- South Korea to qualify for the Last 16 also (Park Ji Sung!) They did!
- England to get to the semi-finals at least, to show we're not just Quarter Final quality. (I would say win but...let's be realistic ;) However, after some of the previous games, it shows that the top teams aren't necessarily guaranteed anything. As we're mediocre compared to them, we have a chance!) *Biggest shock for me, Brazil not hammering North Korea and only winning 2-1 (and Korea scoring.) As we have the Germans now, after not topping the group, it will be tough. But if we played like we did against Slovenia (a side typically playing on the defensive, I think we may have a chance!)
- Netherlands to win if England get knocked out. I have a fondness for the Dutch and also my Dad has them in the sweepstakes. This could easily happen, they've been one of the best teams so far, playing solid football, not scoring loads, but conceding little (which is important.)
- Portugal to be knocked out of their group just to see Ronaldo's face. Alas, after they hammered North Korea with seven goals, I see them going far.
Anyway, so France also got knocked out and beaten by South Africa (to give them something to be happy with.) We managed to get through despite not being great in our first two games. Japan were also surprisingly strong, especially in yesterday's game that had two of the best free-kicks of this tournament without question. Italy are OUT, which was a real shocker to me. I know they're an older side but they are the previous winners...come on guys.
In about 5 minutes, Brazil and Portugal will kick off. I don't really care who wins, they're both going through. However, it should theoretically be the best football of the tournament in terms of skill. The final thing I want to make people aware of is that if Spain only draw with Chile, and Switzerland beat Honduras, Spain will be out! How shocking would that be?
Right, I'll shut up about football, partly because I don't really know what I'm on about half the time and also because a certain someone doesn't want to hear about it :). So on to technology...bloody annoying isn't it?
Look, I can appreciate technology when it seems to have a point. The following things I want to really stab at today are 3D TVs (and 3D in general), Macs and finally music...not the whole of music, but you'll understand what I mean later.
3D
An advancement that has been leapt upon since Avatar was released and everybody cooed over the brilliance and beauty of it. If you haven't heard it from me yet, if you liked Avatar, shut up. Seriously, I do know what I'm talking about when it comes to films...just to sound like an arrogant twat, I did a film class in the States and I've seen a lot of films in general. I do know it wasn't a good film despite all the absolute morons who flooded to see it (one of them being me) and those who rave about it whenever it comes up in conversation. To quote my father 'probably one of the worst films in the last ten years.' It was awful. I'm going to address each argument I've heard in its defence.
"It's number one in highest-grossing films." I'm not surprised. Yes it was something new and inventive but what was the actual point of the film? Films are meant to make people think about things. Did Avatar? No...it told me all the points it was trying to make, not that it wasn't obvious anyway. The Dark Knight was more thought provoking than it by MILES and that didn't even try very hard. Avatar was a blatant reference to the following :
The Iraq War, Vietnam, The Colonisation of America and the killing of it's indigenous people. Well done Avatar, how original. We get it yeah? America messed up multiple times and killed some innocent civilians. You telling me yet again and then showing it in pretty colours and 3D does not make me feel any more guilty. If you want a good Iraq War film, watch The Hurt Locker (A vastly underrated film in my opinion.) If you want one about Vietnam go see Apocolypse Now or Full Metal Jacket. Finally, if you wanted one about the slaughter of Native Americans (which was so not cool) watch Pocahontas or Dances with Wolves. If you see those, and you get rid of the underlying message...what are you left with? A predictable story which I could map out all the events and after 15 minutes in, nothing was a surprise.
"So the story is bad, the rest was great!"
So now you've understood the story is awful, what else is left...visual effects, acting and music right? Well the music was over the top, the acting was superb, despite the awful script they had to work with, and yes the visual effects WERE amazing but why should that make a film good? That's my whole point. Film is an art form, but it shouldn't look pretty, it should do it's job which is to tell a story and make you reflect on it. Avatar did neither of those things very well. Not convinced yet? Still think it's a brilliant masterpiece? Let me know in the comments section below and I'll be sure to not bother making conversation with you again.
All we can agree on here is that at least it wasn't as bad as The Room, one of the worst films in history. Just watch this brilliantly awful scene from it. In case you're wondering "O, but is it so bad its good?" me and Elliot watched it in its entirety...and it's so bad is irritating. You wonder how it ever got made.
The Room
Moving on to the next part of my 3D rant. 3D television, what the fuck is up with that? Like I said previously, I can accept technology if I can see the point. They told us to go out and buy HDTVs when the World Cup rolled round, and that seemed acceptable. I really only think you'd want to see Nature shows in 3D but hey, there is a difference. Now we've gone and spent £600 on a large HDTV (I spent £75 ;) ), they now want us to upgrade to a 3D TV. Do you think we're made of fucking money? The budget has just been announced, and I was going to do a blog about it but that would require research on my part and it doesn't interest me enough. The point is, a lot of cuts are going to be made because the Government doesn't have enough money. If they don't, why would you think we would? And like Avatar, what is the actual point? Ooo, a football flying at my face! No thank you.
My biggest problem with it is that when they come up with a great idea...they MAKE people have to conform to it. Especially if it cost a lot of money. We've got to the point where you now MUST own a freeview box. Give it a few months, all channels will be HD, even ITV2 which only shows Jeremy Kyle episodes on repeat. Why would we want that in HD? THEY'RE UGLY ENOUGH! So yes, we'll have to get HD....then they'll want to make people buy 3D TVs so they'll change all the channels until they're distorted and we have to somehow find a way to be able to splash out £2000 for a 3D TV. Maybe you're laughing to yourself, thinking I'm being paranoid. You just wait...and when I'm right, you can all buy MY 3D television, fuck off am I paying for it.
I don't have as much to say about the next two topics. I don't want to keep you any longer than I have to, and I've made my main point, and finally managed to incorporate a rant about Avatar so that makes me very happy!
Macs
All I need to say about Macs is that they're gaudy crap. They don't work as well as windows, whatever people think. They're stupid, hard to use and clearly for people who cant work more than one button at a time. The short cut keys are all wrong, they cost way to much and Mac owners act all high and mighty when clearly the jokes on them. If you own a Mac, I don't care if you think I'm being an idiot, I know I'm right. They're overpriced, smart looking, worthless junk. Just like Avatar they look great but there is no real content. It's all image and no substance.
Music
Now before you think I've lost my mind. I don't mean ALL of music, of course not. I just think nowadays it is way too easy to make music and so the quality has dropped. So much of music is just taking original songs and remixing it or sampling it. Nobody bothers with effort any more, technology does the work. A good example is singers. Take someone like Cheryl Cole. Do you honestly believe she can sing that well? I certainly don't. Why bother with trying to sing well when we can just alter your voice for the record? And those who 'see her singing live'
I think you need to be told...they can change her voice for that too...sorry folks, sorry to ruin your happy world in which Avatar is a good film and Cheryl Cole can sing well...
I think I made my point and hopefully you can understand why some technology can just fuck off and is just not needed. I used those examples because they annoy me the most but also show that we've entered a world where how something looks is more important than how it functions. It's like having a boyfriend or girlfriend who has the most beautiful eyes and smile yet when she talks...sick comes out of her mouth. Actual sick. I'd rather have the slightly less attractive girl who'd be just as attractive to me because she works properly. IN THE KITCHEN! Yeah I am so witty. Next week I may cover the budget, but who knows...it's always a nice surprise. I never know until the actual day as I just write whatever forms in my stupid head.
The song in the title is a fantastic 80s hit of how the television made radio almost redundant. That's what will happen if we keep going, we'll lose what is truly great...you'll miss HDTV when it's gone 3D, I can assure you. And if films are now going to start being as pretty but as empty as Avatar I plan to boycott the cinema. A lot of this blog is based on unfounded predictions about our future, and perhaps you think I'm crazy. At least I didn't yell about how robots would take control and kills us all, just like in The Matrix (we all know how real that film was!)
The aforementioned song was featured in GTA Vice City and I might just go play that now as nothing is going on in the Portugal v Brazil game. Either you go watch that or do something that may soon be gone thanks to technology...savour it yeah?
Now go away.
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