SCHWOIT

Rocky

Dean — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 05:26:23 +0000

I have always been a fan of the Rocky series of movies. I find it quite uplifting to watch a struggling boy from the streets come from rank underdog to unquestioned champion. This love affair with the stories began as a boy when I first saw Rocky III, Mr. T and Hulk Hogan were massive at the time and though I watched it to see those two big wrestling stars I soon found myself going for the Italian Stallion. That said I had never sat down and watched the series in quick succession, that was until last week.

Rocky

Rocky (1976)
In essence the plot is small time struggling boxer Rocky Balboa stumbles into an opportunity to go toe-to-toe with the champ. Like his professional career his personal life follows the same bumbling pattern. So a very simple story, the art though is explaining how fragile and as a result self harming our hero is.

This is explained with an incredibly long back story of 50 minutes. It accentuates how fragile our hero is through his romance with Adrian and fractured relationship with Mickey. Rocky has decided that he wants to be with Adrian, his best friends (Paulie) sister, and sets about bumbling his way to winning her heart. Rocky does his best to be charming by continually visiting Adrian at her workplace and telling jokes, unfortunately the jokes are lame. Eventually Paulie sets Adrian and Rocky up for a date at thanksgiving. The set-up though is more an autocratic decision by Paulie that Adrian is going out and he is purely a male chauvinist pig in the scenes. Clearly this is a product of it’s time as I could easily envisage a lynch mob if the scenes appeared in a new movie. Rocky has no real idea what Adrian is interested in and is told by Paulie as they enter the home that she likes ice skating. The rink though is closed and somehow Rocky manages to scmam his way to 10 minutes of skating for $10. For someone who is supposedly into ice-skating Adrian seems incredibly unsure of herself. Further during the date it becomes evident that Rocky’s life experience is obviously limited as all he can talk about during his date with Adrian is boxing tales, this only adds to the sadness built to date.

Rocky’s favourite haunt is a local fight gym run by Mickey Goldmill. This is a strained relationship as Mickey sees the wasted talent and opportuntity that Rocky represents and as a result removes Rocky’s locker privileges in favour of a new up and comer. Rocky is a reflection of Mickey in that he portrays a hard crust over that camouflages a soft fuzzy heart that strains to find a way out.. Rocky knows and feels the same wasted opportunity. Rocky by default undersells himself,and settles for the small time rather than embrace opportunity.

Surrounding this story is the current champion Apollo Creed who has set up a new marquee fight in Philadelphia. His planned opponent is then injured and finding a replacement opponent is next to impossible for various reasons. Apollo then gets the idea to give the people a rank underdog to bring to the fight. Apollo and his team them consult the boxers reference books which seem very thorough and current for a pre-internet age. It is a very romantic vision that such books were ever cloth bound and atleast 500 pages. The name that bubbles to the top is of course Rocky Balboa.

Enter the training montages and the fight to complete the movie. I always thought Rocky won the fight, however it is fitting that he did not. What he won was a self belief this makes it even more powerful a film.

Sly wrote this well knowing his own limitations in the acting front clearly ensured there was no poor scenes. The investment in back story alone surely owes to the confidence that this was the birth of a franchise and not being a once off film, that said Rocky is still the most complete film in the series and could still be considered credible in it’s own right.

My rating:

Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆

Rocky II

Rocky II (1979)
Rocky II picks up immediately from where Rocky left off. Apollo Creed is dogged by accusations that he did not deserve the split points win and that Rocky was better. This angers Apollo who demands a rematch with Rocky to squash the speculation. Rocky though has retired in favour of settling down to a normal life with Adrian free of fighting.

Life looks good for Rocky and Adrian moving into a new place together and with a baby on the way. However, Rocky struggles with new found fame and wealth in this movie. Rocky becomes overconfident and spends the purse from the first fight quickly believing he will be able to shoot commercials to make a living. The commercial shooting scenes underline Rocky’s shortcomings for becoming a media face for products. Rocky then gains employment in the meat processing plant at which he trained in the original. Soon after though he is retrenched due to economic factors and being the last in he is first out. Rocky realises that he needs to go back on a promise made to Adrian and fight. Adrian is not happy with this decision of course. Enter Paulie to play the prick once more. He pushes Adrian’s buttons and eventually she is made to think about the situation and what Rocky needs to do.

Mickey and Rocky then set off to training. Mickey knows that Rocky has a problem with is right eye from the first fight and that if he takes too many hits there he will end up blind. Mickey sets about making the south paw fight right handed. Rocky has to learn this art and wait the time before switch hitting. The highlight being a chicken chasing scene. The chicken chasing is to build speed into Rocky and develop from an out-and-out slugger. This made me think about the classic “wax on, wax off” scenes in The Karate Kid. The rest of the story follows much the same story as a first with a rematch looming with Apollo Creed. Rocky though has reservations with his disagreement with Adrian weighing heavily on his mind.

A pregnant Adrian soon collapses at the pet shop where she has once again working at before being able to tell Rocky of her support. Adrian goes into labour and the baby is safely delivered if premature. Adrian though goes into an extended coma. This disrupts Rocky’s training and he spends days at her side and refusing to meet his newborn son. After some time she wakes and learns of Rocky’s devotion to her. After meeting their son together she tells Rocky to win, this then releases the beast.

Rocky and Mickey then set about training harder than before that is inevitably captured through a montage. The montage shows a steady progression with Rocky eventually catching the chicken and going for the famous Rocky run up the stairs. The fight then follows with Rocky fighting right handed and switch hitting at opportune times. The fight is as good as the first and this time Rocky walks out the victor.

Stallone once again wrote this to his strengths. Amazingly deep film for such a simple character and story. It is by no means a perfect film, but it is a very good sequel to original.

My rating:

Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rocky III

Rocky III (1982)
Rocky III remains faithful to the series. Rocky is still champion during at the beginning of this movie and there is a long montage of Rocky defending the title. During the montage we are introduced to Clubber Lang (Mr T.) who progressively looks angrier and stronger. Clubber is another slugger who dominates his opponents quickly. Predictably Clubber challenges Rocky to put the title on the line and take him on. At this stage Rocky learns that Mickey has been protecting the champion by pitting him against has beens and never will be fighters. Rocky does not like this and insists on taking Clubber on despite Mickey’s protests. For the fight Rocky trains poorly in an atmosphere of celebrity constantly posing for photo opportunities. Meanwhile Clubber trains well.

The highlight of the poor preparation was the Boxer vs. Wrestler match with Thunderlips. Thunderlips (Hulk Hogan) who subjects Rocky to his devastating moves. Whilst Rocky indulges in being the champion it is clearly not the right way for a boxer to prepare for a championship.

Just prior to the fight there is a confrontation between the Clubber’s and Rocky’s entourages. During the confrontation Mickey goes down with a heart attack. After getting the old man to the locker room Rocky is told by Mickey to fight. Rocky is not 100% focussed on the fight and loses the championship, a fight at which Apollo Creed is commentating. Upon returning to the locker room he finds Mickey in a very bad state. Mickey soon after dies with Rocky at his side.

Rocky walks away from the fight game disenchanted, unfocussed and directionless. He is a fighter, but has always had Mickey at his side. At this point Apollo Creed turns up and proposes a rematch but with Rocky to be trained by Apollo and his crew in California. Rocky is full of doubt but wants the championship back and agrees. Pauly, Adrian and Rocky join Apollo in Los Angeles and are soon introduces to Apollo’s fight gym which looks run-down and is a gym for African-American fighters. Pauly, Adrian and Rocky feel like aliens in this environment and Pauly embodies this with some racially controversial words. Rocky though understands what Apollo has in mind and begins training.

Apollo trains Rocky in a completely new manner to bring out speed and grace in him in an attempt to turn a slugger into a boxer. This is awkward for Rocky who takes a long time to settle into the rhythm of the new regime. It is only after giving up in a foot race with Creed that Adrian speaks to Rocky. As in the other movies she is his mental lynch pin and convinces Rocky to put the demons to one side. At this point the big change occurs with Rocky beginning to get stronger and attain the eye of the tiger. At the rematch Rocky and Clubber fight it out and Rocky wins, of course.

The cycling of characters in the third movie was well handled in a totally credible way. The music was the best of the series. Clearly Stallone knew the series needed the injection of something new and Mr T. was an excellent choice. Stallone’s Rocky vision was well served by this movie, that said it lacks some emotional depth of the first two.
My rating:

Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rocky IV

Rocky IV (1985)
The first thing I should declare is that Rocky IV has always been my least favourite of the series. Dolph Lundgren grates on me as an actor and the political overtones of the movie detract from the boxing spectacle. That said the film still has some merit in the grander story.

Rocky IV begins with the same familiar star sequence with a montage from the previous film. This is a key to the film maintaining a semblance of continuity, an art Stallone learnt from Rocky II and beyond.

Rocky has been living the high life and even has bought a servant robot for Paulie. I wish that robot actually existed! Rocky is soon challenged by a new opponent, the great Drago from the Soviet Union. Rocky is seen as the great man from the USA and Drago is an undefeated amateur from the USSR. Enter the beginnings of the political overtones within the film. Rocky declines as he is retired, again.

Having said I dislike Dolph is in one of his better roles as Drago. I think that is because he has very few speaking scenes and when he does speak the sentences are short and to the point, thus hiding his achilles heal. He certainly is the embodiment of the feared Russian adversary from the cold war period.

It is to be expected that Apollo would want one more fight. It seems to be the boxers dilemma. What is a little surreal is that Apollo was so overconfident despite seeing what Drago was bringing to the fight. That said it seems that the boxer who is confident is always the one that loses, and in that respect Apollo losing was fitting. Apollo dying though seems a little excessive, in fact a stronger message could have been sent if Apollo was damaged in some way, such as brain damage.

Needless to say the catalyst for Rocky to train has been found and he is hellbent on taking it out on Drago in the USSR. Rocky sets off without Adrian or her blessing and trains in a backwater of the USSR. The height of the separation is that the pair do not even say goodbye.

I must say that the Mercedes or the guy picking them up does not scream Russian to me. KGB assignments are also dressed far too western for effect. They are more a hint that this is the USSR than anything believable.

Of course without Adrian around Rocky has no emotional balance. Predictably that is set right when Adrian returns. Rocky then sets about the training sequences and of course wins the fight. During the fight Rocky wins the support of the Soviet crowd to the chagrin of the officials. Unfortunately Rocky then goes into a political message mode and essentially says “why can’t we be friends” to the applause of the crowd. The blunt speech of this kind detracted from the message, a message that had more power with the crowd simply cheering.

The film is not as bad as I remember, but the weakest of the first 4. Music was also weakest, I mean “Hearts on Fire” sure is no “Eye of the Tiger”!

My rating:
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rocky V

Rocky V (1990)
Rocky V starts where Rocky IV left off. Rocky returns the conquering hero, however soon learns that Paulie has made a poor financial decision with sever repercussions on the entire Balboa clan. The family has to sell up and they move back to the old neighbourhood.

Rocky is down about being back in the old hood and wants to fight to make some money and extricate the family from the dilemma. Unfortunately Rocky has taken so many beatings he is certain to take permanent severe damage if he fights again. Adrian convinces Rocky that the fighting is over and that it is time to accept the situation. Reluctantly Rocky accepts that for the family he must stop.

Rocky then sets about rebuilding Mickey Goldmill’s gym which has become incredibly run down due to years of neglect. Soon the gym is running well once more, believable due to the owner. A young turk (Tommy “Machine” Gunn” tries to attract Rocky and Paulies attention and soon proves himself worthy of greater training. Rocky throws himself into the endeavour of training Tommy into a legitimate contender. During this Rocky drives Adrian and Rocky Jr. away.

This is a bad time to drive Rocky Jr. away who is finding it difficult to adjust to being a poor boy after his charmed upbringing to date. He is picked on at school and tries to get Rocky to help him learn to fight, Rocky pays lip service to his son and Rocky Jr. is left to learn from Paulie. This goes some way to explain how fractured the relationship is in the final chapter of the series.

Tommy eventually is soon attracted to leave Rocky to be on the payroll of George Washington Duke, a promoter. He is soon promised the world and given new cars and women that attract his signature. This destroys Rocky who has done the hard work in training Tommy. Tommy though soon wins the championship and is dogged by being labelled Balboa’s protégé. He sets about getting Rocky to fight, and fight Rocky does, in the street. The street fight is a fitting ending and takes Rocky back to the roots of the character. Rocky of course triumphs and Tommy is carted off to jail.

By the end Rocky has repaired the damage with the family relationship. In writing this Stallone seemed to want to preserve the character but was struggling for a hook, much like the promoter. Also erred in it exposed some of his lesser acting abilities.

My rating:
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rocky Balboa

Rocky Balboa (2006)

The final Rocky film does not start with the end of the previous movie. This is fitting due to the passage of time. I did though particularly like the street singers from number 1 singing the opening of the movie. This is where some continuity is preserved for the fans.

Rocky has now become the restauranteur. Adrian and he set up an italian café where Rocky has become the host telling old boxing stories. This is quite believable as Rocky has a million stories and people would hang off the champs words.

The characters have of course changed and notably Adrian is no longer around. The explanation for the Adrian character not being a part of the story is handled in a respectful way with Rocky visiting his wifes grave. This is where the strain between Rocky Jr. and Rocky Sr. begin to become apparent.

Rocky visits his son who has become a stock broker or some such. Rocky Jr. is very much in the shadow of Rocky Sr. and wants to stand on his own. However he is trying to achieve this by being a part of the crowd within the corporate world. Rocky Jr. is asked to come by the restaurant later, and again does not show. Instead he goes to the bar with his colleagues and there is a boxing program on that is comparing past champions with current champions using computer simulation. Coincidentally the current champion (Mason “The Line” Dixon) is compared with Rocky with Rocky being declared the winner.

Dixon is struggling for credibility as he is simply a class and half above all his competition. He is struggling to find fights that are attractive to promoters and needs a new fight to reestablish himself. Eventually the idea to set up a demonstration match with Rocky is born.

During the story Rocky also comes across Little Marie from the first movie. In the first movie Rocky had tried to be the voice of reason with her and was called a “Creepo”. A memory that Rocky still has. That said Little Marie is all grown up with a son of her own in the same run-down neighbourhood she grew up in. Rocky takes the kid under his wing and shows him a clear path for the future.

Rocky then becomes reinvigorated by the computer match and fights for a license. His plan is to fight in the small leagues just to satisfy a thirst for competition. Needless to say he ends up in the ring with Dixon and an epic battle ensues. Dixon is eventually declared the winner, however Rocky has rediscovered himself and has won his battle.

Stallone preserved the Rocky legacy with a good end to the series. The series now needs to be left alone for many years with no remakes/reboots or any other terminology. Leave the classics alone!

My rating:
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Tron and the Legacy

Dean — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 06:00:08 +0000

During my time recovering from surgery I have been watching a lot of movies. Within these have been a number of movies and their sequels. Amongst the first I decided to watch was Tron (1982) and Tron: Legacy (2010). After checking into both on Miso I was asked by Mr Lee Sergeant of the Lee and Dan’s Midnight Movie Club podcast asked if I was planning to share my thoughts on these flicks. At the time I was not, however have since decided that I will, after all it will keep my brain ticking during this time of extended bed rest.

Tron

Tron

I have watched Tron only twice in my life. Further the two times I have watched it have been within the last 12 months. As a result of my delayed introduction to the series my appreciation of the 1980′s graphics was missed. I have grown up with other movies blowing my mind, so the washed out 8-bit imagery of Tron would seem laughable to some. I though appreciated it, made me think of the times I used to play games on the Commodore 64. Further the imagery allowed the acting of Bruce Boxleitner and Jeff Bridges shine.

Bridges plays smart-ass programmer Flynn and a malware named CLU. Bridges used to be the gun programmer for Encom industries before his most profitable intellectual property was stolen by the current head of the company Dillinger. Flynn hacks in to the system hunting for evidence that he can use to drag Dillinger down. The hack is in the form of CLU (Codified Likeness Utility) that roams the system hunting for a file with the evidence. CLU meets a premature end when the MCP intercepts and eliminates him. Later Bridges is transported to the cyber-world via a digitisation by the MCP who wants to eliminate Flynn who it sees as a direct threat. Flynn is immediately transported to “The Games”, that are taken from the ancient roman gladiator games with a simple kill or be killed outcome.

Boxleitner plays Alan and Tron. Alan is a sharp programmer who creates Tron, a program whose role is to be a system sentry. Tron believes in the roles of the users and his role serves their purpose. This gets him offside with the systems O/S known as the Master Control Program (MCP) who is eliminating user sympathetic programs through “The Games” in an attempt to become a self sufficient closed system operating independently of the users. It is here that Tron and Flynn are hooked up and the adventure begins on the light cycles with a third program Crom. Interestingly Crom is played by Peter Jurasik who like Boxleitner was to become a regular in the landmark Sci-Fi series Babylon 5.

The adventure then becomes Tron, Flynn, Crom and Yori (another program met along the way) avoiding the MCP and his evil mignons whilst striving to get to the weak point of the MCP in order to destroy it. It all ends predictably, but is very entertaining indeed. Tron is easily within my top 100 films of all time. A list I should really document.

My rating:
Rating: ★★★★★★★★½☆

Tron: Legacy

Tron: Legacy

That brings me to Tron: Legacy. Legacy is a film about the search for Flynn who after assuming the reigns of Encom took the company forward leaps and bounds. After some time he was on the verge of something massive and simply vanished. Flynn had a son Sam (Garrett Hedlund). Sam feels abandoned by his father and in many ways is reluctant to search. Eventually he makes his is coaxed by Alan (Boxleitner) to Flynn’s Pinball Parlour which has been out of business for 20-odd years. Remarkably though it still has power and all the retro-arcade machines work faultlessly. Nevertheless Sam stumbles onto where Flynn disappeared to and the adventure begins.

The world has morally decayed to a similar state as that of the first film, however the predominate outfit colour is now black, not white. The black works well and highlights the suits secondary colour (white or yellow) well. Sam is soon arrested for not having a disc and finds himself in “The Games” like his father previously. “The Games” have now also become grander with an audience cheering on the violence, not unlike what would have been imagined in Rome in 105 BC. Sam manages a few scrappy wins and is pitted against the best of the best who is a corrupted Tron (though under a different name). Tron draws blood from Sam and realises that he is fighting a user.

Sam is then presented to the leader of the cyber-universe who looks and sounds exactly like Flynn. Sam believes this to be his father but eventually discovers it is indeed CLU, who has been charged with creating the perfect place. In essence CLU has become the worst of the MCP and beyond. CLU looks to use Sam to draw out his father by subjecting him to more gameplay. This plan is subverted by Quorra, a program sympathetic to Flynn during a light cycle bout. Quorra takes Sam to his recluse father and after catch-up and debate Sam sets to return to the real world at any cost and sets off alone. Needless to say the original plan Sam had does not ensue and a grander adventure does.

My rating:
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Conclusions
The two movies are very complementary in their stories. There is a definite continuity between the two, which is an achievement given they were made 28 years apart. Bridges and Boxleitner reprise their roles stunningly. Tron: Legacy certainly benefits from 28 years of graphics development with superior effects and colour tones, but that far from warrants a remake of the original classic. Arguably Tron is a stronger story in it’s own right, however it is not going from a novel to Mr. Men book like other sequels tend to be. The portrayal of Sam is a believable representation of the son of Flynn in overall character. Disney have done an outstanding job on both and if you haven’t yet get the two together and watch them back to back.

A Week On from Surgery

Dean — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 01:27:32 +0000

Taken Sunday 25th March 2012

A week ago I had the biggest surgery of my life. 6 hours under anaesthetic having a urethroplasty surgery. Surgery was a late night marathon with not even leaving the ward until after 6:30pm.

When I returned to the ward it was 1:30am Saturday and I was in a lot of hip pain, courtesy of being in stirrups for so long. Thankfully that pain was gone by next morning and I have had no pain relief since. Now just resting in bed until Monday week, and even then will be doing very light duties.

Currently am carrying a catheter with me and that will not come out until at least the 13th April at 1pm. That depends on if the urethroplasty graft has clearly taken hold. I hope it has by that time.

Alright Stop … Urethroplasty Time

Dean — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:08:52 +0000

Male Reproductive/Urine System

Tomorrow is the day of the biggest surgery of my life, that is urethraplasty. Essentially my urethra will be relined using a skin graft taken from my cheek. This skin will then be placed over the top of my urethra and that should mean my regular urine blockages will be cured forever. This is a long procedure (4 hours) and has an equally long recovery time. I will be on none to very light physical activity for a month and relying solely on nutrition to shed some kilograms. In the end though all worth it.

Check-in at Strathfield tomorrow at 2:45pm, so a late afternoon/early evening surgery.

Anyone interested in seeing the gory details check out this YouTube clip.

Urethroplasty

My Media Library for Recovery From Surgery – Part II

Dean — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 08:30:18 +0000

As mentioned in my earlier post My Media Library for Recovery From Surgery I am creating a media library to keep me entertained whilst recovering from surgery. I have about a month to recover and figure what better way to do that than watch a range of movies. From old classics to some new stuff I am yet to see. In part 1 I included a list of 18 films. I feel these are not the complete set and have added some more. Part 2 of the inclusions are below.

Alien

Alien 3

Title
Alien

Year
1979

Description
A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates.

Stars
Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt and John Hurt
Title
Alien 3

Year
1992

Description
Ripley continues to be stalked by a savage alien, after her escape pod crashes on a prison planet.

Stars
Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton and Charles Dance

Aliens

Aliens vs Predator - Requiem

Title
Aliens

Year
1986

Description
The planet from Alien has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, but will it be enough?

Stars
Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn and Carrie Henn
Title
Aliens vs Predator: Requiem

Year
2007

Description
Warring alien and predator races descend on a small town, where unsuspecting residents must band together for any chance of survival.

Stars
Reiko Aylesworth, Steven Pasquale and John Ortiz

Alien: Resurrection

Blade

Title
Alien: Resurrection

Year
1997

Description
200 years after her death, Ellen Ripley is revived as a powerful human/Alien hybrid clone who must continue her war against the Aliens.

Stars
Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder and Dominique Pinon
Title
Blade

Year
1998

Description
A half-vampire, half-mortal man becomes a protector of the mortal race, while slaying evil vampires.

Stars
Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff and Kris Kristofferson

Blade II

Blade: Trinity

Title
Blade II

Year
2002

Description
Blade forms an uneasy alliance with the vampire council in order to combat the Reaper vampires who feed on vampires.

Stars
Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson and Ron Perlman
Title
Blade: Trinity

Year
2004

Description
Blade, now a wanted man by the FBI, must join forces with the Nightstalkers to face his most challenging enemy yet: Dracula.

Stars
Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson and Parker Posey

Rocky

Rocky II

Title
Rocky

Year
1976

Description
A small time boxer gets a once in a lifetime chance to fight the heavyweight champ in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.

Stars
Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire and Burt Young
Title
Rocky II

Year
1979

Description
Rocky struggles in family life after his bout with Apollo Creed, while the embarrassed champ insistently goads him to accept a challenge for a rematch.

Stars
Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire and Burt Young

Rocky III

Rocky IV

Title
Rocky III

Year
1982

Description
When Rocky is defeated by a brutal challenger, Apollo Creed offers to retrain him in order to regain his fighting spirit.

Stars
Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire and Burt Young
Title
Rocky IV

Year
1985

Description
When Apollo Creed is killed in a match against a powerful Soviet boxer, Rocky decides to challenge him himself.

Stars
Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire and Burt Young

Rocky V

Rocky Balboa

Title
Rocky V

Year
1990

Description
Reluctantly retired from boxing and back from riches to rags, Rocky takes on a new protege who betrays him; As the champ’s son must adjust to his family’s new life after bankruptcy.

Stars
Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire and Burt Young
Title
Rocky Balboa

Year
2006

Description
Rocky Balboa comes out of retirement to step into the ring for the last time and face the heavyweight champ Mason ‘The Line’ Dixon.

Stars
Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Tarver and Milo Ventimiglia

Senna

Title
Senna

Year
2010

Description
A documentary on Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the F1 world championship three times before his death at age 34.

Stars
Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Frank Williams

My Media Library for Recovery From Surgery

Dean — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 13:25:57 +0000

Putting together my media library to watch whilst I recover from my surgery next Friday. I am looking to put together a bit of variety so I can choose something that I feel like. So far I have the following and am keen for additional suggestions.

Assassins

Bad Teacher

Title
Assassins

Year
1995

Description
Robert Rath is a seasoned hitman who just wants out of the business with no back talk. But, as things go, it ain’t so easy. A younger, peppier assassin named Bain is having a field day trying to kill said older assassin. Rath teams up with a computer hacker named Electra to defeat the obsessed Bain.

Stars
Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas and Julianne Moore
Title
Bad Teacher

Year
2011

Description
A comedy centered around a foul-mouthed, junior high teacher who, after being dumped by her sugar daddy, begins to woo a colleague — a move that pits her against a well-loved teacher.

Stars
Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel and Justin Timberlake

Battle In Seattle

Bra Boys

Title
Battle In Seattle

Year
2007

Description
Activists arrive in Seattle, Washington en masse to protest a meeting of the World Trade Organization. Riots and chaos ensue as demonstrators successfully stop the WTO meetings.

Stars
André Benjamin, Jennifer Carpenter and Isaach De Bankolé
Title
Bra Boys

Year
2007

Description
A film about the cultural evolution of the Sydney beach side suburb of Maroubra and the social struggle faced by it’s youth – the notorious surf gang known as the Bra Boys.

Stars
Russell Crowe, Kelly Slater and Cheyne Horan

Captain America: The First Avenger

Ghost Rider

Title
Captain America: The First Avenger

Year
2011

Description
After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending the USA’s ideals.

Stars
Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving and Samuel L. Jackson
Title
Ghost Rider

Year
2007

Description
Stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze gives up his soul to become a hellblazing vigilante, to fight against power hungry Blackheart, the son of the devil himself.

Stars
Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes and Sam Elliott

The Karate Kid

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Title
The Karate Kid

Year
1984

Description
A handyman/martial arts master agrees to teach a bullied boy karate and shows him that there is more to the martial art than fighting.

Stars
Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita and Elisabeth Shue
Title
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Year
2001

Description
Video game adventurer Lara Croft comes to life in a movie where she races against time and villains to recover powerful ancient artifacts.

Stars
Angelina Jolie, Jon Voight and Iain Glen

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life

The Last Boyscout

Title
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life

Year
2003

Description
Lara Croft is on a quest to save Pandoras box.

Stars
Angelina Jolie, Gerard Butler and Chris Barrie
Title
The Last Boy Scout

Year
1991

Description
A down and out cynical detective teams up with a down and out ex-quarterback to try and solve a murder case involving a pro football team and a politician.

Stars
Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans and Chelsea Field

Next

Return To Snowy River (The Man From Snowy River II)

Title
Next

Year
2007

Description
A Las Vegas magician who can see into the future is pursued by FBI agents seeking to use his abilities to prevent a nuclear terrorist attack.

Stars
Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore and Jessica Biel
Title
Return To Snowy River (The Man From Snowy River II)

Year
1988

Description
Young Jim Craig returns to his home in the Australian high country. He finds that things are not as he left them – his girlfriend is being pursued by another man, and her father doesn’t want Jim back into her life.

Stars
Tom Burlinson, Sigrid Thornton and Brian Dennehy

Red Riding Hood

Romper Stomper

Title
Red Riding Hood

Year
2011

Description
Set in a medieval village that is haunted by a werewolf, a young girl falls for an orphaned woodcutter, much to her family’s displeasure.

Stars
Amanda Seyfried, Lukas Haas and Gary Oldman
Title
Romper Stomper

Year
1992

Description
A group of skinheads become alarmed at the way their neighbourhood is changing.

Stars
Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock and Jacqueline McKenzie

Salt

Thor

Title
Salt

Year
2010

Description
A CIA agent goes on the run after a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy.

Stars
Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor
Title
Thor

Year
2011

Description
The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.

Stars
Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman

Tron

Tron: Legacy

Title
Tron

Year
1982

Description
A hacker is literally abducted into the world of a computer and forced to participate in gladiatorial games where his only chance of escape is with the help of a heroic security program.

Stars
Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner and David Warner
Title
Tron: Legacy

Year
2010

Description
The son of a virtual world designer goes looking for his father and ends up inside the digital world that his father designed. He meets his father’s creation turned bad and a unique ally who was born inside the digital domain of The Grid.

Stars
Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde

7 Reasons to Embrace Baldness in 7 Days – Reason 4 – Hair Hygiene Win!

Dean — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:42:14 +0000

No worries about hair hygiene! Head lice will definitely not be a problem.

Don’t forget to sponsor me in losing this hair by a donation to my Personal World’s Greatest Shave 2012 support page. Donations are tax deductible!

7 Reasons to Embrace Baldness in 7 Days – Reason 3 – Save on Hair Product

Dean — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:56:44 +0000

With no hair there are no product costs … savings are to be had!

Don’t forget to sponsor me in losing this hair by a donation to my Personal World’s Greatest Shave 2012 support page. Donations are tax deductible!

7 Reasons to Embrace Baldness in 7 Days – Reason 2 – Lighter On The Scales

Dean — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 07:22:13 +0000

Please support me

By shedding my facial, head and body hair I will have instant weight loss! This is a fantastic reason to shave and I often wonder why contestants on the The Biggest Loser fail to embrace the shave. After all, in that game a few grams is often the difference between staying and leaving.

Don’t forget to sponsor me in losing this hair by a donation to my Personal World’s Greatest Shave 2012 support page. Donations are tax deductible!

7 Reasons to Embrace Baldness in 7 Days – Reason 1 – No Bad Hat Hair

Dean — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 22:26:54 +0000

In 7 days time I will be subjecting myself to the razor and going bald in support of the Leukaemia Foundations’ World’s Greatest Shave 2012 event (support me). The next 7 posts will therefore be taking an irreverent look at reasons to embrace baldness beginning with reason number 1 – no bad hat hair.

As a wearer of hats I often wonder how my hair looks when the cap is removed. Especially true of my early morning commutes to the office where the cap would go on a damp head of hair. During the commute I will go to sleep again and then random hat movements end up with my hair in a rather diabolical state. This would then lead copious amounts of time re-combing my hair ready for the work day.

When there is no hair to worry about that will not be problem and is a definite efficiency gain. WIN!

11 Days Left To Do a Good Deed!

Dean — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:53:29 +0000

It is a humbling statistic, but today 31 Australians will get the news they have a form of blood cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other blood disorders. Just put yourself in their position for a minute and imagine the impact it would have on your life, and the lives of your family, if you were one of those 31 Australians. We owe it to ourselves to help find a cure to these disorders and ease the suffering of those that have already fallen victim to these insidious disorders.

One of the best ways to do that is to support the non-profit Leukaemia Foundation help these victims through programs that fund:

Important research into blood cancers and disorders for the betterment of the global sufferers of the disease.

Support for the Australian victims of these insidious conditions and their families.

The Leukaemia Foundation receive no ongoing governmental support in providing these services and rely on fundraising activities. Chief amongst them is the World’s Greatest Shave.

I have decided to participate in this years edition and have set a target of $500.00. If I raise over that amount (even by 1 cent) my head hair, shoulder hair, and chest hair will be shaved. Currently I am up to $388.60 and with 11 days to go I am very hopeful that I can get to the target. I would like to thank all those who have donated to date and all those that will. A special thanks to Sophos who have donated $100 toward the cause.

You can help me reach that target by donating to my donation page at my personal donation page at the following URL http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/SCHWOIT. Please donate generously as each donation is tax deductible.

Personal support poster for the World's Greatest Shave 2012

March 17th is Shave Day

Dean — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:59:01 +0000

Personal support poster for the World's Greatest Shave 2012

It is a humbling statistic, but today 31 Australians will get the news they have a form of blood cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other blood disorders. The news sends their life into turmoil as well as their families. Thankfully the non-profit Leukaemia Foundation help these victims through programs that fund:

Important research into blood cancers and disorders for the betterment of the global sufferers of the disease.

Support for the Australian victims of these insidious conditions and their families.

The Leukaemia Foundation receive no ongoing governmental support in providing these services and rely on fundraising activities. Chief amongst them is the World’s Greatest Shave.

I have decided to participate in this years edition and have set a target of $500.00. If I raise over that amount (even by 1 cent) my head hair, shoulder hair, and chest hair will be shaved. Currently I am up to $248.60 and with a fortnight to go I am hopeful that I can get to the target.

You can help me reach that target by donating to my donation page at my personal donation page at the following URL http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/SCHWOIT. Please donate generously as each donation is tax deductible.

It’s All Got To Go!

Dean — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:08:16 +0000

Doing Something Good

So it is coming up to that time of year where a number of people shave, colour or otherwise do stuff with their hair in order to raise some money for blood cancer research and support. Over previous years I have always thought the people shaving are very committed and that I value my hair too much. That though has changed.

I am this year going to shave my head on the 17th March 2012 for the cause. If I raise over my target I will also get the back, shoulder and chest hair removed. I can tell you that is a lot of hair!

It's All Got To Go!

How is your donation used by the Leukaemia Foundation I hear you ask? Well this is how.

The money you give will help fund important research into leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other blood disorders.

Today, 31 Australians will get the news they have blood cancer. Your donation will support them from the moment they are diagnosed. All the Leukaemia Foundation’s services are free. Let’s keep them that way.

I think you will agree both worthy uses.

So get behind me and through me a dollar or more here. I will be very thankful as will the beneficiaries of the funds.

So Long Whitney, You Will be Remembered at Your Best!

Dean — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:46:13 +0000

In light of Whitney Houston’s sad passing I thought I would re-share my previous blog about one of her more successful songs. This is how Whitney should be remembered.

ARIA Number 1 Memories - 1992 - I Will Always Love You

A Personal Calorie Burn Challenge

Dean — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 08:19:49 +0000

This month I have set myself a personal challenge to average over 1000 calories burned on average per day as per the guesstimates from MyFitnessPal.com. So far I am going OK. Here is my tally to date. I will be updating this post over the course of the month.

Date Calories Burnt Month To Date Burnt Average

01/02/2012 1,295 1,295 1,295

02/02/2012 1,263 2,558 1,279

03/02/2012 1,243 3,801 1,267

04/02/2012 1,046 4,847 1,212

05/02/2012 1,355 6,202 1,240

06/02/2012 1,105 7,307 1,218

07/02/2012 252 7,559 1,080

08/02/2012 1,279 8,838 1,105

09/02/2012 1,010 9,848 1,094

10/02/2012 466 10,314 1,031

11/02/2012 943 11,257 1,023

12/02/2012 1,480 12,737 1,061

13/02/2012 482 13,219 1,017

14/02/2012 440 13,659 976

15/02/2012 1,654 15,313 1,020

16/02/2012 541 15,854 991

17/02/2012 1,216 17,070 1,004

18/02/2012 854 17,924 996

19/02/2012 1,215 19,139 1,007

20/02/2012 646 19,795 990

21/02/2012 823 20,618 982

22/02/2012 908 21,526 978

23/02/2012 960 22,486 978

24/02/2012 678 23,164 965

25/02/2012 817 23,981 959

26/02/2012 902 24,889 957

27/02/2012 1,037 25,926 960

28/02/2012

29/02/2012

A Couple of Challenging Days

Dean — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:36:21 +0000

I have just had a couple of challenging days in succession where sticking to a healthy meal programme has been severely challenged. This all started on Friday, which is Little Nannas birthday. As is tradition the birthday celebrant gets to choose what meal is on the cards. Little Nanna chose a Chinese meal. Instantly any chance of maintaining my healthy eating ways was put on the back foot.

Today was also challenged by a road trip to Canberra. Whilst I chose a sandwich it did have brie cheese on it. On it’s own not a problem, however I compounded the problem with a flavoured milk and a milk tea. Dinner was also cleaning up some of the left overs from Friday, so doubly screwed.

Across both days I have burnt 1000+ calories to counteract, in part, the intake. Time will tell if that has been enough.

Fitness Challenge 2012 – Expands … Again!

Dean — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:00:14 +0000

I never thought that I would, but today I joined a gym. I now have access to some serious workout gear, and in time spin classes. The gym is Just Move located at the Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club. The gym is a relatively small gym, but has enough equipment and classes to get me going.

Just Move

I am expecting a call shortly to arrange the first of 3 personal training sessions to set me up with a workout program and eating guide. Looking forward to it as Bobbie has also joined. Will be good getting all hot and sweaty together!

I guess the benefit of having a gym at the bowl-o is I can get a beer post workout … just kidding.

Fitness Challenge 2012 – Expands

Dean — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:29:11 +0000

I have now established a reasonable change and am going for daily walks and paying greater attention to what I am eating. This start to my lifestyle transformation has now expanded to some added activities and investments.

First of these is that I am participating in the 1 Million Kilo Challenge. This is a 10 week challenge that is aimed at promoting a healthier lifestyle. Basically on the challenge I will receive free advice on health, nutrition, and exercise through regular e-mail and a website. In reality I will be continuing to do what I have started. However, will look at the plan suggestions and where it makes sense adopt them into my routine.

The next expansion is in the investment in a range of exercise equipment. This investment is in our lives together, and it is time to get serious.

Fitness Investment 1

The first of these was a Hyper Extension weight set. The set consists of 2 dumbbells (plus spin locks) and 4 x 1.25kg plates. The set was bought at K-Mart for $41 and can be expanded as I require for a rather humble price. Presently lifting the 4 x plates on one dumbbell in sets of 20 on the right arm, my dominant side, pretty comfortably. The left arm is another matter, and due to its inherent weakness my technique breaks down quite quickly. As a result I currently have a very mild case of tennis elbow. After a couple of days rest I lifted with it earlier today, however the pain has returned. So will lay off of it for a few more days.

Fitness Investment 2

The second piece of equipment is an old school cross trainer. It is an old Guthy Renker dial-a-deal special, however it is still pretty effective. I used this last evening for the first time and it worked areas of my legs that my daily walks do not. This is a very good thing and will help me build strength in other areas of the leg, and gives me a real cardio option on those days where it is too wet/hot to venture out in the wider world. Today for instance could be one of those days (33° Celsius and 47% Humidity).

Fitness Investment 3

The final piece of equipment is an exercise bike. The bike is pretty basic, but is definitely effective as I can attest after having used the bike for 11 minutes, maintaining 14kph+ on the readouts, I can tell it works my hamstrings over. I got off with a weird sensation of where are my legs. That said it is another option for cardio on a crappy day. We were lucky to pick the cross trainer and bike up for $60 on a Facebook buy/swap/sell page. Was a good and cheap purchase that will add variety to our workouts and stave off boredom.

Now the trick will be to turn this small investment into a profitable lifestyle change.

Heart Calculator

Dean — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:00:54 +0000

I have been doing a bit of digging around MyFitnessPal and found “The Heart Calculator”. The facts it produces are pretty amazing. Take a look here.

Will beat 162,200 times, pump 2,379 gallons of blood, and push that blood nearly 21,504 miles throughout my body!
Created by MyFitnessPal.com

The Heart Calculator

Australia Day 2012 – Let’s Eat Baby Sheep With @SamKekovich!

Dean — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:00:20 +0000

The Meat and Livestock Australia board have long enlisted aged former AFL player Sam Kekovich to flog its core product around Australia Day. The campaign of 2006 was funny, and centred around Sam shelving the politically correct phrasing and telling us to eat lamb in no uncertain terms. It appealed to the twisted Australian humour like no other advertisement earlier. It is by far the best of the campaigns.

Sam Kekovich Eat Lamb on Australia Day 2006

The 2007 campaign was also a good campaign. It followed in the same manner of the 2006 campaign.

Sam Kekovich Eat Lamb on Australia Day 2007

However it is fair to say that with each year the wit has dissipated and the effectiveness of the campaign must be fading. In desperation it seems that this year the MLA has decided Sam needs help from fellow D-List celebrities. Sam has been joined by:

A plastic looking Melissa Tkautz from E Street “fame (… what you forgot about that show)

The Justice Crew who won a talent show apparently (wouldn’t know never saw it)

The advertisement has also been made into an all singing and dancing spoof of the Aqua tune “Barbie Girl”. Now correct me if I am wrong, but Aqua were a group from Finland, and “Barbie Girl” was only a hit due to its corniness. Unfortunately the corniness has long faded and the lyrics of the spoof are disastrous. That said here is the latest piece of #ChopCulture.

Sam Kekovich Eat Lamb on Australia Day 2012

And of course the full god awful thing!

Barbie Girl 2012

I am sure I will be labelled as un-Australian, but really are we still really liking this aged campaign?

Alien	Alien 3
Title Alien Year 1979 Description A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates. Stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt and John Hurt	Title Alien 3 Year 1992 Description Ripley continues to be stalked by a savage alien, after her escape pod crashes on a prison planet. Stars Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton and Charles Dance
Aliens	Aliens vs Predator - Requiem
Title Aliens Year 1986 Description The planet from Alien has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, but will it be enough? Stars Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn and Carrie Henn	Title Aliens vs Predator: Requiem Year 2007 Description Warring alien and predator races descend on a small town, where unsuspecting residents must band together for any chance of survival. Stars Reiko Aylesworth, Steven Pasquale and John Ortiz
Alien: Resurrection	Blade
Title Alien: Resurrection Year 1997 Description 200 years after her death, Ellen Ripley is revived as a powerful human/Alien hybrid clone who must continue her war against the Aliens. Stars Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder and Dominique Pinon	Title Blade Year 1998 Description A half-vampire, half-mortal man becomes a protector of the mortal race, while slaying evil vampires. Stars Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff and Kris Kristofferson
Blade II	Blade: Trinity
Title Blade II Year 2002 Description Blade forms an uneasy alliance with the vampire council in order to combat the Reaper vampires who feed on vampires. Stars Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson and Ron Perlman	Title Blade: Trinity Year 2004 Description Blade, now a wanted man by the FBI, must join forces with the Nightstalkers to face his most challenging enemy yet: Dracula. Stars Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson and Parker Posey
Rocky	Rocky II
Title Rocky Year 1976 Description A small time boxer gets a once in a lifetime chance to fight the heavyweight champ in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect. Stars Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire and Burt Young	Title Rocky II Year 1979 Description Rocky struggles in family life after his bout with Apollo Creed, while the embarrassed champ insistently goads him to accept a challenge for a rematch. Stars Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire and Burt Young
Rocky III	Rocky IV
Title Rocky III Year 1982 Description When Rocky is defeated by a brutal challenger, Apollo Creed offers to retrain him in order to regain his fighting spirit. Stars Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire and Burt Young	Title Rocky IV Year 1985 Description When Apollo Creed is killed in a match against a powerful Soviet boxer, Rocky decides to challenge him himself. Stars Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire and Burt Young
Rocky V	Rocky Balboa
Title Rocky V Year 1990 Description Reluctantly retired from boxing and back from riches to rags, Rocky takes on a new protege who betrays him; As the champ’s son must adjust to his family’s new life after bankruptcy. Stars Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire and Burt Young	Title Rocky Balboa Year 2006 Description Rocky Balboa comes out of retirement to step into the ring for the last time and face the heavyweight champ Mason ‘The Line’ Dixon. Stars Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Tarver and Milo Ventimiglia
Senna
Title Senna Year 2010 Description A documentary on Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the F1 world championship three times before his death at age 34. Stars Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Frank Williams

Assassins	Bad Teacher
Title Assassins Year 1995 Description Robert Rath is a seasoned hitman who just wants out of the business with no back talk. But, as things go, it ain’t so easy. A younger, peppier assassin named Bain is having a field day trying to kill said older assassin. Rath teams up with a computer hacker named Electra to defeat the obsessed Bain. Stars Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas and Julianne Moore	Title Bad Teacher Year 2011 Description A comedy centered around a foul-mouthed, junior high teacher who, after being dumped by her sugar daddy, begins to woo a colleague — a move that pits her against a well-loved teacher. Stars Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel and Justin Timberlake
Battle In Seattle	Bra Boys
Title Battle In Seattle Year 2007 Description Activists arrive in Seattle, Washington en masse to protest a meeting of the World Trade Organization. Riots and chaos ensue as demonstrators successfully stop the WTO meetings. Stars André Benjamin, Jennifer Carpenter and Isaach De Bankolé	Title Bra Boys Year 2007 Description A film about the cultural evolution of the Sydney beach side suburb of Maroubra and the social struggle faced by it’s youth – the notorious surf gang known as the Bra Boys. Stars Russell Crowe, Kelly Slater and Cheyne Horan
Captain America: The First Avenger	Ghost Rider
Title Captain America: The First Avenger Year 2011 Description After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending the USA’s ideals. Stars Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving and Samuel L. Jackson	Title Ghost Rider Year 2007 Description Stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze gives up his soul to become a hellblazing vigilante, to fight against power hungry Blackheart, the son of the devil himself. Stars Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes and Sam Elliott
The Karate Kid	Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Title The Karate Kid Year 1984 Description A handyman/martial arts master agrees to teach a bullied boy karate and shows him that there is more to the martial art than fighting. Stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita and Elisabeth Shue	Title Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Year 2001 Description Video game adventurer Lara Croft comes to life in a movie where she races against time and villains to recover powerful ancient artifacts. Stars Angelina Jolie, Jon Voight and Iain Glen
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life	The Last Boyscout
Title Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life Year 2003 Description Lara Croft is on a quest to save Pandoras box. Stars Angelina Jolie, Gerard Butler and Chris Barrie	Title The Last Boy Scout Year 1991 Description A down and out cynical detective teams up with a down and out ex-quarterback to try and solve a murder case involving a pro football team and a politician. Stars Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans and Chelsea Field
Next	Return To Snowy River (The Man From Snowy River II)
Title Next Year 2007 Description A Las Vegas magician who can see into the future is pursued by FBI agents seeking to use his abilities to prevent a nuclear terrorist attack. Stars Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore and Jessica Biel	Title Return To Snowy River (The Man From Snowy River II) Year 1988 Description Young Jim Craig returns to his home in the Australian high country. He finds that things are not as he left them – his girlfriend is being pursued by another man, and her father doesn’t want Jim back into her life. Stars Tom Burlinson, Sigrid Thornton and Brian Dennehy
Red Riding Hood	Romper Stomper
Title Red Riding Hood Year 2011 Description Set in a medieval village that is haunted by a werewolf, a young girl falls for an orphaned woodcutter, much to her family’s displeasure. Stars Amanda Seyfried, Lukas Haas and Gary Oldman	Title Romper Stomper Year 1992 Description A group of skinheads become alarmed at the way their neighbourhood is changing. Stars Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock and Jacqueline McKenzie
Salt	Thor
Title Salt Year 2010 Description A CIA agent goes on the run after a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Stars Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor	Title Thor Year 2011 Description The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders. Stars Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman
Tron	Tron: Legacy
Title Tron Year 1982 Description A hacker is literally abducted into the world of a computer and forced to participate in gladiatorial games where his only chance of escape is with the help of a heroic security program. Stars Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner and David Warner	Title Tron: Legacy Year 2010 Description The son of a virtual world designer goes looking for his father and ends up inside the digital world that his father designed. He meets his father’s creation turned bad and a unique ally who was born inside the digital domain of The Grid. Stars Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde

Date	Calories Burnt	Month To Date Burnt	Average
01/02/2012	1,295	1,295	1,295
02/02/2012	1,263	2,558	1,279
03/02/2012	1,243	3,801	1,267
04/02/2012	1,046	4,847	1,212
05/02/2012	1,355	6,202	1,240
06/02/2012	1,105	7,307	1,218
07/02/2012	252	7,559	1,080
08/02/2012	1,279	8,838	1,105
09/02/2012	1,010	9,848	1,094
10/02/2012	466	10,314	1,031
11/02/2012	943	11,257	1,023
12/02/2012	1,480	12,737	1,061
13/02/2012	482	13,219	1,017
14/02/2012	440	13,659	976
15/02/2012	1,654	15,313	1,020
16/02/2012	541	15,854	991
17/02/2012	1,216	17,070	1,004
18/02/2012	854	17,924	996
19/02/2012	1,215	19,139	1,007
20/02/2012	646	19,795	990
21/02/2012	823	20,618	982
22/02/2012	908	21,526	978
23/02/2012	960	22,486	978
24/02/2012	678	23,164	965
25/02/2012	817	23,981	959
26/02/2012	902	24,889	957
27/02/2012	1,037	25,926	960
28/02/2012
29/02/2012