I finally got round to scanning in my latest drawing, as promised in an earlier post.

It was inspired by a pic in the How to Draw Zombies book, but apart from the original idea I ignored the book and kinda went my own way with it as I wanted to make it as disgusting as possible…

Click here for a bigger version.

I will hopefully have some more for you in the future, and will return with one of my usual more wordy blogs shortly.

I hate admitting I am wrong, and like to think it rarely happens, however I have to sheepishly admit that my very low expectations for the new Sherlock Holmes film proved unfounded. I am a huge fan of the books and have watched my favourite screen versions of these stories more times than I would care to admit, so I expect a lot from any new Holmes.

For me the definitive Holmes is Jeremy Brett, who played him in the excellent Granada series, which covered many of the Holmes stories till they were halted by Brett’s untimely death. While I have enjoyed other film and TV versions of Holmes, none have managed to match up to the characters, mysteries and settings I loved in the books in quite the same way as the Granada series. Worst yet, many film and TV versions seem to twist the Holmes character into an unrecognisable caricature, losing the brilliance that makes the stories so unique and the character of Holmes so fascinating.

I can’t help cringing when I see the character transformed into a straight laced old fuddy-duddy, a young Casanova or worst of all someone illogical. Of course some changes are to be expected in TV and films, and can sometimes be a positive thing, but with Holmes there is a very fine line between being creative and losing the character completely. I suspect that some film makers just see Holmes as a handy default detective type, without bothering to find out how unusual the original character really is. Instead they just throw a pipe and deerstalker at a character, and make sure he says “Elementary my dear Watson” at least once, as if misquoting the books is all it takes.

As much as I might grumble, it doesn’t actually matter if Holmes is young or old, smart or scruffy, romantically inclined or disinterested, drug addled or sober. What does matter however is his wit, his intelligence, his cold logic, his non conformity and his strangeness,… as without these he just isn’t Holmes. Of course, try as I might to keep an open mind, if I see a Holmes film where he is sticking his tongue in Mrs Hudson’s mouth or just acting in a way that I consider un-Holmsian I logically assume it will bear no relation to Holmes at all, and I have generally found this to be a fairly safe assumption.

So, you have probably gathered that I take exception to anyone “ruining” the Holmes character, and consider many versions to be an abomination for that reason. That probably makes me sound like a complete Holmes snob who hates change of any kind. In reality I don’t automatically hate anything different, hell I even liked Young Sherlock Holmes. I have just seen so many bad representations of Holmes that I can’t help expecting the worst.

So considering all this you can imagine how worried I felt when I heard Guy Ritchie was making a Holmes film, as I either haven’t enjoyed or felt inclined to watch many of his recent films. The fact that Robert Downy Junior was playing Holmes gave me a glimmer of hope, as I generally enjoy his performances, but overall I didn’t hold out a lot of hope that I would love this version.

Once I saw the trailers I was even more concerned. While the setting and scenery looked good, they managed to pick snippets that gave me cause for concern. Obviously a trailer can’t convey the whole movie, but a couple of unexplained fast-paced actions scenes and giggling at semi naked Holmes just screamed abomination to me. The trailer seemed to avoid showing much of the Holmes personality, which made it seem like more of a mindless action comedy than I had hoped for and less about the great characters.

So for the few months I have been dreading the film, but in the back of my mind was a lingering fear (or maybe hope) that I would be proved wrong. As more and more of my seemingly intelligent friends watched and enjoyed it, I felt compelled to find out for myself, so this weekend we swallowed our pride and sat down with semi-open minds to decide for ourselves.

I had already begun to suspect that we had got it wrong before the end of the opening credits, but after a few scenes I was sure of it. Yes they had changed Holmes and invented a new story, (loosely based on snippets from others). Yes, this version of Holmes is totally unlike Brett. Yes, they even made Holmes romantically involved… but somehow it still worked. While characters, lines and deductions were plucked from various books and changed to suit the story, the essence of those characters rang true, and I feel sure that the creators of this new version are fans of the books.

Most importantly of all I just can’t help liking this Holmes. He isn’t an exact copy of the character from the books, but he is still Holmes. He has plenty of exasperating strangeness, scorn for authority, deviousness, extreme intelligence and yet at the same time an ineptness and self destructive streak that forces those around him (most notably Watson) to try to take care of him. The deductive methods that Holmes uses in this film are reminiscent of the books, along with his insistence that data is essential and that cold logic is the only way to unravel a mystery.

Having read the books and watched the series as much as I have, I recognised countless lines of dialogue and story elements that have been taken directly from the books. I love the way they used so many references to the original stories, often using these elements in new and unusual ways, but still holding on to the basic truths of those facts and characters. Such as his love interest in the film, Irene Adler, who is based on a character who appeared in the Holmes story “A Scandal in Bohemia”.

Of course in the original story he wasn’t romantically involved with her, however she is the only woman who has ever outwitted Holmes and it’s clear that he has a great deal of admiration for “the woman”. They have changed the character a lot, and made her more of a professional criminal, but still use many aspects of the original character. Personally I don’t think it’s really necessary for Holmes to have a love interest (although I can see how it might be handy for dispelling any right wing discomfort at the close male friendship between Holmes and Watson). If he does have to have one though, Adler was the right choice.

The Watson character is also different, but still retains the essence of the man. Jude Law (who coincidentally played a stable hand in an episode of the Granada series), plays the long suffering Watson in this film. While he is more of an action Watson than previous versions, and certainly tried to stop Holmes from disrupting his life, he is still essentially the same decent chap, who puts himself at risk in order to help solve crimes and support his good friend. The set-up of is his engagement and his fiancée are different but still loosely based on the character and situation found in the original stories.

I am not going to say the film is flawless, I would probably have enjoyed seeing more of Holmes and Watson dynamic and could have lived without some scenes. The mystery could have been a bit more well mysterious, and they could have made it less obvious who the bad guys were. While many of the action scenes were brilliantly done, I can’t help thinking some of the fight sequences just went on a bit too long. As clever as the way he dealt with fights was, I think I might have prefered to watch him use his brains on clues and deduction. However, despite those minor niggles, I can’t deny that I really enjoyed watching it, and I have no doubt I will do so again.

Of course, Jeremy Brett is still my favourite on-screen Holmes of all time, but I am surprised to say Robert Downy Jr. is far from the worst. It’s definitely worth giving this Holmes a chance, but do yourselves a favour and check out the Granada series too. Most importantly, if you haven’t read the books for a while (or at all), take the time to rediscover and enjoy the original Holmes.

Last week I received a strange, somewhat threatening, private message on a forum I frequent, which claimed the sender had paid 250 Euro for my medical and mobile phone records and was threatening to post them. Considering I have openly written about my fairly mundane medical problems and barely use my mobile, I really couldn’t give a toss who sees this information, but I must admit that the fact that someone would create an account just to send me these weird messages was a little freaky. They added to the freak factor by sending a further message with “proof” that they had my records, such as my middle name and details of local health authority.

As any of this information could have been found on old threads or public profiles I wasn’t convinced. I was however a little disturbed that someone had gone to the effort of creating an account just to mess with me and had spent that much time researching my personal details. Of course, if I didn’t share as much information, or spend as much time on the internet, this situation could not have come about. However, I would hate to let some anonymous oddball prevent me from sharing harmless information, or make me worry about being open on public sites or forums.

They were making the bizarre request that I resign as moderator of the forum or they would “tell the world what a wreck you are”. A odd request as I am far too busy (okay lazy) to do any moderation and I am fairly sure the world doesn’t care how wrecked I am. I decided to call their bluff, reported them, and started a thread explaining the situation (and that I didn’t give a crap if they wanted to share my details). I have not heard anything further since and arranged for account deletion.

At the moment I have no idea who it might have been, and depending on their level of sneakiness, I suspect we will never know. It might just be some random forum troll, who decided to pick on me after hearing that I was unwell, hoping it was something I wanted to hide. It might be someone I know well and have fallen out with, posting a nonsense threat in order to conceal their identity. It might be someone who mistakenly thinks I banned them, or deleted their posts. Most likely it’s a stupid joke from a forum user with too much time on their hands, who either hasn’t thought, or doesn’t care, about the consequences.

Whatever or whoever it is, I’m not going to waste much time worrying about it or change the way I interact with people on the web. While I couldn’t help finding the messages a little disturbing, the threats don’t worry me at all, as I have no deep dark secrets or hidden medical problems to reveal, and the only embarrassing truth to be found in my mobile phone records is the fact that I spend way too much of my credit entering the gadget show competition.

While I won’t claim to have enjoyed receiving such confusing threats, and wondering who sent them and why, I won’t let it reduce my trust in internet based friendships or interaction, as the benefits outweigh this silliness by a mile. The way all my friends reacted to this situation, and the way they have been supportive many other times, is all the proof I need that the good outweighs the bad.

I have been an avid internet user pretty much since it was available, and frequently enjoy forums, newsgroups. social networking sites like twitter or facebook, blogs and chatrooms. Over the years I have made a number of friends online, some of whom I have met and some I haven’t. Strangely this doesn’t matter as much as you might imagine and I consider some people that I have yet to meet (due to location), as close friends.

I have however, met up many internet friends over the years, some locally and many on trips to the US. When I have told family and friends that I am going to meet, or even stay with, people I have never actually met before, they are often confused or concerned. Sooner or later somebody will ask “but what if you hate them?” or even “what if they turn out to be murderers”. Of course I can’t guarantee that they won’t be (although it’s highly unlikely), just like I can’t guarantee the same thing for people I meet in normal life.

Of course these days social networking sites like facebook and twitter have made online interaction a more normal thing, but there is still some residue of suspicion and mistrust that lingers in people’s minds, sometimes just leading to silly assumptions like ‘there are no real women online’, but sometimes causing suspicion where there need not be any. Of course you have to use common sense online, just as you would in real life. You probably wouldn’t randomly invite complete strangers into your home, or lend money to someone you had no reason to trust, and it isn’t hard to use the same sort of logic and sensible reserve on the internet.

People may try to present on a false persona in the virtual world, but if you communicate with someone for long enough you will generally get a fairly accurate impression of who they are. The truth is, if you make friends with people on the internet you may encounter a few disturbed people or even just arseholes. Just as you might in the non-virtual world. Over the years I have been involved in a few difficult situations and have had to make the decision to avoid some people. Sometimes difficult people or relationships are easier to spot and avoid than others. There will always be unpleasant trolls on forums, who go out of their way to be hurtful to people. They can be tiresome but are ultimately unimportant, as they are easy enough to spot and ignore. Far less frequently I have considered someone to be a friend, only to discover that they have been untruthful, manipulative or just have the kind of needy or disturbed personality that leads to a bad friendship.

While it may be slightly easier to deceive online I no more blame the internet for this than I would blame the telephone when someone called me up with bad news. For whatever reason, most likely their own issues, some people will abuse friendships and hurt others. As sad and difficult to deal with as this might be, it’s not a good enough reason to avoid all the positive results of giving people your trust. If you are sensible and take your time you can make firm friendships, but even the best of us can make bad choices or misjudge people. However once you have realised that your trust in a person is misplaced it should be possible to maintain a polite distance or even block them totally in the virtual world.

So, while I has clearly brought the topic to mind, I won’t allow some silly anonymous threats, or any other unpleasant encounter to bother me too much. I will just try to avoid untrustworthy, malicious or overly dependant people as much as possible, but otherwise enjoy my current and future internet based friendships.

As a confirmed life-long computer nerd I have been been active online for many years, but only recently I have started to feel like part of a growing network of geeky girls. This is partly thanks to twitter, but mostly due to Geek Girls Network™ and it’s enthusiastic (and of course geeky) creator, @geekgirls (Kristin Rielly).

I have previously made female friends online, but I had never before encountered a platform that was so welcoming and comfortable for girls who are geeks. It’s too easy for the female minority to get drowned out on mostly male forums, and it can prove hard to be yourself when constantly confronted with either flirtation or abuse. The other option was girly forums, which are well.. girly. Great if you want to talk about fashion, weddings, soaps*.. or whatever it is normal chicks talk about… but for those of us with traditionally “boyish” hobbies nothing could be more nightmarish.

(* as you can see I have no clue)

Twitter definitely made a big difference by introducing me to lots of women with similar interests. Realising that there are plenty of girls who don’t find geekiness odd is a welcome surprise, which has lead me to lots of info, laughs, links, blogs, events and friendships. I’m not saying that I only want to talk to girls just like me, geek boys are great too (I even married one), and I will even be friends with non-geeks. It’s just a welcome change to have things in common with so many women, and it’s kind of nice to feel like part of a group.

Since joining twitter and therefore discovering Geek Girls Network™ I have found and made friends with far too many great ladies to list. These smart, funny, passionate and knowledgeable women post about a range of topics including games, action movies, sci-fi, music, comics, food, technology, design and all things nerdy. Through these women I have found countless great sites and blogs devoted to the things I love, which has encouraged me to post plenty of geeky nonsense here and submit content to geekgirlsnetwork myself.

GGN Badges:

The Geek Girls Network™ was created almost by accident, but has evolved into a thriving community due to demand and enthusiasm from it’s members. In early 2009 Kristin, set up the @geekgirls twitter account to share with a friend. The friend was otherwise engaged, but luckily for us she decided to continue posting as @geekgirls. Due to her great tweets, the effort she put in and the simple genius of the name she quickly became friendly with plenty of similar minded women on twitter and realised geek girl related content was in demand. Seeing the potential, Kristin launched the Geek Girls Network™, a blog site devoted to all things geeky with content supplied by  .. you guessed it.. geeky girls.

Us gals were clearly just waiting for such a platform, as the site quickly filled with great content supplied by a variety of women, and an appreciative audience of both male and female geeks developed. Since it’s launch the site has continued to improve and has benefited from a great new design, fun competitions, a growing network and great content. It’s a great platform for any suitable blogger looking for a new audience, geek girls who don’t have a blog of their own but have something to share, and anyone who wants to be part of a group that shares their interests.

I have watched the site and network develop over the last few months, enjoying the content, the introductions to great women and links to many great geek sites and resources. I submitted my own article,  Top 10 Women Comic Book Characters, which got lots of links, retweets, comments and was even discussed on the Forbidden Planet blog. Although it was a little scary, I really enjoyed sharing my writing and opinions with a different audience. I love being part of a group or girls that share my interests, and I can’t wait to decide on my next possible submission. I would recommend taking part to any geek girls out there, in whatever way suits you. Be it submitting an article, promoting the site, displaying a GGN badge, commenting on posts or most importantly, reading and enjoying the site.

I have no doubt that @geekgirls will continue to improve the site, and with support from the group will provide plenty of new content and ideas. Personally I would like to thank her for all the hard work she has put into setting it all up, maintaining the site, promoting the the network and generally being one of my favourite geek girls. Here’s to a great year for girls who are geeks and the Geek Girls Network™!

I never make new year resolutions, as I don’t really get the point of waiting for a random date to change something or fix a problem. However having shunned the resolution rush for my whole life I decided it might be fun to use them in a fun way. With this in mind I am giving myself a few geeky challenges for the year ahead, making 2010 the year of the nerd.

I’m not talking about actual meaningful life changes or personal problems, I will keep them between me and my cat. Instead I plan to try out all the fun, geeky hobbies I have failed to make time for till now or haven’t enjoyed for too long. Most of us humans are busy, and it’s way too easy to put things off, especially frivolous, nerdy fun. So in the interest of keeping the geek spirit alive I’m going to drag myself off the couch and indulge in a bit of geeky time-wasting.

The first hobby I would like to devote more time and attention to is art/illustration. Now that might not immediately seem geeky, but as I explained in a previous post I am determined to improve my illustration skills in order to create awesome comic book style images, drawings of zombies and other such stuff. I don’t expect to become a world famous artist or use it for anything useful other than the occasional website, but I enjoy doing it. If can gain some handy skills along the way then that’s a bonus.

My next challenge also involves a bit of artistic ability as it involves painting models/miniatures. I have always loved the look of Games Workshop’s Warhammer models and fantasy battle games, but have never taken the time to try painting some myself and trying the games. My husband painted and played a little when he was younger and has been missing it, so we have decided to buy a small set of models and paints to give it a try. If we get round to painting them and have enjoyed it we will get a few more.. and a few more.. till eventually we can totally nerd out and play the full game. I hope all the 8 year old kids hanging out in Games Workshop are prepared for defeat.

To find out more read the Getting started with Warhammer guide from Games Workshop. We will be painting our first small set this weekend, so assuming they are not too embarrassingly bad I will update you with the end result.

On the subject of games, I am also keen to spend more time enjoying all the great board games we have and hopefully find a few more gems. If you haven’t played much beyond Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit you are missing out, as there are countless brilliant and involved games or serious board game geeks. The only problem is that many of the best games, such as RISK, have a steep learning curve and can take hours to complete. So you have to clear your schedule in order to play them. A great way to fit board games into your social life is playing in game friendly pubs with friends, or even join a local scrabble club and play with other word nerds.

Here is some (speeded up) footage of me beating Adam at RISK 2210 A.D.

Games I would recommendation include RISK(s), Munchkin, Race for the Galaxy, Carcassonne, Scrabble, Puerto Rico, Pandemic… and tons more. Look out for a full post on my favourite boardgames, coming soon to a blog near you! In the meantime visit www.boardgamegeek.com for lots of great board game information.

Of course there are also games of the electronic variety, but I must admit that after many years of being an obsessive gamer I have hardly picked up a controller for the last few months and my current pc is incapable of running any game produced in the last few years properly. Apart from the reasonably priced Wii I don’t even have any of the latest consoles, which is bizarre considering how many old ones I still own.

Lack of funds has helped delay my purchase of newer consoles/computers, but I suspect that years of Tetris, Tekken, Resident Evil, Counter Strike and hundreds of other games finally caught up with me… then a few months of Warcraft was the nail in the coffin. So I have had a gaming break for a bit, but my fingers are starting to itch and I am eager to get hold of a PS3. I know they are more expensive, but my tiny hands just love their controllers and even if it does suck I know I have to try them out on the new tekken.

Our WoW characters hiding from scary people in a pond

When it comes to reading that isn’t something I ever take a break from, as novels are like food to me, so I like to consume them daily. I would however love to settle on an e-reader I like and try to get into virtual books, as my house it starting to creak under the weight of all the fiction we have stuffed into it. Failing that I might join the local library and make every effort to remember to take my books back on time… although I suspect I will struggle with that.

I couldn’t live without music, but over the last few years I have found myself sticking to the same old safe stuff instead to taking the time to check out new bands. Part of the problem is the sheer, overwhelming volume of great music available these days .

You can listen to countless great signed and unsigned bands online, which is brilliant, but it’s impossible to give your attention to it all. However I don’t want to be one of those people who stops listening to new music and complains that it’s all just noise, so I will endeavour to give more new stuff a chance this year. Luckily there are many ways to get recommendations or see what your friends are listening to, such as last.fm, which should help filter out the rubbish a bit.

On top of enjoying all these fun nerdy hobbies I hope to keep an open mind and absorb as much nerdy data as possible, including films, music, art, comics, technology, code, design, humans, life, the universe and everything.  I’m always keen to try new things, so if you have any suggestions for new challenges let me know.

Now I better go draw a zombie while listening to new music, watching a classic movie, reading new scientist, playing a board game and learning how to yo-yo. I may be some time.

While I  have always enjoyed making an occasional sketch I have never thought of myself as that artistic when it comes to drawing, mostly because I don’t have the basic skills needed.

So while I might luck out and draw an occasionally okay looking realistic style cat or person, I have never had the ability to just pick up a pencil and draw a cool cartoon or comic book style image. As a fan of comics this is the style I would most love to master, and as a web developer/designer I can see countless benefits to improving my illustration skills.

For some reason my fella thinks that I have  potential (plus he wants some kinda illustration slave), so he got me a book on how to draw zombies for Christmas. I have tried a few of the drawings so far, and they have come out looking decent.  I have really enjoyed it, so plan on getting similar books on comic and anime drawing so I can continue to improve my skills.

I know I can copy well, but what I don’t know is if I will be able to use this experience to create brand new images that don’t look weird or a bit crap. Assuming I don’t get bored, or realise my time is better spent elsewhere, I shall post my efforts over the next few weeks. Feel free to comment or criticise, as that is the only way I will learn not to suck.

Here are a few I have made using the book…

Zombie guy again from memory…

Victim chick…

..and my favourite, apron guy..

For reference here are some random drawings from the past…

Gramma..

Odd picture of a cat without a face (because the cat ran away)

Link to strange drawing of a lady giving birth to another lady out of her vagina.

I shall add more to this post tomorrow,  and update you with my efforts over the coming weeks.

While I love plenty of worthy or intellectual films, heavy science fiction or discovering foreign gems, I still have a soft spot for traditional feel good family flicks, especially at this time of year. As much as I love to be challenged and surprised by movies, there is definitely room for more familiar, sentimental films, the kind of films that appeal to your inner child and sentimental nature.

Part of the charm of these festive family films is the fact that we do know what to expect. Of course they all may differ in style or story (well sometimes they do), but we can be fairly sure that the good guys will win in the end and someone will learn all about love and the true meaning of Christmas or some other such sentimental nonsense.

If I sound a little scornful I am simply mocking myself, as I unashamedly adore some of the cheesiest sentimental Christmas claptrap out there. Despite the cheese (or maybe even because if it) I do believe that there are some really brilliant films in this genre, with truly some truly great performances. We all have our favourites, the ones we watched as a child till the Betamax tape wore out, or films that make a regular appearance on Xmas time TV, but for me the best of the Christmas films all come from the best Christmas story ever penned… A Christmas Carol.

If you haven’t come across Dickens’s festive tale in some format I will be highly surprised, as it is the basis for countless Christmas themed films, TV shows and Simpson’s episodes. While the Patrick Stewart version is probably my favourite, I love many others including Blackadder’s Christmas Carol, Scrooged, the original film version and even The Muppet Christmas Carol. While I know the tale and it’s message inside out I always enjoy a new take on it, and will never tire of the underlying message of Christmas joy and love that oozes through the story.

At this time of year I am always compelled to watch Tim Burton’s gorgeous stop motion feature film, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Like all the best Christmas stories it combines the spooky and the festive to create a magically rich fantasy. This film has it all, great music and stunning visually. Memorable characters with plenty of humour and emotion. Plenty of lessons to be learned about friendship, love, romance and that good old meaning of Christmas. The Nightmare Before Christmas manages to combine traditional festive imagery with great new ideas and characters to create an instant classic, which will no doubt be a part of Christmas viewing for generations to come.

There are a number of Christmas films I grew up watching year after year, and even the worst of them will put me in a festive mood. The most memorable from my childhood would have to be Gremlins, Santa Claus: The Movie and (as mentioned earlier) Bill Murray in Scrooged.

Gremlins is a really bizarre yet fun 80’s comedy horror which conveniently takes place at Christmas time in small town America. An eccentric dad gets his son a strange fluffy creature as a Christmas gift, and unfortunately the innocently adorable Mogwai inadvertently spawns a huge pile of badly behaved little monsters (or Gremlins) that proceed to spread festive havoc throughout the town. In addition to being a great example of 80’s comedy the film certainly conveys the Christmas spirit. It has all the required elements, from romance to learning the meaning of Christmas, and also the most bizarre accidental Santa based death anecdote of all time. Yes you heard me right… our love interest lost her enjoyment of the festive season after her Dad got stuck up a chimney pretending to be Santa and rotted there for a few days before they realised. Festive or what?

Scrooged is another great 80’s film starring the incomparable Bill Murray. Based on A Christmas Carol, Murray has become a selfish and greedy man who doesn’t care about Christmas or indeed other people, but after visits from a corpse and some ghosts he regains his love of the the festive season and kindness in general. This of course leads to romance, general merriment and the sense that everything will be alright as long as we get into a merry mood. If you have ever thought “I love Ghost busters but I wish it was more Christmasy” then this is the film for you. Okay so it isn’t as good as Ghost Busters (what is?), but Murray gives a great performance in this festive feature, making it worthy of any Christmas viewing schedule.

Then we have Santa Claus: The Movie, an unashamedly festive film which explores the Santa Claus myth. As cheesy as it might seem now, my young self was completely enchanted with this movie, as like most children the idea of Santa, his elves, the workshop and flying reindeer was the perfect festive fantasy. I haven’t seen this film for many years, as I fear it may be a bit over the top for my adult self, but I will always have fond memories of this film and how much I enjoyed it.

Of course there are plenty of other great Christmas movies including the traditional It’s a Wonderful Life, the less typical Die Hard (which unfolds on Xmas eve), or more recent festive features like ELF or Polar Express. There are also plenty of films that are not specifically Christmas themed, yet are watched frequently over the holidays, such as The Sound of Music, The Great Escape or countless Bond Films. I am also fairly partial to a good TV Christmas special, and last year was thrilled by Crooked House, a spooky Christmas treat from Mark Gatiss and the BBC.

I’m always eager to discover and enjoy plenty of great new festive films this, so please share your favourites in comments. If you haven’t seen any of the films I have mentioned above do yourself a favour, snuggle up in front of them with your loved ones and let your inner child enjoy the festive fantasy before it’s too late.

As the year draws to a close I have been contemplating my choices for the best books, films, TV shows and comics I have encountered this year. I always find these kinds of decisions hard, but when it comes to this year’s films I have no hesitation is recommending Moon, a brilliant science fiction thriller from director Duncan Jones.

The film is based, unsurprisingly on the Moon, and features Sam Rockwell as a solo employee for Lunar Industries nearing the end of his 3 year stint on there. Sam’s only company comes in the form of GERTY, a robot companion voiced by Kevin Spacey, and communications with the outside world and his wife on earth are limited to infrequent recordings.

We begin by learning that Sam has only 2 weeks left of his contract and is eager to return to his wife and the daughter he has not yet met. We also soon discover that he is experiencing strange hallucinations and seems unwell, perhaps from the strain of 3 years of confinement and solitude. His behaviour starts to seem erratic, the hallucinations distract Sam during a routine rover excursion, and he awakens in the infirmary to discover that he has been in an accident.

From this point things get even more interesting, but as a person who hates spoilers I am loathe to give any further details away. Just trust me that it’s bloody brilliant! Suffice to say that Sam experiences thrills, challenges and confusion regarding his situation, the company he works for and indeed the very nature of his existence. Throughout the film Sam uncovers amazing secrets while facing up to his own nature, personality and even his mortality.

I can’t really say enough good things about this film. Firstly, and probably most importantly the story is great and some of the ideas are truly original. As a regular movie watcher I often find myself smugly guessing exactly what will happen next in a film, how the story will play out or how particular characters will react with eerie accuracy. Moon however, had plenty of twists, turns and surprises. While the story was clear and easy to follow it wasn’t at all obvious what was going to happen next, which I found quite refreshing.

For me Moon appeals to and also captures the spirit of our generation in more ways that one. Reminiscent of great sci-fi films of my youth, such as Silent Running, I immediately felt at home within this fictional universe. The addition of a few familiar pop culture references such as the flowbee or the Chesney Hawkes alarm clock not only provided some comic relief, but also made me feel like this was a film for the likes of me, the kind of person who loves both classic sci-fi and laughing at infomercials.

Here is the official trailer…

Moon Trailer

Of course the story was just the start. The acting was great. Rockwell was entertaining and engaging and managed to get across a range of personality traits that would defeat many other actors. Spacey managed to make a voice only role memorable and as stuffed full of personality as you could imagine the voice of a computer being. It says a lot about the quality of the actors and the film in general that you quickly forget that there is barely anyone else in it, as despite the small cast it lacks nothing in terms of talent and character.

Acting and story aside Moon looks brilliant, proving once and for all that throwing lots of money at a film isn’t the only option. Amazingly Moon was made on budget of $5 million, which is incredibly small for a film that looks so great. Jones managed this by limiting the cast, using studios and models and no doubt plenty of blood, sweat, tears, talent and sheer determination.

On top of the great job he did creating the film, Jones has also put a lot of time and effort into letting people know about it, online as well as in more traditional media. Although I had heard some things about the movie I became far more interested after reading his tweets and his website. After hearing so many great things I made an effort to see it as soon as possible after release, and certainly wasn’t disappointed. I have no doubt that his approachability and enthusiasm, both on his website and on twitter have helped contribute towards his success. While it must be frustrating for film-makers who know that their movies are being downloaded it’s great to see a director using the internet to their advantage, and I hope it has paid off.

So that’s it.  My favourite film of the year. Normally I find it very hard to limit myself to one, but this year Moon was a clear winner and I have a feeling it will be near the top of my list for many years to come. I have tried not to give too much of the film away here, as I have spoiler phobia, but I urge you to check it out yourself. For me, it really is one of the best new films I have seen in ages, of any genre.

I can’t wait to see what Jones comes up with next.

NOW GO BUY MOON!

I have been suffering with horrible bloggers guilt over the last week or so, partly because I haven’t had much spare time or energy (yes, I have been ill again) but mostly because no topics have leapt out at me.  With blogging sometimes the ideas come thick and fast, and I end up making lists of ideas for later or even writing 3 posts in a day, but for the last week or so I just can’t think of any topics to get enthused about or decide where to focus my efforts.

I guess I have hit a patch of bloggers block… I hope it’s that and I just haven’t run out of things to say finally. How tragic if I have squeezed out every last drop of humour and personality out into this blog and am now just an empty husk. I don’t think so though, I mean that whole husk thing was hilarious.. right?

Aaaaanyway… I’m not sure if I haven’t got any good ideas right now, or if I just lack the energy to tackle even the most exciting topic in my poorly state. Either way I am aware that my blog hasn’t been updated much at all lately, and whenever I try to get my arse in gear I struggle to settle on a subject and end up writing a few unenthusiastic lines on a random topic then giving up.

I guess part of the problem is the vagueness of my blog. It can be geeky, techy, personal or opinionated and covers whatever topics are on my mind from my favourite comics through to my opinions on tabloid newspapers or recent events.  I love the fact that I am able to write about anything and everything, as normally it just means I have more content, but it does mean that I have no real idea what you, my lovely reader expects or enjoys from this blog.  As much as I would never want to restrict myself, I suspect that knowing which posts people enjoyed most would help focus my energies in the right areas.

So I guess, in addition to rambling on as usual, I am asking for your help. I want to know how you see this blog and which kinds of posts stand out as he most entertaining. Do you like the posts that are more or less impersonal? Do you enjoy the reviews or do you never want to see a top 10/20 list ever again? Do you find the randomness of the content annoying or entertaining? Are there any topics that you would like to see more (or less) of?

Of course I know I am being unfair as a lot of you do give me feedback often, both here in comments and on twitter, which is always greatly appreciated. To be honest I am just being cheeky and hoping a bit of general feedback will help spark my creativity and help me out of this blogging slump.

Phew, that wasn’t so hard. I will endeavour to just make myself post more, even if it’s just to say I haven’t got anything to say.

Oh and just in case any of you are feeling low on festive feeling, here is a lovely xmas themed picture of Mothra the cat…..

Merry Mothra

Christmas is coming, which means that many of us will be wondering about gifts for our friends, relatives or partners. When it comes to your great Auntie Mavis I can’t really help you,… something that smells of lavender maybe? However as a lifelong geek, with many other geeks in my life, I have a few tips and suggestions that should help you pick the perfect gift(s) for geeks.

Research is the most important thing, and will certainly pay off. Most geeky types will have an online presence, so checking their blog, amazon wishlist, facebook, myspace or any other social networking profiles is a great way of finding out what they are into. Failing that, a few conversations on their favourite books, films or comics will certainly give you a few ideas.

Now on to the specifics…

Gadgets

Geeks just can’t get enough of gadgets and as boyish as they might seem to others, geek girls love gadgets too… and not just hair straighteners or electronic make-up applicators (do they even exist outside of my head?).

However much you want to spend, there will be plenty of gadgets for you to choose from. If you want to really treat them you can spoil them with the latest new phone, netbook, camera, massive TV… well you get the idea.

If you are unsure when it comes to gadgets check out the comprehensive reviews and best buy guides on The Gadget Show’s great website. Any UK based geeks should also check out the show on Five Monday nights at 8pm, for loads of great gadget info and plenty of entertainment.

Great tips from The Gadget Show

There are plenty of fun, cheap gadgets available too, from sites like www.iwantoneofthose.com or www.firebox.com. Just try to stay away from utterly pointless novelty items, as they won’t get much use beyond Christmas day.

___________________

Books

Most nerds love a good read, and you can never have too many good books. Do a bit of online investigation to find out what they like to read and of course make sure they haven’t got it already. If you take the time to find a book that you think they will love, or better yet one you loved yourself, they will really appreciated the thought and effort.

Be careful though. Most readers are opinionated when it comes to books, and may not like all styles or authors. If you are going to buy something by a popular author, it might be worth asking a few subtle questions first. As successful as they might be, popular authors like Dan Brown are hated by many, and the last thing you want to do is give someone a book they hate. Of course you can never be 100% sure that your choice will be to their taste, so as always give them the receipt to it can be exchanged without any hassle.

There are tons of great sites that sell books such as amazon or waterstones and I have also had great luck finding reasonably priced or hard to find books on eBay. For specific suggestions direct from me check out My Geeky List of Desert Island Books

___________________

Movies

Everyone loves a great movie, and geeks are no exception. There are loads of great new movies around, like the amazing Moon, which I would recommend to any film lover.

Retro films could also be a hit, as everyone likes a bit of nostalgia, and you can easily work out the most popular and geeky sounding films from their childhood online, or just casually bring up the topic of favourite childhood films and let them rant on. Just don’t let them catch you taking notes or you might ruin the surprise.

If you want to be a bit more devious check their online profiles to find out more about their taste in Films and TV. Pay attention to what they enjoy then do a bit of web based investigation to find similar shows, maybe created by the same people. It’s a great way to discover really great new unheard of stuff, and finding something obscure but awesome will be sure to impress.

Don’t Look Now, reviewed on LiveForFilms

For inspiration check back over my previous posts on zombie films, great movies from childhood, my favourite asia extreme movies… and plenty of other film related posts.  You can also find some great movie related info and reviews on the brilliant LiveForFilms site, being sure to check out my own review of Don’t Look Now . Finally, for a list of great b-movies check out acwe, a great blog site created by my own geeky fella.

B-movie reviews at acwe.co.uk

___________________

ART & Design

After years of plastering our walls with movie posters, obscure bands or comic book art, many of us have graduated to displaying proper grown-up art on our walls… or at least putting our posters in a nice frame. Take a look around your geeky recipients walls and try to pick something that matches their taste. You can also get inspiration from the games, comics, books, music or films they are into.

There are countless sites out there that sell art prints, movie posters, band posters and original art. So you should have no trouble finding the perfect picture. A nicely framed print of their favourite movie, or a fantastic looking band poster should please any nerd. Assuming they love it and put it on display, they will get years of enjoyment out of your gift, and will remember you whenever they glance at the wall. You need to be totally sure they like the subject and the style, or they may be forced to put up something they don’t like out of politeness. Check what they currently have on display and go for similar styles, and try your hardest to pick something that is visually appealing as well as geeky.

Art Cushion from ww.clickforart.com

There is a great selection of posters available on www.allposters.com. For original art, limited edition prints and even Cushion cases check out the great selection at ClickforArt. For music/band related poster inspiration check out www.gigposters.com, which also includes a classified section. You can find many of these posters on sites like www.pushposters.co.uk, www.concertposters.com,  Ebay or simply by contacting the artists directly.

Ween Poster from www.gigposters.com

___________________

Comics & Graphic Novels

Almost every geek loves comics, and there is a wide range of styles, stories and topics to choose from.  If they have never delved into the world of comics before, it should still be easy to find something that matches their tastes and interests, be it vampires, zombies, superheroes, romance, horror, adult, manga or deep and meaningful.

Comics aren’t just about men in tights, and if you look around you can find brilliant comics created by independent artists and writers, such as Sakura and the Spider by Melissa Erwin.

If you want to spend a lot of money you can get them a large graphic novel or collection of comics. Even if you are on a budget, one or two well chosen comics will allow you to treat a geek, without spending too much money.  For inspiration read a list of my favourite female comic book characters on the Geek Girls Network. They also have a great 7 Steps Comic Book Introduction, which is an essential read for anyone who wants to learn more about comics and which ones to buy.

There are plenty of places to find comics online such as Forbidden Planet or www.midtowncomics.com, and be sure to support your local comic store if you are lucky enough to have one.

___________________

Toys & Games

Another thing that many geeks have in common is a love of games, toys, action figures and puzzles. From boardgames to the latest consoles, most of us will play games in some way, so all you have to do is find out what we like and what we want. As well as actually playing games, toys and action figures often hold great appeal for nerds, so check out their current collection and try to get them an action figure, toy or model that suits their taste.

Board games or computer/console games are also a great gift for geeks, with the adding bonus of livening up a boring Christmas afternoon. There are countless sites out there to buy this kind of thing, so I won’t attempt to list them all. However you can find a great selection of toys and games at Entertainment Earth and be sure to follow their resident blogger GeekGirlDiva on twitter.

___________________

T-Shirts

When you think of geeks fashion might not be the first thing that springs to mind, but as un-trendy as we might be, we love cool t-shirts. You can find all kinds of geeky t-shirts at small independant stores, record shops, comic book shops and of course on the internet.

As long as you have a general idea of their interests and can figure out the right size, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a t-shirt that shows off their geeky tastes, but here are a few sites to get you started…

Truffle Shuffle are a UK based site with lots of brilliantly nerdy retro t-shirts, Think Geek have a great selection of geek based apparel and Threadless sell unique graphic t-shirt designs, created by the community.

___________________

MUSIC

If your geek is a fan or music you can bet they have taken this interest to a nerdy level. It’s not hard to spot a music geek. They may be into a lot of obscure or unheard of bands, they go to a lot of gigs, and will probably have a vast collection of digital music/CD’s/vinyl and might have a collection of special editions, live recordings, merhcandise and promotional material.

Do a bit of discreet ‌investigation and if you still aren’t sure ask another music geek for advice. Of course taste is subjective, so to be safe stick with bands you know they love, but instead of getting them the latest album (which they will no doubt have already) try to find special editions, merchandise (including t-shirts and posters as we have already mentioned) or even treat them to a ticket for their next local gig.

Again, there are hundreds of site out there that sell music.  You can often find great music or merchandise via the bands own sites, and Ebay can be a great source for more obscure stuff.

___________________

That is pretty much it. Just try to get gifts that actually matches their interests rather than just randomly picking up anything geeky, as there is nothing worse than getting a totally unsuitable gift. One year a friend who knew I was a Star Wars fan treated me to a Jar Jar Binks backpack! Doesn’t everybody hate him?

Geeks are actually extremely easy to shop for, as we have so many interests. I guess the most important tip I can give is, if you aren’t sure just ask. As nice as it is to get a surprise, I would rather give a few suggestions than end up with something utterly unsuitable. Oh and always keep the receipt.

Oh yeah, and feel free to buy me all or any of the above suggestions