhatsApp question. Which is better, Kik or WhatsApp?

I've been using Whatsapp for a while now, mainly to send free photos, videos and voice messages to my friends and for group conversations when organising something. However, yesterday I saw 'Kik' trending on twitter so I decided to investigate. After discovering it was another messaging app for smartphones I thought I would download it so I could compare it to WhatsApp.

After having it for 1 day this is what I have found.

The benefits:
- Kik is free to download on all phones (WhatsApp costs a small amount to download on an iPhone). 
- Kik takes up a lot less space on my phone compared to WhatsApp, which is a big benefit for me as my Samsung Galaxy Ace doesn't have much internal memory.
- You need to register for Kik and get a username, which then allows other people to add you as a contact without them having your phone number.
- You choose what name and photo is displayed to people you chat to with Kik, not the other way round like in WhatsApp.
- Kik has a better Sent/Delivered/Read notification system for each sent message than WhatsApp's tick system.
- You can block people who manage to get your username/ phone number so they can't contact you.

The disadvantages:
- It seemed to be slow to send and deliver my messages at first. Not sure if this was due to my data connection or a lot of people downloading the app and trying it out for the first time.
- There are a lot less emoticons available in Kik than in WhatsApp.
- None of my existing WhatsApp contacts were using Kik until yesterday. Now 2 of them are.
But that's all I have found so far.

Conclusion:
I've decided that the benefits definitely outweigh the negatives though as one of my friends uses Kik but doesn't have WhatsApp. I can now send him photos or videos for free which I could not previously do.

So for now I will still be mainly using WhatsApp still and occasionally use Kik. That might change though if more and more of my friends download and start using Kik.

Let me know if you disagree with anything or if you have found out any other benefits or disadvantages.

A new year and a new way of digitally recording my life

After a very busy and brilliant year, I sort of wish I had started a blog at the start of 2011 to document it and tell everyone who wanted to listen all about it. So as it is the start of 2012 that is what I am going to do this year, as hopefully it is going to be another busy and brilliant one.

Not quite sure how often I will update it or what I will actually write about, but ideas so far include any significant events in my life and expanding on my 140 character tweets from twitter (mfaz) at the end of each week. I'm just going to see what life it takes.

So that's the introduction of what to expect from this. I thing I'll start with a review of 2011 and a look forward to 2012. But for now I need to get on with revision for my impending exams.