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More Lego Classics
More Lego Classics, including a Warhol/Lego/Star Wars combo (hmm if there was a chimp in there too, I think we could stop).
30th Jul 2009 - Add Comment - Tweet
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Star Status: Andy Garcia
A recent screening of The Untouchables brought Andy Garcia into the sights of Star Status, and it's a mixed picture. He's actually been in a lot of TV stuff and a lot of stuff that I for one haven't seen - so quite a few of these scores will be coming from the over-generous IBDB voting system. No TV, so his appearance in the pilot of Murder She Wrote won't count I'm afraid.
So, how does Cuban-born Andy Garcia rate in the Chimpomatic Star Status Movie Maths Generator?
It's 10 points for a Hit, 5 for a Maybe and 1 for a Miss...
The Pink Panther 2 (2009) .... Vicenzo - MISS
City Island (2009) .... Vince Rizzo - HIT
La linea (2008) .... Javier Salazar - MISS
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008) (voice) .... Delgado - MISS
Ocean's Thirteen (2007) .... Terry Benedict - HIT
The Air I Breathe (2007) .... Fingers - HIT
Smokin' Aces (2006) .... Stanley Locke - MAYBE
The Lost City (2005) .... Fico Fellove - MAYBE
Ocean's Twelve (2004) .... Terry Benedict - HIT
Modigliani (2004) .... Amedeo Modigliani - MAYBE
The Lazarus Child (2004) .... Jack Heywood - MISS
Twisted (2004/I) .... Mike Delmarco - MISS
Confidence (2003) .... Gunther Butan - MAYBE
Just Like Mona (2003) - MISS
Ocean's Eleven (2001) .... Terry Benedict - HIT
The Man from Elysian Fields (2001) .... Byron - MAYBE
The Unsaid (2001) .... Michael Hunter - MAYBE
Lakeboat (2000) .... Guigliani - MISS
Just the Ticket (1999/I) .... Gary Starke - MISS
Desperate Measures (1998) .... Frank Conner - MISS
Hoodlum (1997) .... Lucky Luciano - MISS
The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca (1996) .... Lorca - MAYBE
Night Falls on Manhattan (1996) .... Sean Casey - MAYBE
Steal Big Steal Little (1995) .... Ruben Partida Martinez/Robert Martin/Narrator - MISS
Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995) .... Jimmy 'The Saint' Tosnia - HIT
When a Man Loves a Woman (1994) .... Michael Green - MAYBE
Jennifer Eight (1992) .... Sgt. John Berlin - HIT
Hero (1992/I) .... John Bubber - HIT
Dead Again (1991) .... Gray Baker - HIT
The Godfather: Part III (1990) .... Vincent Mancini - HIT
A Show of Force (1990) .... Luis Angel Mora - MISS
Internal Affairs (1990) .... Raymond Avilla - HIT
Black Rain (1989/I) .... Charlie - HIT
American Roulette (1988) .... Carlos Quintas - MISS
Stand and Deliver (1988) .... Dr. Ramirez (Educational Testing Service) - MAYBE
The Untouchables (1987) .... Agent George Stone / Giuseppe Petri - HIT
8 Million Ways to Die (1986) .... Angel Moldonado - MAYBE
HIT 11
MAYBE 11
MISS 13
So that's 178 out of a possible 370
Andy Garcia, you have scored a (perhaps surprising) 48.1%
If you dare make a purchase, you can do so here, allowing Chimpomatic to profit from his loss. Check back soon for more Star Status movie maths. Same Chimp Channel, same Chimp Time...
17th Jul 2009 - Add Comment - Tweet
The Collapse of Oxford Collapse
Bad news from Sub Pop: Oxford Collapse are calling it quits.
After hitting the highs with a couple of great albums (1, 2) and live shows (1, 2), the chimp-favourite party punkers are moving on to other things - which may involve getting real jobs.
24th Jun 2009 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
U2 Live on Letterman
thanks to Dr Chimp for pointing out this live feed from the desk
7th May 2009 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Spoonstock
Not happy with the huge choice of modern rock festival, chimp favourites Spoon are organising their own. For three nights running at legendary Stubb's Bar-B-Q in Austin, Texas, you can catch Spoon, + other bands - including LOW, ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead and Atlas Sound. Tickets here.
27th Apr 2009 - Add Comment - Tweet
Chimp Vans
A little less punk-rock than anticipated, but it doesn't get much better than Chimps + Skateboards + Vans.
24th Apr 2009 - Add Comment - Tweet
Ad Nauseum: Powertape Chimp!
It's got chimps in it. What more do you want from this Powertape ad?
23rd Apr 2009 - Add Comment - Tweet
Pocket HD
The pocket handycam market has been picking up momentum recently, with Flip's original product selling huge amounts - not to mention fitting the bill on the recent chimp snow tour. Flip now have an HD version, which fits 720p in your pocket - and Kodak are amongst the brands offering similar rivals.
With more and more point-and-shoot pocket cameras now featuring HD video (try these: 1, 2) however, the market may be absorbed before it gets going - and rumours are already placing video recording and uploading into the next iPhone.
23rd Apr 2009 - Add Comment - Tweet
The Snow Centre
There's a new indoor snow slope opening in May - based at the much more chimp accessible Hemel Hempstead.
Ten snow cannons have already churned out 80 tonnes of snow, ready for the opening day on May 6th.
20th Apr 2009 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Great Swimming
We're enjoying the new Great Lake Swimmers album Lost Channels in Chimp HQ today. Top of the best sellers on eMusic too and flying medium high on Amazon.
16th Apr 2009 - Add Comment - Tweet
All New Chimpomatic
If you remember the Ronin battle cry of 2007, you'll be well aware that this new version of Chimpomatic has been in the pipeline for a very long time. That doesn't mean it hasn't been an evolving blueprint however - and we're happy to launch today with a raft of new features.
The new layout opens the site up more, with the homepage featuring a run-down of all news, reviews and articles. From there you can filter down to just news, reviews or articles - and from each item you can follow links to see related items, other items by that author, similar ratings, record labels and more. Tagging is also a new feature, letting you call up all items under a particular franchise or tag (e.g. Trailer Park) and there are also more links out of each item - including Last FM and Spotify for reviews.
The site now features a vastly improved search engine, with more ordering options for filtering results - and more features coming for that throughout the year.
Surveillance has probably seen the biggest overhaul, leveraging the power of Flickr to upload more photos, quicker - and then sort by sets (e.g. Mudhoney @ The Forum), tags (e.g. Dead TVs), dates and more. Video is also at a higher res and we'll hopefully be using that more thoroughly.
You might also notice the occasional ad here and there - but most likely if you arrive from a search engine (or maybe you left a comment on The Hunches review).
And finally, update your RSS feeds as we have a whole host of new feeds for different aspects of the site: All Content + Comments, News, Reviews, Articles, Comments as well as Comments for each specific item.
The site might run a little slow while we get up to speed and there's still some lumpy code behind the curtain, but over the next few weeks we'll be finessing that to get the site running as fast and smooth as possible. We're also working to get as many of the new features as possible compatible with all browsers. Firefox and Safari will always get the best response though, thanks for asking.
If you're on the chimp team and have feedback, drop me a line. If you're just an angry civilian, leave your hate mail in the comments.....
Enjoy!
C.S.F.
15th Apr 2009 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Latest Chimp Dating Tips
Not getting any? Chimps, give away you food to ensure success with the ladies.
8th Apr 2009 - Add Comment - Tweet
Chimp GPS
Like we needed a New Scientist article to confirm that chimps have built-in GPS.
26th Mar 2009 - Add Comment - Tweet
Area Man Alert: New Sky+ HD EPG coming
well, some of the men in my area will be pleased anyhow... new SKy+HD EPG being rolled out, although for some reason, Chimp Towers seems to have been left out of the first batch...
11th Mar 2009 - Add Comment - Tweet
Fwd Planning Chimp
Viva Santino - a rock-collecting chimp in Sweden!
10th Mar 2009 - 5 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Star Status: Michael Caine
The whole star status formula was concocted one evening in the pub following a discussion about the patchy career of messrs Connory and Caine. Connery has a career so patchy he only scored a 28.8% hit rate, while Michael Caine's career is so schizophrenic that he couldn't collect his Oscar for Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters, as he was busy filming Jaws IV: The Revenge. A low in the entire pantheon of cinema, not just one man's career.
So, how does Michael Caine (A.K.A. Sir Maurice Joseph Micklewhite Jr.) rate in the Chimpomatic Star Status Movie Maths Generator?
It's 10 points for a Hit, 5 for a Maybe and 1 for a Miss... No TV movies, just cinema releases to date.
In the spirit of full disclosure I should also tell you that I've been a little presumptuous and started the count with Zulu (1964), as prior to that it's a barrage of uncredited roles and TV bit parts. As he's a man with 139 credits on his IMDB page, there's plenty I haven't seen, for which I've taken some advice from the often over-generous IMDB ratings.
Is There Anybody There? (2008) - MAYBE
The Dark Knight (2008) .... Alfred Pennyworth - HIT
Sleuth (2007) .... Andrew - MISS
Flawless (2007) .... Mr. Hobbs - MAYBE
The Prestige (2006) .... Cutter - MAYBE
Children of Men (2006) .... Jasper - HIT
The Weather Man (2005) .... Robert Spritzel - MAYBE
Bewitched (2005) .... Nigel Bigelow - MISS
Batman Begins (2005) .... Alfred - HIT
Around the Bend (2004) .... Henry Lair - HIT
The Statement (2003) .... Pierre Brossard - MAYBE
Secondhand Lions (2003) .... Garth - HIT
The Actors (2003) .... Anthony O'Malley - MAYBE
Quicksand (2003) .... Jake Mellows - MISS
The Quiet American (2002) .... Thomas Fowler - HIT
Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) .... Nigel Powers - MAYBE
Last Orders (2001) .... Jack - HIT
Miss Congeniality (2000) .... Victor Melling - MAAAAYBE
Get Carter (2000) .... Cliff Brumby - MISS
Shiner (2000) .... Billy 'Shiner' Simpson - MAYBE
Quills (2000) .... Dr. Royer-Collard - HIT
The Debtors (1999) - MISS
The Cider House Rules (1999) .... Dr. Wilbur Larch - HIT
Curtain Call (1999) .... Max Gale - MISS
Little Voice (1998) .... Ray Say - HIT
Shadow Run (1998) .... Haskell - MISS
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1997/II) (TV) .... Captain Nemo - MISS
Mandela and de Klerk (1997) (TV) .... F.W. de Klerk - MAYBE
Midnight in Saint Petersburg (1996) .... Harry Palmer - MISS
Blood and Wine (1996) .... Victor 'Vic' Spansky - MAYBE
Bullet to Beijing (1995) .... Harry Palmer - MISS
World War II: When Lions Roared (1994) (TV) .... Joseph V. Stalin - MAYBE
On Deadly Ground (1994) .... Michael Jennings - MISS
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) .... Ebenezer Scrooge - HIT
Blue Ice (1992) .... Harry Anders - MISS
Noises Off... (1992) .... Lloyd Fellowes - MAYBE
Bullseye! (1990) .... Sidney Lipton/Doctor Hicklar - MISS
Mr. Destiny (1990) .... Mike/Mr. Destiny - MISS
A Shock to the System (1990) .... Graham Marshall - MISS
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) .... Lawrence Jamieson - MAYBE
Without a Clue (1988) .... Sherlock Holmes - MAYBE
Surrender (1987) .... Sean Stein - MISS
Jaws: The Revenge (1987) .... Hoagie Newcombe - MIIIIISSSSSSS!
The Whistle Blower (1987) .... Frank Jones - MISS
The Fourth Protocol (1987) .... John Preston - MAYBE
Half Moon Street (1986) .... Lord Sam Bulbeck - MISS
Mona Lisa (1986) .... Mortwell - HIT
Sweet Liberty (1986) .... Elliott James - MISS
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) .... Elliot - HIT
The Holcroft Covenant (1985) .... Noel Holcroft - MISS
Water (1985/I) .... Governor Baxter Thwaites - MISS
Blame It on Rio (1984) .... Matthew Hollins - MISS
The Honorary Consul (1983) .... Charley Fortnum, Consul - MISS
Educating Rita (1983) .... Dr. Frank Bryant - HIT
The Jigsaw Man (1983) .... Philip Kimberly/Sergei Kuzminsky - MISS
Deathtrap (1982) .... Sidney Bruhl - MISS
Escape To Victory (1981) .... Capt. John Colby - HIT
The Hand (1981) .... Jonathan Lansdale - MISS
The Island (1980) .... Blair Maynard - MISS
Dressed to Kill (1980) .... Doctor Robert Elliott - MAYBE
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979) .... Captain Mike Turner - MISS
Ashanti (1979) .... Dr. David Linderby - MISS
California Suite (1978) .... Sidney Cochran - MAYBE
The Swarm (1978) .... Dr. Bradford Crane - MISS
Silver Bears (1978) .... Doc Fletcher - MISS
A Bridge Too Far (1977) .... Lt. Col. John O.E. Vandeleur - HIT
The Eagle Has Landed (1976) .... Colonel Steiner - HIT
Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976) .... Adam Worth - MISS
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) .... Peachy Carnehan - HIT
The Romantic Englishwoman (1975) .... Lewis Fielding - MISS
The Wilby Conspiracy (1975) .... Jim Keogh - MISS
Peeper (1975) .... Leslie C. Tucker - MISS
The Black Windmill (1974) .... Maj. John Tarrant - MISS
Sleuth (1972) .... Milo Tindle - HIT
Pulp (1972) .... Mickey King - MAYBE
Zee and Co. (1972) .... Robert Blakeley - MISS
Kidnapped (1971) .... Alan Breck - MAYBE
Get Carter (1971) .... Jack Carter - HIT
The Last Valley (1970) .... The Captain - HIT
Too Late the Hero (1970) .... Pvt. Tosh Hearne - MAYBE
Battle of Britain (1969) .... Squadron Leader Canfield - HIT
The Italian Job (1969) .... Charlie Croker - HIT
The Magus (1968) .... Nicholas Urfe - MISS
Deadfall (1968) .... Henry Stuart Clarke - MISS
Play Dirty (1968) .... Capt. Douglas - MISS
Billion Dollar Brain (1967) .... Harry Palmer - MISS
Woman Times Seven (1967) .... Handsome Stranger (segment "Snow") - MISS
Hurry Sundown (1967) .... Henry Warren - MISS
Funeral in Berlin (1966) .... Harry Palmer - HIT
Gambit (1966) .... Harry Tristan Dean - HIT
The Wrong Box (1966) .... Michael Finsbury - MAYBE
Alfie (1966) .... Alfie Elkins - HIT
The Ipcress File (1965) .... Harry Palmer - HIT
Zulu (1964) .... Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead - HIT
HIT 28
MISS 22
MAYBE 44
So that's a generous 434 points out of a possible whopping 940.
Michael Caine: you have scored 46.1%
If you dare make a purchase, you can do so here, allowing Chimpomatic to profit from his loss. Check back soon for more Star Status movie maths. Same Chimp Channel, same Chimp Time...
26th Feb 2009 - Add Comment - Tweet
Get Spotify. Now.
If you're not on board already, head over and register for a free account at Spotify and download their player now. Building on Nokia's badly presented, but solid concept of 'comes with music', the program works like iTunes, or a totally unlocked Last FM - but stores no music on your hard drive. Music is all delivered legally over the www as and when you play it, at a bitrate comparable to decent mp3 compression. A basic account is free, with the only concession being the occasional advert. And currently that is occasional - with only about 3 ads playing over 8 hours of continuos use at the moment, and most of them were for Spotify's own premium service. For that premium service you can pay 99p a day, or £9.99 a month for advert-free listening - which is hardly extortion.
The concept has come a long way since I last checked in, with the selection now being pretty thorough. Some of the usual cautious big-hitters (Beatles, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Metallica) are absent, and a few labels are obviously not quite there yet (e.g. Sub Pop, Jagjaguwar) but on the whole the catalogue is on a simlar footing to iTunes - and they even have a few exclusives, like a one week heads-up on U2's new album.
Search for an album, press play and you're off. So easy it's ridiculous.
We're already using it heavily at Chimp HQ - particularly thanks to the built in support for Last FM, which lets us keep our charts up-to-date with minimum hassle - and I dare say this app (or at least the concept) will undoubtedly define the future of music, just as Napster, iPods and iTunes all have. You have been warned.
23rd Feb 2009 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Star Status: Drew Barrymore
How does Drew Barrymore rate in the Chimpomatic Star Status Movie Maths Generator?
It's 10 points for a Hit, 5 for a Maybe and 1 for a Miss... No TV movies, just cinema releases to date.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008) (voice) .... Chloe MAYBE
Lucky You (2007) .... Billie Offer MISS
Music and Lyrics (2007) .... Sophie Fisher MAYBE
Curious George (2006) (voice) .... Maggie MAYBE
Fever Pitch (2005) .... Lindsey Meeks MAYBE
50 First Dates (2004) .... Lucy Whitmore HIT
Duplex (2003) .... Nancy Kendricks MISS
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) .... Dylan Sanders HIT
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) .... Penny HIT
Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) .... Beverly Donofrio HIT
Freddy Got Fingered (2001) .... Davidson's Receptionist MISS
Donnie Darko (2001) .... Karen Pomeroy HIT
Charlie's Angels (2000) .... Dylan Sanders HIT
Titan A.E. (2000) (voice) .... Akima MISS
Skipped Parts (2000) .... Fantasy Girl MISS
Never Been Kissed (1999) .... Josie Geller HIT
Home Fries (1998) .... Sally Jackson MISS
Ever After (1998) .... Danielle De Barbarac HIT
The Wedding Singer (1998) .... Julia HIT
Best Men (1997) .... Hope MISS
Wishful Thinking (1997) .... Lena MISS
Scream (1996/I) .... Casey Becker HIT
Everyone Says I Love You (1996) .... Skylar Dandridge HIT
Batman Forever (1995) .... Sugar MISS
Mad Love (1995) .... Casey Roberts MAYBE
Boys on the Side (1995) .... Holly Pulchik-Lincoln HIT
Bad Girls (1994/I) .... Lilly Laronette HIT
Inside the Goldmine (1994) .... Daisy MISS
Wayne's World 2 (1993) .... Bjergen Kjergen HIT
Doppelganger (1993) .... Holly Gooding MISS
No Place to Hide (1993) .... Tinsel Hanley MISS
Guncrazy (1992) .... Anita Minteer MAYBE
Poison Ivy (1992) .... Ivy MAYBE
Waxwork II: Lost in Time (1992) .... Vampire Victim #1 MISS
Motorama (1991) .... Fantasy Girl MISS
Far from Home (1989) .... Joleen Cox MISS
See You in the Morning (1989) .... Cathy Goodwin MAYBE
Cat's Eye (1985) .... Our Girl, Amanda (all segments) MAYBE
Irreconcilable Differences (1984) .... Casey Brodsky MISS
Firestarter (1984) .... Charlene 'Charlie' McGee MAYBE
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) .... Gertie HIT
Altered States (1980) .... Margaret Jessup HIT
HIT 17
MISS 16
MAYBE 9
So that's 258 points out of a possible 420
Drew Barrymore: you have scored (a perhaps surprising) 61.66%
If you dare make a purchase, you can do so here, allowing Chimpomatic to profit from her loss. Check back soon for more Star Status movie maths. Same Chimp Channel, same Chimp Time...
12th Feb 2009 - Add Comment - Tweet
Star Status: Quentin Tarantino
So, should we be getting excited about Inglorious Basterds or not? Let's see what the Chimpomatic Star Status Movie Maths Generator has to say about Quentin Tarantino's career so far...
Remember, it's 10 points for a Hit, 5 for a Maybe and 1 for a Miss... No TV movies, just cinema releases to date. NOTE: We're using the special QQQ factor on this one (Quentin Quality Qualifier), which allows the Generator to separate out his acting performance from the overall quality of the film.
Actor:
Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) .... Ringo MISS
Planet Terror (2007) .... Rapist #1/Zombie eating road kill MISS
Death Proof (2007) .... Warren MISS
Little Nicky (2000) .... Deacon MISS
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) .... Richard Gecko MISS
Dance Me to the End of Love (1995) .... Groom MISS
Four Rooms (1995) .... Chester (segment "The Man from Hollywood") MISS
Desperado (1995) .... Pick-Up Guy MISS
Destiny Turns on the Radio (1995) .... Johnny Destiny MISS
Somebody to Love (1994) .... Bartender MISS
Sleep with Me (1994) .... Sid MISS
Pulp Fiction (1994) .... Jimmie Dimmick MISS
Reservoir Dogs (1992) .... Mr. Brown MISS
Eddie Presley (1992) .... Asylum Attendant MISS
Writer/Director:
Death Proof (2007) (written by) MISS
Grindhouse (2007) (written by) (segment "Death Proof") MISS
Sin City (2005) (special guest director) HIT
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) HIT
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) HIT
Jackie Brown (1997) HIT
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) HIT
Four Rooms (1995) (written by) (segment "The Man From Hollywood") MISS
Natural Born Killers (1994) (story) HIT
Pulp Fiction (1994) (stories) (written by) HIT
True Romance (1993) (written by) MAYBE
Reservoir Dogs (1992) Director HIT
HIT 8
MISS 17
MAYBE 1
So that's 102 points out of a possible 260
Quentin Tarantino: you have scored 39.2%
Doesn't look like he's "acting" in Inglourious Basterds though, so it might be OK. If you dare make a purchase, you can do so here, allowing Chimpomatic to profit from his loss. Check back soon for more Star Status movie maths. Same Chimp Channel, same Chimp Time...
5th Feb 2009 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
iPhoto '09
I've got my mitts on a copy of the latest version of iPhoto - Apple's photo management software, and I'm loving it. It's got three great new bonus features: Maps, Syncing and Faces.
Geotagging has been picking up momentum for a while now - and with more and more phones and cameras coming with built-in GPS, it's only going to get bigger. Geotagged photos are now all pulled together on a map, with the co-ordinates reverse coded to show location names, allowing you to search for places and find photos taken there. Pretty nifty. Adding locations isn't a big feature yet, but any locations added in Flickr can be synced using the next new feature.
Just when PhotoCopy had launched their excellent Flickr syncing program, Apple have added Flickr-syncing to the mothership - and it works perfectly. Any set of photos can be used to create a Flickr set, which then uploads to your chosen account. Any changes made to the set or the photos (adding tags, changing title etc) are automatically updated online, and even more impressively any changes made online are synced back to the program.
With more and more services becoming available to run sophisticated photo sites using Flickr (1, 2, 3), anyone can now manage a detailed photo site using just iPhoto.
Here's an example using the Chimp surveillance data.
Finally, iPhoto now uses facial recognition. If you saw this on CSI you would dismiss it as implausible, but it actually works incredibly well. As you first set it up, it scans through your library and marks any faces it thinks it has found. You can then click these and add a name - and as the names build up, the program quickly suggests other photos with that person in. It's right maybe 70% of the time, which makes tagging these photos super easy. You can then search your library for a name, and bingo - all the photos of one person in one place. The tagged photos work pretty much like Facebook's photo tagging, so as expected you can now upload directly to Facebook, keeping all that data in place.
I wasn't intending this to sound like a software review, but there's no denying how it's turned out. The best photo management album out there just got way better.
CSF - 4.5 Stars
2nd Feb 2009 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
More Martyn
Dr Chimp passed on another sublime John Martyn moment... great bass from Danny Thompson here too
30th Jan 2009 - Add Comment - Tweet
Star Status: Nicole Kidman
I love to dance! Is her best film an ad? It's time to find out with this week's instalment of the Chimpomatic Star Status Movie Maths Generator!
Remember: it's 10 points for a Hit, 5 for a Maybe and 1 for a Miss... No TV movies, just cinema releases to date.
Australia (2008) .... Lady Sarah Ashley - MISS
The Golden Compass (2007) .... Mrs. Coulter MAYBE
Margot at the Wedding (2007) .... Margot MAYBE
The Invasion (2007) .... Carol Bennell MISS
Happy Feet (2006) (voice) .... Norma Jean MAYBE
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) .... Diane Arbus HIT
Bewitched (2005) .... Isabel Bigelow / Samantha MISS
The Interpreter (2005) .... Silvia Broome MISS
Birth (2004) .... Anna MAYBE
The Stepford Wives (2004) .... Joanna Eberhart MISS
Cold Mountain (2003) .... Ada Monroe MAYBE
The Human Stain (2003) .... Faunia Farley MISS
Dogville (2003) .... Grace Margaret Mulligan HIT
The Hours (2002) .... Virginia Woolf HIT
Birthday Girl (2001) .... Sophia, alias Nadia MAYBE
The Others (2001) .... Grace Stewart HIT
Moulin Rouge! (2001) .... Satine HIT
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) .... Alice Harford MAYBE
Practical Magic (1998) .... Gillian Owens MISS
The Peacemaker (1997) .... Dr. Julia Kelly HIT
The Leading Man (1996) .... Academy Awards Presenter MAYBE
The Portrait of a Lady (1996) .... Isabel Archer MISS
Batman Forever (1995) .... Dr. Chase Meridian MISS
To Die For (1995) .... Suzanne Stone Maretto HIT
My Life (1993/I) .... Gail Jones MAYBE
Malice (1993) .... Tracy Kennsinger MISS
Far and Away (1992) .... Shannon Christie MAYBE
Billy Bathgate (1991) .... Drew Preston MAYBE
Flirting (1991) .... Nicola HIT
Days of Thunder (1990) .... Dr. Claire Lewicki MAYBE
Dead Calm (1989) .... Rae Ingram HIT
Emerald City (1988) .... Helen MAYBE
Watch the Shadows Dance aka Nightmaster (1987) .... Amy Gabriel MISS
The Bit Part (1987) .... Mary McAllister MAYBE
Windrider (1986) .... Jade MISS
Wills & Burke (1985) .... Julia Matthews MISS
Bush Christmas (1983) .... Helen MISS
BMX Bandits (1983) .... Judy HIT
HIT 10
MISS 14
MAYBE 14
So out of a possible 380 that’s 184
Nicole Kidman: you have scored 48.42%
If you dare make a purchase, you can do so here, allowing Chimpomatic to profit from her loss. Check back next Thursday for more Star Status movie maths. Same Chimp Channel, same Chimp Time...
29th Jan 2009 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Just say NO...thanks
The Guardian have followed up a recent Chimp discussion on the downside to free daily newspapers.
Links
No thanks....I have a book to read
Tags
26th Jan 2009 - Add Comment - Tweet
Star Status: Hugh Jackman
He's lined up to play Wolverine again this summer, and is currently starring with Nicole Kidman in Australia - but how does Hugh Jackman rate in the Chimpomatic Star Status Movie Career Hitrate Generator?
It's 10 points for a Hit, 5 for a Maybe and 1 for a Miss... No TV movies, just cinema releases.
Australia (2008) .... Drover MISS
Deception (2008) .... Wyatt Bose MISS
Happy Feet (2006) (voice) .... Memphis MAYBE
Flushed Away (2006) (voice) .... Roddy MISS
The Prestige (2006) .... Robert Angier MAYBE
The Fountain (2006) .... Tomas / Tommy / Tom Creo MAYBE
Scoop (2006) .... Peter Lyman MISS
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) .... Logan / Wolverine MISS
Van Helsing (2004) .... Van Helsing MISS
Standing Room Only (2004/I) .... Roger MISS
X2 (2003) .... Logan / Wolverine ...HIT
Kate & Leopold (2001) .... Leopold MAYBE
Swordfish (2001) .... Stanley Jobson MISS
Someone Like You... (2001) .... Eddie Alden MISS
X-Men (2000) .... Logan / Wolverine HIT
Erskineville Kings (1999) .... Wace HIT
Paperback Hero (1999) .... Jack Willis MISS
HIT 3
MISS 10
MAYBE 4
So that's 60 points out of a possible 170
Hugh Jackman: you have scored 35%
If you dare make a purchase, you can do so here, allowing Chimpomatic to profit from his loss. Check back next Thursday for more Star Status movie maths. Same Chimp Channel, same Chimp Time...
Links
Stock up on Hugh Jackman's good 35% here!
Tags
22nd Jan 2009 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Playlist: John Frusciante Cheat-Sheet
With chimp hero John Frusciante's new record The Empyrean hitting the stores today, here's a quick cheat-sheet to guide you through the minefield that makes up his extensive back catalogue. Load up this list on your iPod and hit the road.
1. Going Inside (iTunes / Amazon MP3)
From To Record Only Water For Ten Days
2. The Afterglow (iTunes / Amazon MP3)
From A Sphere In The Heart Of Silence with Josh Klinghoffer
3. Regret (iTunes / Amazon MP3)
From Shadows Collide With People
4. Loss (iTunes / Amazon MP3)
From The Will To Death
5. Look On (iTunes / Amazon MP3)
From Inside Of Emptiness
6. This Cold (iTunes / Amazon MP3)
From Shadows Collide With People
7. With No One (iTunes / Amazon MP3)
From To Record Only Water For Ten Days
8. Scratches (iTunes / Amazon MP3)
From Inside Of Emptiness
9. Murderers (iTunes / Amazon MP3)
From To Record Only Water For Ten Days
10. The Will To Death (iTunes / Amazon MP3)
From The Will To Death
19th Jan 2009 - 10 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Star Status: Mickey Rourke
He's riding a wave of Oscar-ready comeback predictions for The Wrestler, but how does Mickey Rourke score in the return of the Chimpomatic Star Status Movie Maths Generator?
It's been a while since we had a go at this, so in case you've forgotten, here are the rules again: it's 10 points for a Hit, 5 for a Maybe and 1 for a Miss... No TV movies, just cinema releases to date. We add it all up, cross-reference the results with some complicated science bits, and hey presto! A comprehensive hit-rate analysis showing how much of their catalogue is actually worth watching.
The Wrestler (2008) .... Randy 'The Ram' Robinson HIT
Stormbreaker (2006) .... Darrius Sayle MAYBE
Domino (2005) .... Ed Mosbey MISS
Sin City (2005) .... Marv HIT
Man on Fire (2004) .... Jordan MISS
Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) .... Billy MISS
Masked and Anonymous (2003) .... Edmund MAYBE
Spun (2002) .... The Cook HIT
Picture Claire (2001) .... Eddie MISS
They Crawl (2001) .... Tiny Frakes MISS
The Pledge (2001) .... Jim Olstad HIT
Get Carter (2000) .... Cyrus Paice MISS
Animal Factory (2000) .... Jan the Actress HIT
Shades (1999) .... Paul S. Sullivan MISS
Out in Fifty (1999) .... Jack Bracken MISS
Shergar (1999) .... Gavin O'Rourke MISS
Cousin Joey (1999) MISS
Thursday (1998) .... Kasarov MISS
Point Blank (1998) .... Rudy Ray MISS
Buffalo '66 (1998) .... The Bookie HIT
The Rainmaker (1997) .... Bruiser Stone HIT
Love in Paris (1997) .... John Gray ... aka 9 1/2 Weeks II MISS
Double Team (1997) .... Stavros MISS
Bullet (1996) .... Butch 'Bullet' Stein MISS
Exit in Red (1996) .... Ed Altman MISS
Fall Time (1995) .... Florence MISS
F.T.W. (1994) .... Frank T. Wells MISS
White Sands (1992) .... Gorman Lennox MISS
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991) .... Harley Davidson MAYBE
Desperate Hours (1990) .... Michael Bosworth MAYBE
Wild Orchid (1989) .... James Wheeler MISS
Johnny Handsome (1989) .... John Sedley a.ka. Johnny Handsome / Johnny Mitchell MISS
Francesco (1989) .... Francesco MISS
Homeboy (1988) .... Johnny Walker MISS
A Prayer for the Dying (1987) .... Martin Fallon HIT
Barfly (1987) .... Henry Chinaski HIT
Angel Heart (1987) .... Harry Angel HIT
Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986) .... John HIT
Year of the Dragon (1985) .... Capt. Stanley White HIT
The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) .... Charlie HIT
Eureka (1984) .... Aurelio D'Amato HIT
Rumble Fish (1983) .... The Motorcycle Boy HIT
Diner (1982) .... Robert 'Boogie' Sheftell HIT
Body Heat (1981) .... Teddy Lewis HIT
Heaven's Gate (1980) .... Nick Ray MAYBE
Fade to Black (1980) .... Richie MAYBE
1941 (1979) .... Pvt. Reese MAYBE
HIT 17
MISS 23
MAYBE 7
So that's 212 points out of a possible 470
Mickey Rourke: you have scored 45.1%
If you dare make a purchase, you can do so here, allowing Chimpomatic to profit from his loss. Check back next Thursday for more Star Status movie maths. Same Chimp Channel, same Chimp Time...
Links
Consume some of Mickey Rourke's best 45.1% here!
Hey Mickey
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15th Jan 2009 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
New Frusciante
"It should be played as loud as possible and it is suited to dark living rooms late at night..."
Another outing from the hardest-working guitar player (in the Chili Peppers) - chimp hero John Frusciante has been blogging about The Empyrean, out on Jan 20 - maybe Obama will be chilling to it on his iPod before he gets sworn in. Nice to see that Flea's on there - and the idea of him jamming with Johnny Marr is all pretty exciting...
Track listing:
1. Before The Beginning
2. Song To The Siren
3. Unreachable
4. God
5. Dark/Light
6. Heaven
7. Enough Of Me
8. Central
9. One More Of Me
10. After The Ending
12th Jan 2009 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
We Misunderestimated Him Alright
amazing it's getting close to the last chance to wallow in the perverse joy of an idiot President's showland: good list of some of the best/worst Bushisms... (not sure if this will be the end of our namesakes over at chimp-o-matic.net)
9th Jan 2009 - Add Comment - Tweet
90210
Pilot
E4
Still got a lot of residual affection lying around for the original adventures of the 90s Peach Pit kids, so it was pretty interesting to see where they're taking this new reboot of the teen soap. It's set in the same universe, with Kelly (Jennie Garth) now a high school counsellor and the big sister of one of the new kids prancing around West Beverly High's catwalks halls.
A lot has changed in teen TV since the dawn of 90210 1.0 - Dawson's, Freaks And Geeks, The OC and most recently Gossip Girl have all pushed the genre way beyond BH's Dallas Jnr aspirations. In its day it was pretty much the only show around to show teenagers apart from Neighbours - now we've got used to seeing amplified angst played out in style, with studied indie soundtracks, and click-here, buy-now fashion tips.
In place of the Brandon and Brenda Walsh good kids from the sticks dealing with the madness of LA, we've got the Wilson family moving from Kansas. Dad Wilson is the new school principal (oh no! that won't be a problem for the kids!); Mom Wilson doesn't get on with Grandma Wilson; Wilson Daughter had a fling with one of the LA hotties a few summers ago, and he's now turned into a bit of a playa; Wilson Son is adopted and plays lacrosse.
Most of the fun in the first ep - apart from trying to work out if Jennie Garth really is Jennie Garth (where's that perky nose?!) - comes from watching the actors who are refugees from two chimp TV favourites. Jessica Walter seems to be replaying her excellent turn as Arrested Development's boozy matriarch Lucille Bluth, with her cocktails-for-breakfast grandma Tabitha Wilson. Even stranger to deal with is her adopted lacrosse-playing grandson - yes, it's corner kid Michael from The Wire (Tristan Wilds) - who somehow manages to refrain from popping a cap in anyone's ass, even when he gets well-bullied on the lacrosse field. Not a scenario that came up in Baltimore often.
It's probably not quite trashy or smart enough to really carve out a niche of its own in the current teen TV world, but may hold interest for a stumble-across-it hangover viewing. Shannen Doherty (star of 90s things like the I Hate Brenda Newsletter) shows up around ep5, so that's got to be worth checking back for.
Bonus Triv: check this totally 90s Eddie Vedder v Shannen Doherty showdown
1st Jan 2009 - Add Comment - Tweet
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Best Of 2008
CSF
It's been a pretty good year for music according to my ears, and I've struggled to prioritise my top 5. The fifth place provided the most struggle and I narrowed it down to two albums I've overplayed and am currently on hiatus from - TV On The Radio and Vampire Weekend. I suspect they will both remain firm favourites, but song for song I'm going to have to bump Vampire Weekend into 6th place. Other notable mentions go to No Age (fuzzed up easy listening), Silver Jews (these guys finally clicked for me), Tapes and Tapes (an uncut diamond marred by shoddy production), Tindersticks (a comeback I would have betted against), The Wedding Present (it's all fours) and White Denim (lo-fi grandeur).
5. TV On The Radio - Dear, Science
Building on all the promise of their previous records, this one delivered a pretty flawless set of songs, all building of each other and rising to a great finale.
4. Ladyhawk - Shots
"Ladyhawke is in the toilet, she'll be here in a minute" joked band leader Duffy Driediger, as the original Ladyhawk launched into an awesome show at the Borderline - cementing beer-swilling, hard-rocking second-album Shots into a place in my list. No frills rock, with a lot of personality.
3. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
On paper, this record had to stink. Who wants to listen to the same gags over and over again? In reality, every song provides a remarkable understanding of music history, picking just the right sounds to serve the story - with so many jokes you hear a new one every time. Never, ever fails to light up Chimp HQ on a dreary day.
2. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Another one that may have been temporarily overplayed, but this 70's throwback has been a pretty remarkable debut. Almost slipping unnoticed when it arrived in the office, it has been a solid player all year and I can't help but feel like it's greatness will soon be overshadowed by an even better follow-up. Unless they crack under the pressure.
1. Black Mountain - In The Future
Since it arrived on my desk in December 2007, In The Future has held the top spot for the year - and it still shows no sign of slipping. After a debut and a few side projects that paved the way, this was somehow exactly the record I expected and it never fails to impress me. Every note, every riff, every drum fill is just when and where I want it.
Some musical clangers for 2008: MMJ - Evil Urges (so disappointing), Weezer - Red Album, Breeders - Mountain Battles (only a semi-clanger), Kings of Leon - Only By The Night.
Best Songs: Portishead - The Rip, Port O'Brien - Close The Lid, Catfish Haven - Set In Stone, Fleet Foxes - Your Protector (for keeping BW running, if nothing else).
Best Gigs: Black Mountain rocked hard (again) at The Scala, Davin Berman's Silver Jews thoroughly proved their worth at ULU, Ladyhawk + The Dudes led the Canadian invasion at The Borderline, Oxford Collapse went under-appreciated at The Windmill and Jim James brightly shone a small light for the future of MMJ.
Live Clangers: Ween were truly disappointing.
Best Movies: In Bruges was a must-see despite an awful trailer, Iron Man andThe Dark Knight proved pretty solid superhero action, while This Is England and Dead Man's Shoes proved to be overlooked gems. Perhaps the biggest shock was the fact that the Sex And The City movie didn't totally suck - and in fact addressed the TV shows many shortcomings to make for a great movie.
Movie Clangers: Indiana Jones was as forgettable as you hoped it wouldn't be, while Somerstown didn't follow it's siblings in quality. There Will Be Blood did follow it's predecessors, with style over substance.
TV: The Wire came to a fantastic finale, Entourage continued to provide lifestyle envy, Breaking Bad took an original direction, Mad Men provided some slow-burning drama, while Summer Heights High provided some simple laughs. Undeclared and Freaks & Geeks finally caught my attention this year, wishing I'd caught both much earlier.
TV Clangers: Heroes just gets more and more contrived.
As a final note, headline of the year goes to chimpovich, regarding Men Called Him Mister's support slot for Foals in Madrid: "Band of Small Horses"
31st Dec 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 5 star reviewsMPFreeze
While you're waiting for the Queen's speech on Christmas Day, head over to Amazon for £3 worth of MP3's from their newly launched store. That will snag you one of several albums, including a couple that made this year's chimp top 5's. Enter code FREEMP3S at the checkout.
23rd Dec 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Bigger and Best
Forget the chimp top 5 charts, and head over to The Big Picture for their 3 part run-down of the year's best photographs.
UPDATE: Part 2 here, Part 3 here.
18th Dec 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
More From The Basement
Nigel Godrich's music show From The Basement is back on Sky Arts 1 in the UK this month (and on IFC in the US in Jan), with a pretty decent Chimp-friendly line-up - including some online stuff already from Fleet Foxes, Seasick Steve and White Denim. Think Later without Jools or an audience if you haven't seen it.
Weds 3rd Dec - Gnarls Barkley, Sparks, The Kills
Weds 10th Dec - My Morning Jacket, The Fall, White Denim
Weds 17th Dec - Iggy Pop, CSS, Shortwave Set
Weds 24th Dec - Radiohead, Andrew Bird, Fleet Foxes
Weds 31st Dec - The Raconteurs, Seasick Steve, Band of Horses
Weds 7th Jan - TBC supported by Mercury Rev and Terry Callier
1st Dec 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Song Of The Day: Volume V
thanks to Dr Chimp for reminding us of the genius of Martha and Rufus's dad...
28th Nov 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
NASA Launch
Pitchfork have got details of a comprehensive Chimp-friendly guest list lining up for NASA's Spacious Thoughts project*: Tom Waits, David Byrne, M.I.A., Karen O, Chuck D, Ghostface Killah, the RZA, Method Man, the late Ol' Dirty Bastard, KRS-One, Kool Keith, E-40, John Frusciante, George Clinton, Del the Funky Homosapien, the Cool Kids, Seu Jorge, Gift of Gab and Lovefoxxx. And that man Shepherd Fairey is on board for the first video... Stream the Kool Keith/Tom Waits double-act here
*that's NASA as in Sam "Squeak E. Clean" Spiegel and Ze "DJ Zegon" Gonzales. Not the space station dudes. that really would be awesome.
25th Nov 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Xmas Kick-backs
Why not throw a few bucks Chimpomatic's way this Christmas, by doing your Amazon shopping through our affiliate store. It's the Amazon you know and love and it's all shipped as usually, we just get a slice of the pie.
Spread the word and tell your friends - because a Chimp is for life, not just for Christmas.
14th Nov 2008 - 3 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
New Hitchcock in 2009
Chimp hero Robyn Hitchcock is touring the UK next year, with songs from his forthcoming album Goodnight Oslo, out on Valentine's day. Recorded with The Venus Three – Peter Buck (guitar) and R.E.M. mainstays Scott McCaughey (bass, vocals) and Bill Rieflin (drums) – and all-round legend Ryuichi Sakamoto.
February
Sat 7th GLASGOW, ABC2 £13.50
Sun 8th NEWCASTLE, Academy 2 £12.50
Tue 10th LEEDS, Brudenell Social Club £12
Wed 11th BIRMINGHAM, Glee Club £12.50
Thu 12th LONDON, Union Chapel £15
Fri 13th BURY, The Met £13.50
Sat 14th BRACKNELL, South Hill Park Arts Centre £15
Mon 16th BRIGHTON, Komedia £12.50
Tue 17th CAMBRIDGE, Junction 2 £16.50
Wed 18th BRISTOL, The Fleece £12.50
Thu 19th CARDIFF, The Globe £9
Robyn recently headed to the Arctic with the Cape Farewell project and Martha Wainwright, KT Tunstall, Jarvis Cocker, Feist and Sakamoto - must have been some jam.
12th Nov 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Van Bowl
Van Morrison's been pulling off his Astral Weeks set at the Hollywood Bowl - sounds like he's finally done the gig Dr Chimp and I have been dying to see. Roll on (and on and on) the DVD...
11th Nov 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
On The Beeches
Chimp-certified rockers Beeches are back in business this month - with a 10.15 slot at the Dublin Castle 26 Nov. £5 on the door.
6th Nov 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
R.I.P. Paul Newman pt2
They don't make the posters like they used to either: check these for some of our all-time Newman chimp favourites Cool Hand Luke, The Hustler, The Sting and Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid
27th Sep 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Screening Room
With more and more films embracing digital distribution - and the average cinema experience getting less capable of surpassing the chimp screening room experience - it's not surprising that YouTube is starting to seem like a good way to promote films.
With Wayne Wang releasing two films this year, one of which - The Princess Of Nebraska - is premiering at You Tube's Screening Room, a site which is already hosting a range of longer-format films. The plan is that the exposure from that will drive punters to the cinema to see Wang's other film, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers.
The Princess of Nebraska premieres on You Tube on October 17th. More details at Variety.
25th Sep 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Get Yourself On TV
An no, I'm not talking about that recent viral that was going around (above). Saysme.tv is a new service aimed at getting content distributed across cable access TV in the US, for as little as $6 for a 25 second spot. New York Times has the details.
11th Sep 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Email addicts?
Chimp HQ are moving towards this don't-answer-your-email-all-the-time position...
Links
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28th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Microseinfeld
It looks like chimp favourite Jerry Seinfeld is pocketing $10 million to feature in $300 million effort to make Microsoft seem cool again. A strange choice, as Jerry is a mac guy if I ever saw one - but maybe that's the point.
Larry won't be making an appearance, leaving the straight-man role to Bill Gates himself ...although Jerry has worked with straighter straight-men before.
22nd Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
2 of the promos that arrived at Chimp HQ today came up with the genre 'world' in iTunes. That's around 30% - a worrying trend?
21st Aug 2008
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Nirvana
Bleach
Sub Pop
THEN: Decent debut from Seattle scenesters that didn't make much of an impact until Nevermind's all-conquering success brought fans back looking for more.
NOW: Very much the sound of a band finding their feet (oh look there they are, inside our Chuck Taylors). Intimate production makes it sound like you're in the studio with them. A lot of Bleach (Negative Creep, Paper Cuts, Swap Meet etc) feels like heavy metal being played by punks who can't solo that proficiently, but still know their way around a riff. Which in a way is what grunge was really. Most of the tracks here are a lot heavier than the quiet-LOUD-quiet template they ripped off borrowed from Pixies later. Notable for having pre-Dave Grohl era drummers Chad Channing and Dale Crover in the band - they're solid, but nowhere near as tight as Grohl - confirming long-held chimp theory that a drummer is the key for a decent band to reach real greatness. Launches straight into their "singalong with the riffs" style of song writing with Blew; Floyd The Barber's a heavy sludgeathon; About A Girl is the only song that really sounds like "Nirvana" - clean guitars until the solo etc, a pretty poppy chorus riff - it's almost like an early Beatles track.
SUB POP SAYS: "These guys are gonna get big!"
KILLER TRACK: About A Girl
NEXT: 1990 - L7 - Smell The Magic
11th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
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