Exploring London - KERB Saturday

I was introduced to KERB last year when I visited one of their monthly markets at UCLU with some of my workmates, it was great to find out that there was an organisation bringing together the best foodie stalls in London. (Their markets happen at different locations around London, so check out their site to find our year nearest.) I had been planning to visit their market at the Gherkin, but was gutted to see that the City of London had closed it down (Check out this article for more details).

Over the summer, KERB have been holding a series of weekend markets and a couple of weekends ago, Pete and I headed to the last KERB Saturday event at Granary Square near Kings Cross.

The square itself is worthy of a visit if you are in the area, especially as it currently is wrapped in a stunning art installation by Swiss artist Felice Varini and houses some great coffee shops, restaurants and the University of the Arts London (Central Saint Martins).

When we arrived, the square was filled with a huge variety of stalls and vans to please any foodie and a big crowd of people who were stuffing their faces with the great food on offer. After wandering around, trying to decide what to eat, we settled for a devilled pork roll from the guys at What the Dickens? and washed it down with two gin cocktails as it was the weekend. Both feeling rather full, we started to stroll around the square itself and explore the Granary Square site. The whole development is massive and it’s amazing to see it change so much since I was last here in 2012 when I did my evening photography course at University of the Arts London (Central St. Martins).



As we started to crave something sweet, we head back for more food and settled on two delicious coffees from Beanstalk Coffee and hot doughnut bits covered in cinnamon sugar, chocolate sauce and crushed Oreos from the team at You Doughnut! I can’t really explain how orgasmic they were! After munching on our sweet treats and watching the world go by, we both left the event with a huge grin on our faces and stomachs full of food.

If you are a foodie, I would suggest following KERB to see what events they are up to. Or if you are at a loose end one weekend, head up to Kings Cross and explore the area.

Bring on more KERB Saturdays!

Steve

James Bond review - Diamonds are shiny

There might be a few spoilers in this review... you have been warned.

After the disappointment of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and finding out that Diamonds are Forever marks the return of Sean Connery, I had high expectations for this film.

Unfortunately I was left disappointed.

The 70’s had started to hit Sean Connery in this film. With his longer hair, bushy eyebrows and more relaxed dress sense, Sean had definitely lost his sparkle. Even when he seduces a woman, it still feels like he is not really there. Maybe he should have finished off his run with You Only Live Twice.

Even the Bond girl didn’t save this film. I can’t even remember her name so I’m not even going to mention her. On the other hand, Miss Moneypenny was back on form and who could forget the name of “Plenty O’Toole” the saucy mare.

The only saving grace for this film were the villains. Even though Blofeld has been used alot in the last few Bonds, each actor has played the roll slightly differently. Charles Gray has to be my favourite Blofeld. He is interesting and a little bit crazy, but not too weird, even when he is dressed as a women.

I would have loved to see more of Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd. Their double act saves the film in so many ways and I was more interested to see how they were involved in the story. Unfortunately you never really find out.

As you can tell, I really didn’t enjoy this Bond. It was great to see Sean Connery back, but I think it’s time for next chapter.

I give this film 3/10

What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Steve

Thunder what? Oh... Thunderball

I’m going to be very frank from the start and say that this was not one of my favourite Bond films. After the amazing Goldfinger, I was left feeling a bit down after watching this. To me, it felt like a really, really rushed film with an excessive use of swipe cuts trying to bring the story together (my inner Media Studies student is coming out!). It was also all about the never ending fight scenes. The last scene with the scuba fight is great for the time, but it goes on and on and on....

One of my favourite moments of this film was right at the beginning when James Bond dons a Jet Pack and flies out of trouble. I mean, A BLOODY JET PACK. Another good point of this film is the fact that Sean Connery spends most of this film jumping in and out of water in a pair of blue swimming trunks. But all this jumping in and out of the water is very reminiscent of From Russia with Love and that whole section in the train carriage.

The Bond charm from the first three films has also crossed the fine line from charming to harassment. The scene in the health spa when he forces the nurse in charge of him to sleep with him made me cringe really. This is not Bond, he can charm a women, but he would never force them to bed him.

So all in all, I really didn’t like this Bond, one of the only saving graces was the great soundtrack provided by the one and only Tom Jones! Let’s hope that You Only Live Twice brings things back on track.

I give this film 5/10

Am I wrong, did I miss something? What did you think? Please add your comments below!

Man of Steel - Official Trailer 3

Wow, just wow!

With an epic score by Hans Zimmer, I've got tingles down my spine. 

If you get a chance today...watch it.

Now that is a Goldfinger

With an extravagant villain, Nazi gold, a Bond girl called “Pussy” who runs a flying circus and Q returns with his amazing spy car, Bond is really back!

If you cannot tell already, I really liked this Bond film. The storyline was really interesting and very different to the first two films. James knows who the enemy is, but gets close to him to find out more without the need to hunt him down and kill him.

Pussy Galore, was a perfect Bond girl for me. She was passionate, determined and strong minded. She was a perfect match for James Bond. In the original book by Ian Fleming, Pussy Galore was a lesbian. Honor Blackman was a perfect choice for this character, especially after her stint in The Avengers. Apparently producers were so determined for her to be in the film that they even wrote in her Judo ability. Honor was also the oldest women to play a Bond girls, as she was 37 at the time of filming.

Goldfinger was also a great villain. He knew what he wanted and knew how to get it. His base was even more amazing, with lasers and moving walls. He had extravagant plans to steal the gold reserve at Fort Knox. It’s the type of grand plan that makes a bond film very interesting. I also loved his assistant Odd Job.

One of my favourite scenes is when James is strapped to a table and about to be killed by a laser. The classic exchange between James Bond and Goldfinger was brilliant.

James Bond - “Do you expect me to talk?”

Goldfinger - “No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die”

As mentioned before, this is the film when the real spy gadgets come into play. The great banter between James Bond and Q is what you know and love about them. The car is also amazing. A beautiful Aston Martin DB5. Originally this was going to be an E-Type Jaguar, but they decided not to take part in the film. To be honest, I think they made a better choice with this iconic car.

I loved this film, it is my favourite Bond film so far! I will definitely be watching this one Bank Holiday weekend.

I give it 9/10

But what do you think? Is this your favourite one too? Please put your comments below

Steve Whiting

From Russia with No Love

After how much I loved Dr. No, I was expecting a lot from this film, unfortunately I was left a bit disappointed.

I felt that this is when James Bond got a little too serious. The lightheartedness of the first film never really materialised for me here. It was a more serious spy thriller, which was probably very similar to most films of the same time.

The story was quite complex and I found my mind wandering instead of concentrating on what was going on. They seemed to be spending a lot of time in an out of a train cabin. However, the fight in the sleeper car at the end was great.

I found the ‘Bond girl’ in this film really annoying. She was very weak and naive. One moment she would say that she was in love with James and then she would be trying to get secrets out of him. You could tell that James was only with her for the sake of the missions, not because he actually liked her. In my honest opinion, she should have been locked in that train carriage for most of the film!

It was though, the first introduction of spy gadgets with the amazing suitcase. As we all know who 'Q' is, you think it’s him that walks in when Bond is in M’s office, but it is actually a totally different character.

After watching this, I hope that Goldfinger will actually get me back into the swing of things.

I give this film 4/10

But what do you think? Did you like it more than me? Leave your comments below.

Steve Whiting

2013 - Bring the music!

The start of each year get’s me excited in many ways. One of them is the naming of the BBCs Sound of 2013.

Each year in December, the BBC release a long list of artists they believe will be big the next year. The list is created by a group of critics, editors, broadcasters and bloggers. I’ve been following the list for many years and get really excited to see what new gems are on it. In the past it has helped me discover artists like Hurts, La Roux, Ellie Goulding, Florence + The Machine, Frankmusik, The Ting Tings and Corinne Bailey Rae, I could go on with more, but there are too many!

The BBC Sound of 2013 long list has been no exception and has introduced me to 2 great acts. They are:





This year HAIM took the crown, with AlunaGeorge coming in at number 2 and Chvrches () at number 5 in the list of the top 5 artists. If you want to hear more of these great acts and others on the list, check out this Spotify playlist - http://bit.ly/BBCSoundof2013SpotifyPlaylist or the BBC’s own YouTube playlist - http://bit.ly/BBCSoundof2013YouTubePlaylist

Away from the list though, one of my favourite K-Pop acts, Girls’ Generation released a new album. The lead single is the little number below. A little bit more random than some of their other hits such as The Boys but still good. You can’t help but notice the very 90’s/Shoreditch styling. Yes, it is random, but I really wanted to share it.



What are your top acts at the moment? Which artist do you think will make it big this year? Let me know in the comments below.

Hello 2013 - My New Year's Resolutions

So, as the clock strikes 12:00am on 31st December, we welcome in a new year. But what will 2013 bring? What plans are in store? We never know what is going to happen, but it is always nice to set ourselves a few goals to get us through the year, however long they last.

2012 let me have a fresh start and build some foundations. 2013 will be my chance to get stuck into a few projects and really start to build an exciting future.

Here are a few things I hope to achieve in 2013:
- I want to finish writing a TV drama concept I have...not I won’t tell you what it is about
- Kick some new life into #deartuesday - Yes, it’s back. GET INVOLVED - http://bit.ly/deartuesday 
- Write, write and write some more. Maybe blog more too - I think I say this every year
- Take more photos, start a little project and share it with you - it's all about the memories

A few things that I hope to achieve are already in progress and there are a few more things I would love to do if I can fit them in, but this is where I am going to start. If I make too many big plans none of them will happen. So, it's good to start with just a few.

As well as these things, the big thig for me this year is finally buying a flat. It's been on the go since November, but I think (and hope) that all will be sorted soon. I've dreamt of this for many years now and I never thought it would happen, but thanks to the shared ownership scheme, it might even come about. If you're thinking about it and want to know more, let me know in the comments below.

But anyway, enough of planning. Grab yourself a drink (if you are not too hungover from last night) and raise your glass to 2013, the year that you do more.

What are your resolutions? What have you got planned for the next 365 days? Share your thoughts in the comments below.