Ben Aston | benaston.com

The pitch for this film must have gone something like, “We want to make a comedy about the most un-funny thing ever; cancer!” And that’s exactly what they’ve done.

So oddly enough, this is a comedy about cancer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film quite like it before – it’s a 50:50 balance;  raw emotion and hard hitting deep stuff about cancer and relationships, but with a generous sprinkling of comic relief on top.

If you’re a fan, Seth Rogen is at his best in this film apparently inspired (never quite sure what that means) by a true story, about a young and healthy 27-year-old guy, Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who learns he’s got a rare form of spinal cancer. He’s given a 50:50 chance of survival and the film explores how his relationships with his friends, family and girlfriend change as he struggles to beat the disease.

Well worth a watch, it’s like a sweet & sour haribo.

Tangfastic.

It’s always nice to showcase a bit of local Wandle Creek talent.

Tom Jenkins from The Theory, based down the road in Wandsworth, has come up trumps with his latest stop motion animation film. Featuring music by the excellent Cinematic Orchestra, the film is about a lonely desk toy who longs for escape from the dark confines of the office so takes a cross country road trip to the Pacific Coast in the only way he can – using a toy car and Google Maps Street View.

Peachy.

This starts off a bit weird, grows on you, and then becomes totally amazing. If I did all the things I thought I thought I was capable of doing, then this would probably be the result. And I’d probably be dead too.

Chuck Norris would be so proud.

Nuts.

When someone sent me this link I mistakenly thought it was a link to the R Kelly classic. Mercifully, it’s not. Instead, it’s a film by the kind of man I imagine myself to be. Maybe not now, but probably next year after I’ve gone to the gym a bit.

Sebastien Montaz-Rosset’s new film is a 40-minute documentary following skyliners – practitioners of an extreme sport that involves elements of mountain climbing, slacklining and base jumping. Filmed beautifully, it combines a delicious treat for the eyes with an epic quest of folle-francais.

Sweeeeeeeet.

Lytro camera is unveiled, originally uploaded by benaston.

After talking about themselves a lot for the last 6 months, today Lytro finally unveiled their radical new camera; the errm, Lytro. And I’ve got one.*

The camera’s been billed as a big deal because it gives you the ability to focus a picture after it’s taken, on the camera, on your computer or online using a special viewer by using a technology called light-field photography. Basically, it makes it impossible to take pictures that are out of focus. And lets you play around with the focus after you’ve taken the picture.

The design is a bit industrial and distinctly Apple iSight flavoured. The pocket-sized camera with its anodized aluminum body has just two buttons; power and shutter. There’s a touch sensitive zoom slider and rear display that lets you view and refocus your pictures directly on the camera. It comes in three colours and two models. The blue and graphite models have 8GB of storage and will cost $399, the red model is 16 GB and costs $499.

But I’m not really convinced. I’d want it if I could it have it as a lens for my DSLR. But in its current format, isn’t it just an expensive point and shoot for people who find it hard to take pictures in focus? And for the point and shoot type of pictures you flick through on facebook, I’m not entirely sure the pictures are really worth ‘exploring’ are they?

So if anyone wants my camera, let me know.

*Kind of. It’s reserved.