- Describe your age.
Slightly bland in colour, but with the distinct flavour of 2 chickens soaked in shiraz.
- Where were you five years ago?
Celebrating the end of year 12.
Oh carefree times, why hast thou left me out in the cold with only a ripped sheet and a slightly off colour Trout.
- Where do you see yourself five years from now?
Hopefully better off financially, on course to a career that i'm happy with and dressed up like the sultan in an onion-head hat.
- What's a good night's entertainment for you and your friends?
A DVD, plenty of Twisties & Chuppa-Chups and a few rounds of Soul Calibur.
That, and anything involving lingerie models, gambling, fast cars and champagne.
- What got you into DVD and how long ago?
Fight Club - Special Edition, about one year ago.
"I gotta get me one of those", i thought to myself.
- What do you love about DVD?
Oh man! The picture, the sound, the extras, the size ("look at how many i can fit in a row ma'!").
- Given the advances in DVD over the past few years, does the format still surprise you and why?
Indeed it does. Because the qaulity just gets better and better. Anyone who's seen the stinky-old copy of the first version of Seven compared with the new special edition can testify to that.
Also, i'm surprised that there's still been no talk of Indiana Jones. C'mon already, we'll pay you!
- What title in your collection do you use to introduce friends and family to DVD and why?
Beastie Boys Video Anthology.
Two discs of pure music-video bliss. Something like 50 different remixes and angles, all interchangable on the fly. Add to this 5.1 song mixes, band commentary, director commentary and a shazbut of other features and you've got yourself the best damned music DVD ever(tm).
- Outside of DVD, what keeps you entertained?
My PC and online gaming (Day of Defeat, Counter-Strike, Quake 3, etc), my Gameboy Advance and playing music with my friends.
Physical contact to the head is always entertaining too.
- Have you ever met someone famous before and/or wish to meet someone famous?
I've met all the lads from Regurgitator, served Rove once (hehe, even i'm taller than him) and my mum once stepped on Sam Neill's foot. He smiled at her, wow, what a gentleman.
I'd love to meet Japanese director/actor/comedian "Beat" Takeshi Kitano and if i ever got 10 minutes of Peter "Lord of the Rings" Jackson's time, i'd be in heaven.
- What is your current method of transport and what would you like to upgrade to?
1970 Alfa Romeo: Guila Super, nickname "The Warthog".
An upgrade to anything with power-steering and a heater would be just fine.
- What is your favorite recipe/meal/take-away?
Sushi, Sweet n' Sour combination and Souvlaki.
"Sooovaaas!"
- What is the only joke you seem to remember when people around you are telling jokes?
The Demon Rooster!
- Can you juggle? Can you juggle knives? Can you still juggle?
I can't even juggle a career let alone sharp instruments of death.
- What are the most memorable nicknames you've had in your lifetime?
The most common is probably "Bubba". I've also had "Sven".
- What was the first video game you fell in love with, on what machine? What is your favourite now?
"Hero", Atari 2600.
My current favourite is definately the "Thief" series on PC. Ever wanted to be a medieval, slime-bag thief who steals from the rich and keeps for himself whilst shooting many an arrow at drunken gaurds? Then "Thief" is just the thing. "Come out and face me you taffer!"
- What are your favourites? (Music, movies, books, anything!)
Music: Almost anything that isn't Top 40, chart music. I'm into everything from Radiohead and Sigur Ros to Blackalicious, Royal Crown Revue, Shellac, i could go on.
Movies: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Fight Club, Blues Brothers, Swingers, Hana-Bi (Fireworks), Princess Mononoke, tons more.
Books: Lord of the Rings, Good Omens (read it now if you haven't!), Discworld, Wheel of Time (as above)and Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
- What DON'T you like about DVD?
The price, region limitations, shoddy authoring and the fact that "scene selection" and "theatrical trailers" are still considered 'extras' by most companys.
| Ben's recent reviews:
Repo Man
"Cult cinema has rarely been as strikingly memorable..."
Starman
"Starman's approach to the sci-fi genre still works because it is primarily grounded in realism..."
Joe Somebody
"Along with the superb audio and video transfers, it also helps matters that this remains one of Tim Allen's finer family/comedy performances."
Transformers - The Movie
"...will truly make one wish they hadn't lost most of their figurines in sandpits and long grass."
Stealing Harvard
"...if you're willing to completely switch off for 80 minutes, you should at least enjoy the nicer aspects of the story."
The Mummy - Search for the Scrolls
"...if I had to have watched a cartoon like this as a child, I would have been ropeable."
Cradle of Fear
"...not exactly an instant classic, but at the very least an allusion to the beginning of a classic director's career."
Rapmania - The Roots of Rap
"While it's all in good fun, the cons of Rapmania far outweigh the pros..."
Bones
"...will probably leave a taste in your mouth the bad side of pungent."
Comic Book Villains
"Get your geek on... then move it to another, more deserving feature."
List all Ben's reviews |
