nephihaha

If you are a Michael Jackson fan, this is probably well worth watching, although you will be aware of some of the content before. I'm not a Michael Jackson fan myself, so I watched it with slight bemusement.

The documentary is more about Jackson than Bubbles, especially the star's childhood. It is not especially critical of him, but it points out that he had a difficult childhood (which we all knew anyway). The real draw here is Bubbles himself. I was aware of Jackson's pet chimp, but didn't know much about him. I didn't know for example that he could moon-walk. Animal trainers and simian psychologists talk about what Bubbles would have experienced and how he had to be moved away to chimp rescue when he was eight, because adult chimps are much stronger and more unpredictable LaToya Jackson takes up much of the documentary, as does Mark Lester, whose exact relationship to Jackson and his family is not clear.

On one level, it is sad what has happened to Bubbles, but at least now he is living a normal chimp life with others of his species. We get to see him and he looks very different. There are a lot of aspects of Bubbles' life which are not apparently mentioned here, like the hygiene problems that Jackson's household staff had to deal with. Or that Freddie Mercury refused to hirn with him in the room. And why is Jeff Koons' famous sculpture of Bubbles never mentioned?

By the way, the sound mixing in this is terrible. There were points where I was struggling to hear the narrator above the noise of the footage he was talking over.

Really enjoyed this. Yes, it is lo-fi, but it is a sweet and enjoyable old film. It is a love letter to old cinemas and old films, with many fun references and send ups that many cineastes will enjoy. There are even a cameo from one or two very famous people.

The plot is simple - a family run cinema faces a battle with a corporate multiplex opening up nearby. Many of those who work there have never truly grown up, one being a former child star who has never got past that, and others who retain their childlike wonder at the world. Can this motley crew save their beloved cinema, or will evil triumph?

What do you do if you're a big dirty oil company and want to clean up your image? Make a reality TV series about all the environmentally friendly projects you support!

Two teams of millenials - Alpha and Omega (why the Bible reference?) have to travel across the USA while producing the lowest carbon emissions possible.

The series is saved a bit by Kaley Cuoco and some beautiful scenery, but the other performances seem a bit contrived. Like most "reality" TV there is a sense of irreality, but I can just about forgive that. The novelty of some of the modes of transport will win over the nerds.