Cayden Unboxes a Gun
A heart-stopping gun safety PSA: link.
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The Serpent
This is a new 8 hour mini-series, co-produced by the BBC and Netflix. It tells the real-life story of Charles Sobhraj- the notorious thief, con man, and killer- with an emphasis on the period in the mid-70s when he was active across the so-called ‘hippie trail’ in Asia.
It is a standout crime drama that is especially noteworthy for its top-notch production design. It conveys a very real feel of that place and time, and immerses you in the middle of it all. You can sense the dread that would have been felt by those who saw the cold-blooded, ruthless side of the man. You can feel the frustration of those who were tracking him, trying to get him arrested. It also paints a compelling picture of how he managed to evade the law for as long as he did. On the flip side, some viewers have found its non-linear narrative to be jarring.
Until now, if someone wanted to know more about Sobhraj, I recommended a somewhat less-known documentary, Sobhraj- Or How To Make Friends With A Serial Killer. Unlike The Serpent, it covers not only the period when he was most criminally active but also his time in jail in India and Nepal. If one can look past the rather quirky artistic choices, it is painstakingly researched and presents a very well-rounded view of the man. While I still recommend this documentary, I think that The Serpent serves as an excellent companion piece to it.
Here’s a link to the trailer of The Serpent.
Biden’s Repartee
A good-humoured exchange between Joe Biden and a Fox News reporter:
Fox News reporter: Mr President, what did you talk to Vladimir Putin about?
Joe Biden: You. He sends his best.
For those who need more context: link.
Explicit Background
Presuming this was not deliberate, it provides a good reason to check one’s background before going on air.
Boiler Woman and a Gentleman
Ideal Heating has a history of quaint commercials centred on ‘boiler intimacy’, so to speak. Its latest spot takes that idea to a new level, as it reimagines the final scene from An Officer and a Gentleman.
Never Forget What Really Matters
A safe driving campaign from Road Safety France that looks nothing like what you might expect. From the description:
No road hazard, no drama, no brutal crash that makes you jump out of your seat. Far from the feelings of fear and guilt often used in this type of communication, the new Road Safety campaign is a celebration of life.
After a gloomy year and as the French start to recover a greater freedom of movement, let’s bet love and happiness will be a stronger lever than fear to change people’s behaviours on the road.
Spot 1: Life is too sweet…
Spot 2: Life is more delightful…
Pro-Trump Lawsuit cites Lord of the Rings
It’s yet another lawsuit that challenges the legitimacy of Joe Biden as President. What makes it truly bizarre is that it references The Lord of the Rings to make its case, presenting a ludicrous comparison of the US with the fictional kingdom of Gondor.
During the course of the epic trilogy, the rightful King of Gondor had abandoned the throne. Since only the rightful king could sit on the throne of Gondor, a steward was appointed to manage Gondor until the return of the King, known as “Aragorn,” occurred at the end of the story. This analogy is applicable since there is now in Washington, D.C., a group of individuals calling themselves the President, Vice President, and Congress who have no rightful claim to govern the American People. Accordingly, as set forth in the Proposed Temporary Restraining Order, as a remedy the Court should appoint a group of special masters (the “Stewards”) to provide a check the power of the illegitimate President until this Constitutional Crisis can be resolved through a peaceful legal process of a Preliminary Injunction Hearing and a jury trial on the merits.
A legal website described the case as setting “a new floor for legal embarrassment in U.S. jurisprudence”. Someone else called it “the single most insane request” that he’d ever seen. The Guardian noted that while Trump’s diehard supporters are often accused of living in fantasyland, this case has surprised “even the most hardened observers of Trumpian strangeness”.
Joe Biden Airport Petition
In a cheeky new campaign, earlier this week, BrewDog petitioned the Scottish government to rename Glasgow Prestwick Airport. This is how the CEO of the firm explained the rationale on Linkedin:
Apparently, Donald Trump is scheduled to arrive in Scotland later this week. He always flies into Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
So, we decided to start a petition to rename this airport ‘Joe Biden International’.
People of Scotland, the petition is here: http://bit.ly/3bP1utz
At the time of posting, the petition had got over 10,500 signatures.
Congratulatory Warning
Statement by the Texas Attorney General to Joe Biden:
It might be worth mentioning that Mr. Paxton is being investigated by the FBI, following allegations of bribery and abuse of office made by some of his top deputies, a few months ago. More recently, he was in the news for a failed, frivolous lawsuit, that challenged Joe Biden’s election. He was also the subject of a post on this blog, around a month ago.
Find the One
The latest commercial from Book of the Month. That’s from the YouTube channel. If you catch it on TV, you’re likely to see this 30 second spot which doesn’t reveal who the advertiser is, until the end.
Da Vinci of Debt
Last week, New York’s Grand Central Terminal hosted, what was dubbed as the most expensive art installation ever. What made it so is probably more fascinating. It was put together using 2600 authentic, physical, college diplomas, borrowed from graduates across the US. Based on the average cost of a four-year college education, their total value was pegged at $470 million. According to the website, the idea behind it was “to call attention to the rising cost of a college diploma and the impact of college debt.”
Collective (2020)
This is an observational documentary that captures events leading from a fire at a Bucharest nightclub in October 2015. The fire resulted in 27 people dying and 180 being injured. Inexplicably, then, over the next four months, 37 of the injured died in hospitals. Collective gives us a front row seat to what really happened.
It follows a team of journalists at a sports newspaper, with a track record of investigative reporting. They took it upon themselves to uncover the truth behind the hospital deaths. Collective is largely made up of footage from sustained live access to those journalists: you see their investigations as they unfold.
It is a documentary of exceptional power, and one that plays out like a tense thriller. It is a gripping testimony to what fearless investigative journalism can accomplish. It is also a chilling reminder of the fragility of a democracy, and what callousness, corruption, and lack of government accountability can lead to.
Here’s a link to the trailer.
Reimbursable Body Armour
In the wake of what happened in Washington D.C., there has been a lot of talk of US lawmakers wearing body armour/ bulletproof vests to work. What I found especially notable was the additional emphasis on these being “reimbursable” expenses.
From a report in The New York Times:
In a memo that circulated on Monday, lawmakers were reminded that the purchase of a bulletproof vest was a reimbursable expense, as was security training.
And this is what Congressman Peter Meijer said to MSNBC:
Many of us are altering our routines, working to get body armor, which is a reimbursable purchase that we can make.
Happy British Fish
It may have been intended as a light-hearted remark but it was stupefying nonetheless, and in questionable taste. In response to a question about delays in fish exports because of post-Brexit fishing rules, the Leader of the UK House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, had this to say:
The government is tackling this issue and is dealing with it as quickly as it can. The key is we’ve got our fish back. They’re now British fish and they’re better and happier fish for it.
Australia to kill US pigeon that crossed Pacific
Extracts from a BBC report:
A pigeon that travelled across the Pacific Ocean is to be put down after running afoul of Australia's strict quarantine rules.
The bird reportedly went missing during a race in the US state of Oregon in late October, before turning up in Melbourne almost two months later.
But officials say the pigeon, which has been named Joe, poses a "direct biosecurity risk" to Australia's bird population and poultry industry.
It is not clear how the bird managed to make the 8,000-mile journey from the west coast of the US to southern Australia, but officials believe he is likely to have hitchhiked on board a cargo vessel.
Gladly Grilled
From an exchange between Piers Morgan and UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock:
Matt Hancock: I’m really glad that we’re able to send out food for those who receive free school meals when schools are in. I’m really glad that we’re able to do that when schools are out.
Piers Morgan: If you’re that glad- if you’re that glad- can I just ask you a difficult question. Why did you vote against it?
MH: Well, I’m really glad we were able to put it into place and…
PM: Yeah, but if you’re that glad about being able to put it into place– again– why did you, as health secretary, vote against this?
MH: Well… because… the reason that I’m glad now… is because we’ve been able to sort that out and put it in place.
PM: The reason you’re glad now is because you got shamed into it. Let’s be honest – you got shamed into it by a football player- a young football player with a conscience- who managed to prick the conscience of you and the government. Do you regret now- given how glad you are that it’s now happening- do you regret voting against it?
MH: Well, of course I’m pleased that we’re making sure that during this lockdown…
PM: That wasn’t the question. I just asked if you- I asked if you regretted it.
MH: But Piers…
PM: But hang on, it’s a very important question because you wouldn’t have done it without Marcus Rashford campaigning. My question for you is, given how glad you now are that it’s happening, do you regret voting against it? It’s a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
MH: Well, as I say, I’m really glad that it’s happening now.
PM: But do you regret it? Do you regret voting against it?
MH: Well… I’ll put it this way- in the first lockdown we took this action and now as you say, we’re in the second national lockdown…
PM: Health secretary, you only have to say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, whether you regret it. You either regret it or you don’t.
MH: Well, I’m really glad that the situation’s been resolved.
PM: So you regret- you regret voting against it.
MH: I’m really glad it’s been resolved and we’ve sorted it out. And I’m going to use my own words to describe my own feelings on this one.
PM: So you won’t answer the question.
MH: I said I’m answering the question and I’m really glad that we’ve sorted this out.
Trump’s Masculinity
It may be one of the strangest exchanges on television about Donald Trump. I can’t decide what about it was more odd: that the Fox News anchor chose to use the word “emasculate” in his question or that Trump’s spokesperson replied by making claims about Trump’s masculinity.
Anchor: With the social media crackdown, does he feel emasculated? Especially as he heads out of office?
Trump Campaign National Press Secretary: I wouldn't say emasculated. I mean, if— the most masculine person I think to ever hold the White House is the president of the United States.
Nappy New Year
Little Big Change has positioned itself as a diaper brand with “something to say”. In the new year, they are inviting parents to join in and say something about the year gone by, via their children. To be specific, they have to write ‘2020’ on their little ones’ diapers and post photos of them wearing that, on Instagram. In the words of the creative agency behind the campaign:
We can say that 2020 was a truly shitty year. To mark the occasion, Little Big Change decides to invite all child (sic) to profoundly express themselves on their year in diapers to the effigy of 2020.
A Playfully Scary Pitch for Pet Insurance
Pet insurance firm, Waggel, likes to describe itself as the “outlaw” of the industry: out to make the things simple and enjoyable. It seems that for its first TV commercial, it was looking for a way to express that idea. The result is an advert that is a light-hearted take on scary movies with references to Psycho and The Shining. Here’s a link.
RIP Michael Apted
I can’t think of many movie directors equally or more prolific, and with such a diverse and remarkable body of work. Personally, I’ve had a soft spot for a couple of his less-talked-about movies:
Gorky Park (1983)
- The ‘Chasm’ scene
Thunderheart (1992)
- Trailer
One Size Fits One
Your weight alone does not define your health: that’s the key message of a new campaign from fitness app, FitTrack. At its centre is this compelling video that shows people with a range of body types displaying astounding athleticism.
Turkish Govt. Travel Advisory
I can’t help noting the irony and the opportunism in this press release in response to “developments in the USA”:
We advise Turkish citizens in the U.S. to avoid crowded areas and places where protests are taking place.
The Isolated Cinema
Scandinavia’s biggest film festival is taking social distancing and remote viewing to an interesting extreme this year. While the festival screenings will all be online, there are some notable alternatives. Two iconic venues will be holding exclusive single-person screenings, for which one can apply on the festival website. But the ultimate offer is for The Isolated Cinema, set up on an inaccessible island.
From the website:
The Isolated Cinema on the island of Pater Noster is inaccessibly located at the very edge of the archipelago in one of Sweden’s most barren, windswept locations. One solitary film enthusiast will experience total isolation from the outside world. No phone, no family, no friends. Just you, the sea and the festival’s film programme with 60 film premieres. For seven days.
For seven days you will spend your time alone on the island where you will be given full access to the entire film programme at Göteborg Film Festival 2021. You will get supplies for seven days and be transported by boat to and from the island. But once there, it’s just you. And the films. During your stay, you’ll be able to talk about your experience in a video diary that the outside world can follow.
Here’s a link to the promotional video.
A BBC for all of us
The BBC gets creative in this new commercial that showcases its diverse programming range and indulges in ingenious wordplay with the BBC acronym.
Put 2020 Behind You
British ISP Plusnet wants you to literally do that. It has put out billboards that can be properly read only when viewed in your car’s rear view mirror.
Heineken- Billboard Bar
From Brazil: an addition to Heineken’s worldwide messaging that its zero-alcohol lager can be had anytime, anywhere.
A New Year’s Tail
From Denmark: a 10 hour long feature film for dogs, intended to calm them during the New Year’s Eve fireworks. Here’s a link to the concept video.
The Announcement
A comedy short about a family’s evening of sharing secrets. Running time: 7 minutes. Here’s a link.
Warner Bros. Trolled with Space Jam Prank
One the most awaited movie releases this year is Warner Brothers’ Space Jam 2, starring LeBron James. However, it appears that the studio omitted (or didn’t bother) to buy the rights to the domain name- ‘spacejam2.com’. Instead, that url has been acquired by a couple of creatives who are now prank trolling the studio.
They’re pitching it for “the totally fair sum of $1 million, or best offer”. To ensure that they are not forced to take down the site on the grounds of domain name squatting, they actually set up a jam company that is selling ‘Space Jam’. To publicise their offer, they’ve created an amusing video and even a ‘trailer’.
From the press release:
It is hoped that the website is scooped up by Warner Brothers executives as they plan to mount a goliath PR campaign for the highly anticipated sequel of Space Jam, starring LeBron James and Bugs Bunny and set for release in July 2021.
As an incentive, the makers have vowed to share profits of this sale with a charity of the purchaser’s choosing.
The idea behind the trolling is a collaboration between advertising creative Hunter Fine and commercial film director Peter Marquis, who have a history of creating viral pop culture.
Fine said: “Wow—Warner Bros must be so bummed to have missed out on this primetime URL that we bought for our Space Jam 2 spread. As humble jam makers, we feel bad. That’s why we're offering them the PR opportunity of a lifetime for the completely realistic price tag of $1M. You’d have to really hate charity and jam not to take this offer.”
From the website: