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Domestic Battery is celebrating it's 8th Anniversary at the end of January. There are GTA online events throughout the week open to all our friends here at Rockstar Social Club .net. Please RSVP on the links provide so that host know how many people to plan for All times are GMT (UK time) unless stated otherwise Sun 23rd TNT Contact Racing hosted by @Dodge 18:00 (12:00 US Central) - TBC calendar entry for RSVPs - TBC Mon 24th A special edition of Monday Motor Mayhem Mischief and Merriment hosted by @Crawford1872 21:00 calendar entry for RSVPs - TBC Wed 26th Whacky Races A not too serious racing playlist, different types of race featuring some unusual vehicles hosted by @djw180 21:00 or 20:30 - TBC RSVP here https://www.rockstarsocialclub.net/calendar/event/97-whacky-races Fri 28th Tip Touching Anniversary Edition A PL full of stupid jobs hosted by @LimeGreenLegend 21:00 RSVP here https://www.rockstarsocialclub.net/calendar/event/96-tip-touching-anniversary-edition/ Sat 29th Two Bros Anniversary Edition our regular mixed PL hosted by @omarcomin71 and @pete_95973 21:00 RSVP - TBC or use regular event once the previous week's has been cleared

A lot of musicals and cats this week, though thankfully not Cats: The Musical. What I Watched This Week #2 (Jan 8-14) Singin' in the Rain dir. Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly/1952/1h43m Gene Kelly and Jean Hagan are Don Lockwood and Linda Lamont, the hottest couple on the silent screen, but they can't stand each other off screen. Their screen relationship is threatened by the arrival of the talkies because Linda has the most grating, annoying accent in all Hollywood and she couldn't sing her way out of a paper bag. Enter Debbie Reynolds as Kathy Seldon, who meets Don at a party and soon gets a job as the singing and speaking voice for Linda. This is a marvel of a movie, an absolute blast from start to finish. Not only does it contain some of the most iconic songs in film history, Make 'Em Laugh, Good Morning and of course the legendary title song, but it's also hilarious, I really wasn't expecting it to be this funny. A lot of the laughs come from Donald O'Conner as Cosmo Brown, Don's best friend, and my favourite character in the film. Seriously, his performance of Make 'Em Laugh is incredible, I rewound the film to watch that several times. Then there are the dance numbers, directed by Kelly himself. It's hypnotic the way he moves; the way he dreamily dances through the rainy streets with an umbrella, giddy with love, really is a special scene This definitely deserves its reputation as one of, if not the greatest musicals ever made. A near perfect movie. 10/10 Lime's Film of the Week! Paddington 2 dir. Paul King/2017/1h44m The cutest bear in the world (suck it, Pooh) returns in this sequel, which is basically the same as the first film, but that doesn't matter when you pack it with so much heart and sweetness and sincerity. Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) is framed for the robbery of a valuable pop-up book by hammy stage actor Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant) who knows that it contains clues leading to a trove of valuable treasure. When he is imprisoned his family, The Browns (led by Sally Hawkins and Hugh Bonneville), sleuth to prove his innocence, while Paddington himself gets involved in a prison break scheme led by the fearsome Knuckles (Brendon Gleeson). A fantastic storybook of a film, this is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. This has a very Wes Anderson feel to it with the gorgeous pastel colour palette and beautifully intricate sets, as well as the very playful feeling that permeates every scene. Worth watching just for the way Gleeson pronounces “mamalade”. 9/10 Cat People dir. Jacques Tourneur/1942/1h13m Cat People is a psychological thriller starring Simone Simon as a Serbian fashion designer Irena who has a whirlwind romance with Oliver Reed (Kent Smith) before marrying him. The only problem is that she won't even kiss him as she believes she is cursed to turn into a panther if she becomes too aroused. This soon drives Reed into the arms of his co-worker Alice (Jane Randolph), which may be enough to cause Irena to transform in a fit of jealous rage. Despite the short run time this film still feels like it drags. The two leads aren't very engaging, and certainly don't have any chemistry together, but there are a couple of very well directed suspenseful scenes, particularly the swimming pool scene, that redeem the rest of the film. The story is interesting in itself, and the idea of this generational trauma being passed down in the form of the curse is a good one. I do want to check out the 80's remake of this now though just to see what that does with this story. 6/10 Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny dir. Liam Lynch/2006/1h33m A stoner musical comedy starring Jack Black and Kyle Gass aka. Tenacious D, The Pick of Destiny sees the duo form the band and then go on an epic quest to find the mythical pick of destiny, a guitar pick used by all of the greatest guitarists in history. I love this film and think it really deserved to be a bigger hit than it was, this could've been the modern Cheech and Chong. I know a lot of people find Black to be grating, but in the context of Tenacious D, a delusional pair of fat, lazy stoners who think they are rock gods, his character really works. This is a very stupid movie, in the best way possible, with a bunch of cameos from Tim Robbins to Dave Grohl, and the songs are absolute bangers. The soundtrack, from the opening song Kickapoo (which features Meatloaf and Ronnie James f*cking Dio) through jams like Master Exploder and Beelzeboss, had me singing along the whole time. Recommend you get very baked while watching this. 9/10 Spectre dir. Sam Mendes/2015/2h28m Sam Mendes returns to the world of Bond with his follow up to Skyfall, Spectre. In it he continues his fascination with Bond's past that he began in the last act of Skyfall, only in a much more obtrusive and ridiculous way, seriously, the big reveal in this film is something that Austin Powers did as a joke in Goldmember. Daniel Craig returns for his fourth outing as Bond, this time facing a foe who has been pulling the strings behind the scenes since Casino Royale (probably because they didn't have the rights to use this character until this film), and it feels so shoehorned in it hurts. Christoph Waltz as Bond's nemesis does a solid job, but everything he says just sounds like nonsense. I still found enjoyment in this from the directing and the set pieces, which are great, but by fleshing out the backstory of Bond you just make the character less interesting. The worst Craig Bond film by a mile. 6/10 Bronson dir. Nicolas Winding Refn/2008/1h32m How insane do you have to be to spend 30 out of 34 years in prison locked in solitary confinement without ever having killed anyone? Watch Bronson and you'll find out. This is a biopic about “Britain's most violent prisoner” Charles Bronson, played by Tom Hardy in a career best performance. What sets this apart from your usual biopic is in the presentation. Many times we have Bronson on stage telling his story to an audience, and by proxy, us. These are very theatrical and markedly different from the more traditional scenes, which are always gritty and grimy and threatening. It's like a visual representation of his schizophrenia and it works so well. You also get to see a lot of Hardy's p*nis in this, which is always a bonus. This is a fantastic film that I highly recommend, and which the real Bronson called “absolute madness at its very best”. 9/10 The Kid dir. Charlie Chaplin/1921/53m Over one hundred years ago now Charlie Chaplin released his first feature length film, The Kid, and it's still a beautiful and funny film now in the 21st century. Chaplin, in his Little tr*mp persona, comes across an abandoned baby in the trash and because he is a pure and good person, decides to take him in and raise him as his own. Five years later, while the tr*mp and the Kid have to hustle just to survive, his mother has become a famous singer and wants to be reunited with her child. This leads to a heartbreaking scene in which social services arrive to rip the Kid from the tr*mp's arms. The shot of the Kid in the back of the truck crying his eyes out and calling for his daddy had me blubbing like a b*tch. The happy ending feels both forced and false after the hardships they both had to go through, but despite how sad Chaplin seems at times, and how his films mostly deal with the poor and working classes being beat down by life, he's a comedian at heart and wants the audience to go home smiling, which I certainly did. 9/10 No Time to Die dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga/2021/2h43m There may be some big spoilers here, so if you don't want to know about that just know that I thought this is the best Daniel Craig Bond film since Casino Royale. Now the review proper. While I didn't like Spectre because it tried to flesh out Bond's past, here we have a film imagining his future and I really like it. We start with Bond retired and living with Madelaine (Lea Sedoux), whom he met and fell in love with last film. This doesn't last long and he is soon back investigating a bio-terrorism plot helmed by Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek), who has connections with Madelaine. Also, since he retired there is a new 007 in the form of Nomi (Lashana Lynch), who soon gets into a game of one-upmanship with her predecessor. A load of more complicated and globe trotting events take place and in the end James Bond is killed in a missile strike! The mad lads actually did it and I think it's a brilliant move, leaving the slate clean for the inevitable reboot of the series. Stylistically this is very similar to the last few Bond films, very sharp and clean looking, well directed and with some stunning stunts. The Hans Zimmer score is better than the music from Spectre, and the title track by Billie Eilish might be the best of all the Craig Bond songs. This really sends Craig out with a bang, and is a much more dignified finale than Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day. 8/10 The Shooting dir. Monte Hellman/1966/1h18m A minimalist western noir film, The Shooting is about two miners, Will and Coley (Warren Oates, Will Hutchins) hired by a mysterious and acerbic woman (Millie Perkins) to lead her to a nearby town. However, it soon becomes clear that she is looking for something, or someone, else, and when they are joined by hired gun Billy Spear (Jack Nicholson) things become much more tense. This reminded me a lot of The Hitch-Hiker, it's very bare-bones and to the point, real economic filmmaking. It makes sense for such a low budget film, but it also adds to the overall feel of the piece, real gritty. Oates as the gruff miner Will and Nicholson as the dangerous young man Spears were both great, but Perkins and Hutchins really weren't on the same level and bought the film down. If this film had a better female lead then it would be much better overall, but as it is it's still a decent little thriller, and the noir style story isn't something I've seen done in a western before. 6.5/10 Tommy dir. Ken Russell/1975/1h51m Adapted from the concept album of the same name by The Who, Tommy is a rock opera starring lead singer Roger Daltrey as the deaf dumb and blind kid who sure plays a mean pinball. Going into this film that's all I knew, that he is a genius at pinball, but what followed was totally insane; he becomes a superstar and eventually a cult/religious leader. Obviously the music here is top notch. In my opinion the combo of Keith Moon (who also plays the creepy Uncle Ernie) on drums and John Entwistle on bass is the best rhythm section in rock. It was weird and awesome seeing Oliver Reed singing and dancing as a Butlins style holiday camp worker, Tina Turner and her futuristic iron maiden full of syringes was terrifying and Elton John's giant boots were honestly understated for him. Jack Nicholson lip-synching a British singer was still probably the weirdest thing in the film though. 9/10 Leningrad Cowboys Go America dir. Aki Kaurismaki/1989/1h19m (no trailer for this so here's the Cowboys performing a song) This is a Finnish comedy from Aki Kaurismaki about a band, The Stalingrad Cowboys (played by real band The Sleepy Sleepers) who go to America to make it big. But when they're there all they find are dive bars, unfriendly cops and a barren industrial landscape. On the upside they also discover rock and roll and go from playing folk music that honestly reminded me of music from Borat to playing covers of classic rock and roll songs. This film has a real deadpan, absurdist feel to it, like a surreal Blues Brothers. The band even dress like the Blues Brothers, just with added fur coats and lethally sharp pompadour hairdos and winklepicker shoes. I had a lot of fun watching this, and recommend it if you're looking for a real odd comedy to watch. 8/10 Bugsy Malone dir. Alan Parker/1976/1h33m When I was a young kid I was totally in love with Jodie Foster from this and Freaky Friday, so when my dad told me those films were made in the 70's and that she was about the same age as my mum I was heartbroken. I don't think I've ever gotten over that. Anyway, this is brilliant. A musical mob movie set during the prohibition but with an all child cast. Sounds insane, and it is, but it really works. Swap out tommy guns for cream shooting “splurge guns” and real cars for awesome pedal cars you're done! Fantastic songs, but it is weird seeing children lip-synching adult voices. Fat Sam is the man and the sing along finale is so infectious they should develop a vaccine to protect against it. 9/10 Great Expectations dir. David Lean/1946/1h58m From one of the greatest directors of all time, David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge on the River Kwai) comes this lavish adaptation of Charles Dickens' story of a young orphan, Pip (Tony Wager/John Mills as young/old Pip respectively) sent to London to become a gentleman thanks to a secret benefactor. Throughout all of this he holds a candle for the mean and cold-hearted Estella (Jean Simmons/Valerie Hobson) who is in the care of Miss Havisham (Martita Hunt), who has gone mad since being jilted at the altar. While not my favourite Dickens story, this is a great adaptation that really leans into a Gothic aesthetic that suits the story perfectly, particularly in the last act where it almost turns into a haunted house film. This film also features a freakishly young Alec Guinness as Pip's London roommate Herbert Pocket. I did find this film dragging in the second act while he was in London, but Guinness' presence helps with that. Also Pip is supposed to be 20 when Mills takes over the part, but he looks all of his 38 years and then some. A very good literary adaptation that may be too literary for its own good. 7.5/10 Shoot the Piano Player dir. Francois Truffaut/1960/1h25m Shoot The Piano Player is the second film from Francois Truffaut, one of the founding members of the French New Wave and former film critic. It stars Charles Aznavour as Charlie, a pianist at a cheap jazz bar, but he used to be a concert pianist until the tragic end to his marriage. After his brothers scam a couple of gangsters out of their take from a robbery Charlie gets drawn into the mess when they come looking for them and find him instead. Tonally this film is all over the place, and purposefully so. One minute Truffaut is treating it like a slapstick comedy, other times like a straight noir thriller. The one constant is the character of Charlie. He has a melancholic air to him that just makes you automatically root for him, it reminded me of Ben Gazzara's performance in The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.A fun film that somehow leaves you feeling slightly sad, I really liked this. 8/10 I'm No Longer Here dir. Fernando Frias/2019/1h52m A strong contender for worst haircut I've ever seen in a film, sported by lead actor Juan Daniel Garcia Trevino as Ulises, in this Mexican movie from Fernando Frias. 17 year old Ulises spends his time in the streets of Monterrey with his gang, dancing and partying and just acting like kids for the most part. However, he soon has to illegally cross the border after he gets involved in some cartel business and puts his family in danger. In New York he finds himself isolated thanks to the language barrier, but soon forms a relationship with the teenage Lin (Xueming Angelina Chen) who works at her grandfather's store, where Ulises manages to get some work and a place to stay. This is a brilliantly shot film with a real raw feel to it, thanks in part to the young cast who are just so natural. Trevino's lead performance as Ulises is incredible and the final shot, full of both hope for and fear of the future, caps the film off perfectly. Also, the cumbia music the gang loves is banging. 8.5/10 The Electrical Life of Louis Wain dir. Will Sharpe/2021/1h51m After playing the rough and brutal Phil Burbank in Power of the Dog, Benedict Cumberbatch gives an equally impressive, though very different performance as the titular character in the biopic The Electrical Life of Louis Wain. Wain was a Victorian painter who found fame by painting anthropomorphic, cartoonish and utterly charming pictures of cats. He falls in love with the governess hired to teach his younger sisters, Emily (Claire Foy), but falls into a deep depression after she passes away. He finds solace in his paintings and his cat Peter, but his struggles with his mental health, one scene where he believes he is drowning is very upsetting, and his awful handling of money ends with him in an asylum. However there is a happy ending (which includes a bizarre cameo by Nick Cave as H.G. Welles, a fan of Wains) with the film being really about the therapeutic qualities of art and creativity and animals and nature. This is also a very beautifully shot film, at points becoming luminous and painterly, and this just emphasises one of the themes of the film, the beauty of the world. I had no expectations for this film going in, I only watched it because I've seen everything else at my local cinema, but came out absolutely loving it. 9/10 A Cat in Paris dir. Alain Gagnol, Jean-Loup Felicioli/2010/1h5m A Cat in Paris is a French animated film about a cat, Dino, who leads a double life. During the day he is the pet of a little girl called Zoe, who has been mute since the death of her father. By night the cat is the faithful assistant to a friendly cat burglar, Nico. These two lives converge when the man who killed Zoe's father is seen back in town, causing her police detective mother Jeanne to focus on him rather than her daughter. This is a cute little film whose strongest point is the look. It has both sharp and soft qualities, it's very tactile with backgrounds coloured in with what looks like chalk and crayons and colouring pencils, lots of texture, and the character animation is very fluid and satisfying. It has a great jazzy soundtrack that becomes more thriller tinged later on. The weak points for me are the story; there's a lot going on here, it really could've benefited from being fifteen minutes or so longer, and I didn't really like any of the vocal performances. None of them were bad but they all felt kinda out of place. Still a decent film though, and it's worth watching just for the running gag with the barking dog. 7/10

@Paulie @Mark Verstappen any chance of some context of this song, stumbled upon it after watching some jeborer videos on youtube, and the youtube translations were less than helpful!!!!

w00t!