Do you make lists? I am referring more specifically to ‘To Do’ Lists. I am not a big fan of them and generally just note down things I need to do on a small Post It, which I keep by my computer. However from time to time there comes a need when I need to make a list but also actually go about taking some action everything on it. On Friday I made a list of all the things I wanted to achieve by the end of the weekend. They ranged from the fun tasks, like catch DOA to the more mundane such as polish my shoes. Looking back at the list now, in the early hours of Monday morning I feel satisfied. Almost every item has a tick beside it. Result. Now I suppose after giving an introduction I should give the details of the items on that list.

Football, perhaps the biggest weekend of the Premiership this season, or so the market men would want you to believe. Usually I love the Sky trails but Grand Slam Sunday was a poor idea and I expect more from the UK’s home of live football. Perhaps my favourite was Judgment Day from December a few years ago. The opener was Chelsea versus Liverpool who have a poor record against the Champions. You expect fireworks, but it was slow start with both teams rather nervous I felt. The game was slowly drifting away until Didier came up with a moment of magic which gave his team the lead and deserved victory. This was just a warm up game and I was only really interested as I had a few Blue in my dream team, but the less said about that the better. Then at 4pm, we had the headline act. I was nervous, apprehensive. I knew how much defeat would knock the team but we could snatch a goalless draw. The performance was what we were looking for, first and foremost and we were out of the traps quick. Perhaps too quick and had a good share of the possession. When we were awarded the penalty and I saw Gilberto step up, I just had a gut feeling he would not score. It was one those moments when your instincts rule your head. Some teams would have been disappointed by the game not going their way and began to wallow in self pity. Arsenal have been one to do that from time to time, just consider our previous away fixture in the same city. Yet, this time around, we grew in confidence, knowing that a break through was possible, it was just a matter of time. Scholes cleared off the line and once again, it was a case of luck rather than lack of attempts on goal. Manchester United were quiet and as Andy Gray commented, their creative players, Ronaldo, Rooney and Saha were never given the time on the ball to create an effective opening. The game was goalless at halftime but not before Crazy Jens got one right in the face (from the ball and not John O’Shea) but he took it for the team and kept us in the game. Rather interesting to see a quiet and reserved Mr. Keane in the studio with Richard Keys and Jamie Redknapp. For sure, he will do nothing but go to bat for his former team, but he knew, even at half time that the writing was on the wall and they were being pegged back excessively by the Gunners. So to the second half, more of the same please. The game continued much in the same vain as previously with Arsenal having a good share of the attacking possession. Even with the Beast coming on for Hleb late on, the goal just seemed beyond us. Until Fabregas dispossessed Ronaldo just outside his own box and controlled the ball to lay a perfect pass for Adebayor to slot home. Shouts from the away crowd as I jump off the sofa to celebrate. We had done it, even though I would have settled for the draw, a goal meant everything. It meant we were back in business, it meant we were back in contention. It proved many critics wrong for writing us off so soon. Sure we might end up trophy less at the end of the season but we have put together a performance that shows potential, belief. Particularly important if you consider the backdrop of a recently departed squad member who discusses respect and love as if he was some poet in league with Shakespeare.

I received a message on my You Tube account on late on Saturday morning, a request with the subject line, “Please, You’re A Legend”. How could I not reply with the positive news that bumramp expected. I had deleted the divx encoded version of the video, so I converted the mpeg again down to 4mb and sent it via YouSendIt and was sent a grateful reply. I looked forward to the remix, which was uploaded yesterday evening. I could go into dept trying to describe the video, but you know the advert, I know you do, so there is nothing left to say apart from. Enjoy!

The final component of my winning weekend was going to the cinema with Pav. We had originally planned to go on Friday but due to various complications we put the whole thing off. Or so I thought, having resigned myself to the fact that I would see the movie on DVD, sometime next year (if I ever got around to it). Yet in a twist of fate we decided to go on Sunday evening. There were two screenings at the Vue in Reading. 7pm or 9pm. The earlier showing would have been tight and I would have had to leave as soon as the full time whistle was blown by Graham Poll. Instead we opted for the 9pm showing which gave me time to sort myself at get over to Caversham. I arrived just after 8pm at Pav’s and we headed to the Oracle in the bling M3. As there was plenty of time to go, we collected the tickets and headed for the Slug and Lettuce the other side of the complex. As we entered, it was extremely quiet with perhaps a few people scattered around the tables. Heading to the bar, I was about to place an order when I was told by the bar tender that I had to remove my jacket. I had decided much earlier on Sunday morning that regardless of the result I would wear my blue Arsenal jacket out. Obviously this individual was either a extremely disgruntled Red Devils fan or it was some stupid company policy to give the bar a thug less appearance to the outside world. Whatever the reason, I felt rather silly having to take off my jacket but never the less complied with the instructions. Even though perhaps looking back I should have made some stupid comment about it. Anyway over the drink, Pav and I discussed the plans for our next big lads petrol head weekend. A few options but more on that later. Then it was time for the movie, I had been waiting for this moment for a while, even though perhaps I should not been so eager to watch what many would consider a C class film, lucky to get a general theatrical release.

Daniel over in Singapore has been eager for me to give a review, so I will end the suspense now and discuss Dead Or Alive, the latest in a long line of video game to movie conversions. Let us begin with the general overview, it was great fun. Excellent fun in fact. A movie that does not take itself too serious. Sure I can understand that for many people it is just the eye candy on show and the thought of some killer combos in the contents but to me there was a little more substance but of course style prevailed the show. Leave your brain at the door, sit down and relax and enjoy a implausible but entertaining adventure. There are many wholes throughout the picture but I am not here to mention them, there ten credible but brief reviews over there. They will dissect them for you frame by frame, instead let me concentrate on the positives. The movie begins perfectly with a quick introduction to the girls, sorry I mean fighters and their invitation to DOA. Right slap bang opening with action, that it is what you want. No long drifting back story, shown in flashback. The action was high octane and the visual bright and seducing but what more could we expect. Personally I think the volumptous Jamie Pressly put in a fantastic performance as Tina, the tough American gal from the South with an attitude to match that. Although I wished Natassia Malthe had a bigger role which she deserved and I did recognise her from somewhere, it was the teen comedy 40 Days & 40 Nights, from four years ago. She does have some bigger movies coming up in the future but I felt she was under used and under appreciated in this picture, one of the few negative points with the casting. Holly Valance in her first major release does a good job in her role of Christie with that coy smile and sultry good looks. An example clear from her introduction and escape. Sarah Carter is lovable in her role as Helena. Then we move to Princess Kasumi played by cold stone Devon Aoki whom you may recall from Sin City. There of course has to be a villain, Eric Robert performs the role of Hugh Hefner better than a murderous man hell bent on world domination, if at all. Plus our movie would not be complete without the token geeky guy with a crash. Bring forth Steve Howey, perhaps the most unbelievable nerd, even if you stretch the imagination and discard his previous movies and television work. Never mind, all that aside this is still a great movie to watch and does do justice to the big screen. Although we were in screen 9, which was the smaller of the 10 screens at the multiplex but on a Sunday evening there were barely into the double figures for attendance. The volleyball scene in the middle said more about this movie than anything else, particularly the embarrassed looks from Haybusa (played in pedistration fashioned by Kane Kosugi) when he lands eyes on Princess Kasumi is in a skimpy red bikini. There is always a light hearted moment to contrast with the bone crunching body blows that are littered throughout. A film that does not take itself too serious is always going to be a laugh. The fight scenes are well choreographed and the plot wafer thin. Although I am told it does stay true to the story of the video game, which must be an added bonus for those diehard fans. I have never played the game. In fact my last two fighting games were perhaps the best of their time, or perhaps of my 16-bit / 32-bit generation. MK and SF. Pav’s younger brother, Rav has Dead or Alive: Ultimate so perhaps he would be a better judge on whether the characters matched their console counterparts and the fight scenes were too realistic or not far fetched enough. Some of the backdrops were amazing and you could see the money had been spent on a lavish set rather than some of the slow mo special affects which were nevertheless breathtaking. The ending was rather pathetic in my opinion and the final fight scenes could have been so much more explosive, but I suppose they had to end it somehow. Wrapping up lose ends is one thing but giving us, the moviegoer a thrill of an experience perhaps had lost momentum. Let us not forget previous video game to movie adoptions, particularly the poor Street Fighter and the more successful Mortal Kombat which did at least spawn a one sequels (with another in production). Dead Or Alive is superior to both in terms of visual style but perhaps lacks the substance of the latter. To summarize, great good fun, absolutely pure entertainment which has a mixture of babes, fights, comedy and pure stupidity. Such a shame, that the movie goes much the same was as the contents list I have given. So this blog posting goes full circle and ends very much in the way it began. Saying nothing.