With all this talk of slasher films, I sat down today to watch Wolf Creek, the new Australian film. Perhaps a genuine “slasher” film it ain’t, but none the less it’s a suprisingly good scare.

Perhaps what at first caught me by surprise was that the film ignores the formula that films usually abide by, and there were some genuine shocks as a result. For a mainstream film making a concious effort to buck the tradition, it was also fairly unpretentious, but never resorted to self-parody, such as the hideously bad House of Wax.

One of my company for the film is a friend of one of the crew and in the discussion afterwards I had found that she enjoyed the film a little more than I, primarily because of my two minor complaints. Firstly, there was a lot of establishment. I even missed about 15 minutes of the opening because I had to tend to tradesmen, but I still felt it took a long time to get to the scares. Building a relationship with the characters is great, but other films have achieved the same in much less time (and I think this film would not have been hurt by 10 minutes shaved from the opening scenes).

My other complaint is kind of silly, being a horror film, but there was an awful lot of gore. I don’t know if there are people who actually enjoy watching someone’s fingers being cut off (who ever they are need to be examined), but gore is not scary. It is just uncomfortable to sit through.

Still, it was surprisingly enjoyable, as my company admitted, “… for an Australian film.”

With idle hands (no, not idol hands) at home, I’ve been once again perusing eBay, this time for DVDs that I want to fill in my collection with. In searching for Inspector Gadget DVDs (the original television series, not the ordinary Disney film, its presumably unwatchable sequel, or the disgraceful new television series), I came across this ultra cool toy which I am very proud to announce I held in my possession when I was younger.

Amongst my underwater Batman figurine, and my oft-worn Joker suit (must dig out that photo, I was on fire), this toy saw a lot of attention. As you can see, the toy was full of suprises, including crime stopping hammer, parachute umbrella, spring legs, shooting arms, extendible head and helicopter hat. Very cool.

I don’t usually resort to online quiz’s to satisfy my blog content, but this one, taken from James O’Brien’s blog, was strangely familiar…

Your Birthdate: November 12

You’re a dynamic, charismatic person who’s possibly headed for fame. You tend to charm strangers easily. And you usually can get what you want from them. Verbally talented, you tend to persuade people with your speaking and writing. You are affectionate and loving, but it’s hard for you to commit to any one relationship. Your strength: Your charm Your weakness: Your extreme manipulation tactics Your power color: Indigo Your power symbol: Four leaf clover Your power month: December

I’m not thrilled that I’m only “possibly” heading for fame. Oh, and the clip has nothing to do with anything, but I found it and I thought it was too good to pass up.