Thursday, April 30, 2015

Trendy tattoos

Who ever thought a tattoo could be trendy? Apparently the people at Tattoo Artist Magazine think tattoos can be trendy

Tribal art
-This is one of the more popular types of tattoos. They include tribal arm bands and leg bands, which wrap around the arm or leg. It's simple in design; the lines are bold and curvy, with only black as the color. They are good on the body, as they follow the way the body moves
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Portrait
-This is a very intricate type of tattoo. This is usually the most difficult type to do as most artists can't do it justice and if they can, it's not gonna be cheap. Most of the time, when someone wants a portrait, it's a very therapeutic process, meaning that the portrait they are getting is of someone very near and dear to them, like a mother/father, husband/wife, loved pet. And also, people like getting celebs tattooed on them for some strange reason
Script designs
-This usually refers to some type of writing, whether it be a quote from the Bible or another holy book, a quote with a strong meaning, a person's name, etc. Also, related to this, are tattoos in foreign languages, such as Chinese/Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew, etc. These types of tattoos can honor the subject of the artwork or serve as a memorial. They can even show how proud that person is of their heritage

Things to know about tattoos

Before you rush off to the nearest tattoo parlor, it's good to know a thing or two about tattoos
1. Tattoo machine
-There are four basic parts: Needle, tube for ink, electric motor (usually operated with a foot pedal) and a foot pedal

2. Allergic reaction
-Sometimes people might be allergic to some chemical in the ink used. Know your medical history before running off to go under the needle. Know what you're allergic to and what you're not allergic to

3. The tattoo doesn't age, but your skin does
-One thing to keep in mind. As you age, so does your tattoo. As you get older, your tattoo will fade due to the aging process and exposure to sun

4. Temporary tattoos have risks
-The FDA advised the public to be wary of the ink used for temporary tattoos. These "henna" tattoos use black ink that contain a chemical called PDD which can cause scarring

5. Don't judge the quality of all tattoos based on one tattoo
-If someone gets one horrible tattoo, they will most likely have second thoughts about getting another one. Keep in mind that the experience of the tattoo artist as well as quality of ink used factor in this

6. Tattoos give off a certain image
-Despite the fact that tattoos were once the mark of sailors and criminals, they are very fashionable nowadays and very common. A lot of people out there will have at least one tattoo. Some places od employment do not approve of employees having tattoos and will ask them to cover them up. Location is key in considering a tattoo. A good example would be not placing a tattoo on your throat where it will be visible 24 hours a day. More typical areas for tattoos are the arms, chest, legs, back

7. Tattoos can say a lot about you
-This is a unique way of telling the world who you are. This is something that is permanent and can't be washed off with soap and water. Getting a tattoo requires a lot of thoughtful consideration!

Cobra

Cobra
Summary
-A serial killer known as the Nightslasher leads a group of Neo-Nazis who are breaking into people's homes and cars, and killing people at random. One of these gang members holds up a grocery store and takes hostages. A police lieutenant named Marion Corbretti is brought in to stop it. After a while, there are a series of murders occurring, one of them witnessed by a Danish model named Ingrid Knudsen. So it's up to the police officer to protect the model-witness








Cast
-Sylvester Stallone: Lt Marion 'Cobra' Cobretti
-Brigitte Nielsen: Ingrid Knudsen
-Reni Santori: Sgt. Gonzales
-Andrew Robinson: Det. Monte
-Brian Thompson: Nightslasher

Did You Know?
-When Cobra is outside the diner, the bobblehead he is playing with is wearing the uniform of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team
-Andrew Robinson, who plays Det. Monte and Reni Santori, who plays Det. Gonzales, would later appear in Dirty Harry together. Robinson plays the psychopathic killer Scorpio while Santori plays Harry's partner
-For some reason, a lot of the action movie heroes of the 1980s had the first name John- John Rambo, John Matrix, John McClane, etc. However, in the case of this movie, the title character's first name is Marion- a reference to the real name of big screen Western legend John Wayne, whose real name is Marion Morrison

Quotes

Judge Dredd

Judge Dredd
Summary
-In the year 2139, Earth is now a desolate, war-ridden world called the Cursed Earth. All of the people on Earth have crowded into major cities deemed Mega Cities. Because of the vast majority of crime and violence, a normal justice system is useless. In this futuristic society, three justice systems are combined to form the Judges- judge, jury and executioner. One of the most strict Judges in Mega City One, Judge Joseph Dredd, is one day framed for murder and sentenced to life in prison unless he can find out who is framing him











Cast
-Sylvester Stallone: Judge Joseph Dredd
-Armand Assante: Rico
-Rob Schneider: Herman 'Fergee' Ferguson
-Jurgen Prochnow: Judge Griffin
-Max von Sydow: Chief Justice Fargo
-Diane Lane: Judge Hershey
-Joanna Miles: Judge Evelyn McGruder
-Joan Chen: Dr. Ilsa Hayden
-Peter Marinker: Judge Carlos Esposito

Did You Know?
-The scene where Fergie mocks Dredd was improvised. It ended up being so funny that Rob Schneider made fun of the way Sylvester Stallone talked that it was kept in the movie
-Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers were supposed to have a song in the film, called "Judge Yr'self". But after one of the band members disappeared, it was scrapped. In 2003, they finally released the song
-The costumes for this movie were designed by famous Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani
-Sylvester Stallone had never heard of the character until he was offered the role
-The movie is based on a popular and long running British comic book character who first appeared in 2000 AD
-Director Danny Cannon fought hard to have the movie filmed in England. Not because England is the home of the character Judge Dredd, but because of the high level of film technology and film technicians in the UK

Quotes

[after Dredd has been found guilty and sentenced to life, he is transported with other convicts in a shuttle to Aspen prison. Fergee, who sits next to Dredd, is rather surprised to see him]
Fergee: Dredd?
[Dredd grabs Fergee's hand, shushing him - but a prisoner who sits behind Dredd, who has ugly scar on his right cheek, hears that]
Fergee: Don't hit me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Don't hurt me.
[Dredd lets go of Fergee's hand. The scarred prisoner bends forward, eavesdropping]
Fergee: [whispers] What are you doing here?
Judge Dredd: I was convicted of a crime. Wrongly convicted.
Fergee: [chuckles] Really? That's kinda weird! What are the odds? Two wrongly convicted guys sitting right next to each other?
Judge Dredd: You received the sentence the law required.
Fergee: [angrily] Five years? Just for saving my own ass? That was a mistake!
Judge Dredd: The law doesn't make mistakes.
Fergee: Really? Then how do you explain what happened to YOU?
[Dredd looks at Fergee. He has no answer]
Fergee: You can't, can you? Great. Mr. "I am the law" can't!
[the scarred prisoner draws a pocketknife from his right sock. The prisoners sitting next to him notice that, but say nothing. Using the knife, the scarred prisoner starts unlocking the metal framework which restrains him to his seat]
Fergee: So maybe this is some kind of typo. Maybe it's a glitch. Or maybe it's poetic justice!
[meanwhile, the shuttle is spotted by several lawless inhabitants of the Cursed Earth - the Angel gang]
Junior Angel: Shuttle comin'! Shuttle! Shuttle! Shuttle comin', Pa! Look!
[Pa and Link Angel approach. Junior points at the shuttle]
Pa Angel: Praise the Lord for bringing us this generous bounty. My sons... gather the harvest!
[Junior and Link rush to bring weapons]

Cliffhanger

Cliffhanger

Summary
-While trying to cross a ledge 4,000 above the ground to a waiting helicopter, Sara, the girlfriend of Gabe Walker's friend Hal, falls to her death from faulty equipment. A year later, Gabe comes back and is asked to go to that same mountain range to rescue a group of "stranded" people. It turns out these "stranded" people are actually criminals and they are looking for 3 heavy cases, each containing $100,000,000 in cash from the US Treasury. Gabe and his friend Hal are then forced to help the criminals find the money









Cast
-Sylvester Stallone: Gabe Walker
-John Lithgow: Eric Qualen
-Michael Rooker: Hal Turner
-Janine Turner: Jessie Deighan
-Rex Linn: Richard Travers
-Caroline Goodall: Kristel
-Leon: Kynette
-Craig Fairbass: Delmar
-Ralph Waite: Frank

Did You Know?
-One of the parachutes the base jumper uses has the Finnish flag as the design. This is a trademark of director Renny Harlin, who is from Finland. In movies he directs, the Finnish flag always makes an appearance
-Sylvester Stallone took on this movie to help him get over his fear of heights
-Despite the movie being set in Colorado, the mountain scenes were filmed in the Cortina d'Ampezzo-Dolomites mountain range in Italy because of their striking resemblance to the Colorado Rockies
-Cliffhanger managed to make it into the Guiness Book of World Records for costliest aerial stunt ever done. It cost $1 million to perform the scene where the money was being transferred in air from one plane to the other

Quotes

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

The Specialist

The Specialist
Summary
-Ray Quick is an explosives expert who previously worked with the CIA. His former partner is a guy named Ned Trent, who is seriously disturbed. After having a falling out, Ray becomes a freelancer living off the grid. One day, a mysterious woman named May Munro contacts him and wants revenge on the three men who killed her family years ago. He soon finds out Ned is working with the Leon crime family, the people responsible for the death of May's family








Cast
-Sylvester Stallone: Ray Quick
-Sharon Stone: May Munro
-James Woods: Ned Trent
-Rod Steiger: Joe Leon
-Eric Roberts: Tomas Leon

Did You Know?
-Sharon Stone was 36 when this movie went into production, despite her character only being in her twenties

Quotes

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Types of tourists to avoid while travelling

We all love travelling. And when we get to that destination we dream of, we always see tourists. Usually the same kind. And if it's in a European city, you can usually spot the American ones pretty easily. They'll take pictures of virtually everything and stand out like sore thumbs. Now, while I admit, I am probably one of those kinds of people who would take pictures of virtually everything, I would try and blend in with the locals. Like the old saying goes "When in Rome, do as the Romans do". Or in my case, when in London, do as the Brits do. :D Here are some of the typical tourists you might encounter on vacation

1. The one who always loses her luggage
2. The one who turns into a photographer when visiting Times Square
3. The just-want-to-get-high people
4. The couch surfer, who wants to get over his/her jet lag
5. Visiting distant family and becoming bored
6. The culinary junkies who want to eat as the locals do
-If I visit anywhere outside the US, I want to eat as the locals do!!
7. The golden couple who have seen it all and done it all...together
8. The honeymooning couple are so in love it makes you sick, especially if they start doing that baby talk and giving each other nicknames like Honey, Baby, Sweetie Pie, etc
9. The one who thinks he/she can speak the language, but comes off as an idiot
-I will avoid this by making sure I'm fully fluent in the language!
10. The middle aged or senior aged tourist who thinks they can still do what they did when they were young
11. The worn out family with screaming children
12. The one who ends up lost
13. The one who always manages to get sick during vacation
-This was me on my family's first trip to Mexico. All because I forgot to drink enough bottled water, I get heatstroke!
14. The ones who want to argue a price on something
15. The party animals
16. The shopaholics
17. The ones seeking a spiritual rebirth
18. The ones who think they have spiritually reborn but are really just bored
19. The tourist groups
20. The tourist who wants to see everything
-I have no shame in admitting that, yeah, I will probably end up being one of these, lol. But, it's only because I don't know if I'll ever visit that place again
21. The workaholics who just can't stop