12 Black And White Beauties Of Cinema

Posted By Mark on Oct 17, 2010

If I claimed that the following pictures of beautiful women of the black and white era of movie-making were chosen as much for the aesthetic pleasure from the photography itself as for the sheer gorgeousness of the subjects would you believe me? More importantly: would I care if you believed me or not? So, on with twelve stunning beauties of the silver screen. 12. Sybille Schmitz Sybille was a star of German cinema with a look that said "I’ve Teutonic blood coursing through my veins and I will stamp on you and crush you like a bug. Tonight’s safety word is Bismarck!" Owing to her working throughout the period of the third reich she was subsequently shunned by the post-war film industry, became depressed, developed an addiction to drugs, and eventually committed suicide. 11. Marlene Dietrich Marlene Dietrich was a staunch anti-Nazi opposer of antisemitism and a singer and actress of German descent who moved seamlessly from the stage to silent movies to radio and big Hollywood films. There’s not a single bad photo of her in existence. Dietrich had cheekbones. And underneath those cheekbones? More cheekbones. Not only that, but she was a bisexual atheist. If that’s not ticking all your boxes then you’re not me. 10. Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth’s career exploded at around the time of World War II thanks partly to a popular pin-up photo taken of her for Life magazine at the time dressed in a negligee. Can’t imagine why that was popular. The most interesting fact about Hayworth’s early life was that she underwent forehead-broadening electrolysis treatment. Us men: we do like a nice wide forehead on our ladies. 9. Fay Wray If you don’t find the Canadian-American actress Fay Wray attractive then I think we can rule out the possibility of you being a giant gorilla. If you do find her attractive then you may be a giant gorilla, but you also have damn fine taste in the ladies. If none of this makes any sense to you and you haven’t considered the possibility that I’m referring to her most famous role in King Kong then just go, get out, leave this site now, begone, and scram. 8. Hedy Lamarr How many actresses can you name who have patented spread-spectrum communication technology used in radio-guided torpedoes and modern wi-fi systems? Two? You bloody liar! There’s only one and that’s the Austrian-born actress Hedy Lamarr. If you’re thinking that you really liked her in Blazing Saddles then Mel Brooks’ work here is done. 7. Clara Bow Clara Bow survived a tough childhood that included fending off her deluded mother’s knife pressed against her...

Cat Crossing

Posted By Mark on Oct 3, 2010

It’s a cat crossing the road with a kitten in its mouth. And if that doesn’t warm the cockles of your heart then you’re not human.

It Was A Dark And Stormy Night

Posted By Mark on Sep 11, 2010

It was a dark and stormy night… No, wait… it was a dark and stormy day… Actually, come to think of it… it was a dark day with perhaps the promise of a storm a little later… That’s a bit wordy… it was a dark day… To be honest it wasn’t that dark… it was a dull and overcast day, neither that bright nor overly gloomy… Again, a bit wordy… it was a dull and overcast day… That’s it… it was a dull and overcast day and I started effing about with Photoshop....

Sage Advice

Posted By Mark on Aug 14, 2010

Brighton: A Visitor’s Guide

Posted By Mark on Oct 18, 2009

There are three major cities along the south coast of England that would-be tourists are likely to visit: Portsmouth – the obvious choice, home of everything you’d actually find interesting, what a great city! Southampton – feeling suicidal? Or maybe you just need a reminder that your life isn’t quite as bad as you think? That Other One – no, not Plymouth, the one the other way, you know, in every sense of the phrase. Huh? Yeah? Yeah, you know what I mean! That other one is Brighton. Getting To Brighton If you’re heading in from the west then the A27 provides the most direct route. Pay special attention when you turn off the A27 lest you accidentally head off towards Lewes. I headed off towards Lewes once. Once! We never talk about the Lewes experience. If you’re heading in from the east or coming down from London then you’ll need to look at a map or get yourself one of those fancy satellite navigational thingies because I live to the west of Brighton so using those routes really isn’t in my interest. Getting Around Brighton You could try walking but it’s quite a sprawling city with lots more hilly areas than you’d expect so I wouldn’t if I were you. Driving is an option but it’s also not a good one. The bus does provide the most convenient method of getting into and around the city proper from the outskirts but please bear in mind that "most convenient" is a very relative term in this case. Brighton provides a Park & Ride service from the Withdean Stadium. Simply park at the Withdean Stadium (signposted clearly on your way in unless you’ve accidentally ended up in Lewes when suddenly everything is backwards and scary and all you want to do is not crash and get out quickly, but we don’t talk about Lewes) and then ride on the bus right into the heart of Brighton. They used to provide a dedicated bus for the service but now they just put you on the number 27 route which is far, far, far longer and takes you on a three quarters of an hour in-depth exploration of, apparently, every single bus stop Brighton has to offer. I’m not saying that someone on Brighton’s council has a brother who manufactures bus stop poles so they thought it would be a good idea to erect one every forty feet, and I’m not saying that Brighton is full of the laziest people on the planet who think nothing of letting the bus stop to allow people on or off then waiting for it to...

Vintage Borg

Posted By Mark on Sep 20, 2009

Sure, they assimilate everything in sight when they’re out cruising the transwarp corridors but get them out of their uniforms and you’ll find the Borg are just like you and me. Original vintage images courtesy of...