Week Ending 5th August, 2001	Page 2 1
Welcome !!!	posted 31 July 2001
Welcome to Film Cement!!! Yes, this is yet another addition to the already bloated ranks of webloggery. And, as the name suggests, this one will largely be devoted to interesting, amusing and informative articles about film and screen culture. Basically, this site has been set up as a tie-in with Celluloid Dreams, the weekly film program on Sydney underground radio station 2SER - 107.3FM. If you live in Sydney, be sure to tune into it on Mondays at 7pm. Apologies, for the relative primitiveness of the site - we're only in our infancy at the moment... But - trust me - things will improve... OK, let's get started.
Willy Sez : Free Me ?... Hell No !!!	posted 31 July 2001
Remember Free Willy, that saccharine-laced series about a boy who tries to liberate his best friend, a killer whale? Well, it turns out that the killer whale that starred in that series is less than enthused about the idea. His carers have recently tried releasing him into the wild, but each time he just heads straight back for the pen. It seems that he has become 'addicted to humanity'...
"That's Why the Earth is Doomed.." : Tim Burton Vs. the Internet	posted 31 July 2001
After a web site leaked the ending of Planet Of The Apes, Tim Burton dropped from the trees and delivered a deranged rant about this latest threat to humanity. 'We're killing ourselves and we don't even know it.' Uhh...Yeah. Whatever you say, Tim...
A.I. As A Butch Dyke Fantasy	posted 31 July 2001
My initial response to this article in The Village Voice was "What The..??", but then I read it and it turned out to be a cogent, well-written piece of queer film criticism. I don't know how Spielberg would take to being credited with creating the 'first butch lesbian hero', though... While we're on the topic, anyone know of any other good queer film articles or critiques?
Crackdown on "Satanic" Tolkein Fans	posted 31 July 2001
While the rest of the world works itself into a lather of anticipation over The Lord of the Rings, there is one corner of the globe where Peter Jackson can expect a less than favourable reception for his fantasy epics. In Kazakhstan, police repression of alternative lifestyles has now been extended to ardent fans of Tolkein who are regarded as 'being Satanists and conducting dark rituals'.
Sabre-Rattling, By George !!	posted 31 July 2001
It seems that George Lucas is a man who takes himself and his work a bit too seriously. Light sabres, for instance... A company in the States recently decided that 'Light Saber' would be an appropriate name for their range of laser-guided scalpels. George thought otherwise and told his lawyers to 'Use the Force' on them. His concern was that any deficiencies in the scalpels might 'tarnish' the image of his kids' toys... Which raises the question... Did George have similar misgivings when Ronnie Reagan named a dodgy missile system after one of his films?
It's Official : Tim Burton Will Burn In Hell !!	posted 1 Aug 2001
If you really care about your immortal soul, you will bookmark this site without delay... It's called the ChildCare Action Project and, among other things, it provides fundamentalist Christian movie reviews. New releases and old favourites are ranked on the 'WISDOM' scale (ie Wanton Violence, Impudence, Sex, Drugs, Offense To God, Murder) and the reviews are liberally spiced with appropriate Biblical passages... Tim Burton's newie has just been added to the site and cops a panning for its violence, references to evolution, and 'nude demon art'... Looks like unscrupulous netizens are the least of his worries...
Final Fantasy : The Technology Within	posted 2 Aug 2001
WARNING! HIGH LEVEL GEEKSPEAK - FOR TECH HEADS ONLY! Ars Technica have published an interview with the production team behind that CG extravaganza Final Fantasy. In it, they talk about the systems, applications and techniques employed in some detail, but fail to answer that nagging question... Why do the people in these movies still look like they're made of plasticine? Anyone got an answer?
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