Elephants in film
To celebrate the release of Water for Elephants, which one critic is calling a “clunky, plodding, romantic circus melodrama,” here are five other notable cinematic elephants.
Electrocuting an Elephant
In which Topsy the elephant is executed by electrocution at Coney Island, NY. As filmed by Thomas Edison.
Babar the Movie
In which Babar relates the story of his first days as King of the Elephants, when Elephantland came under attack from Rataxes the rhinocerous.
The Elephant Man
In which the elephant man says “I am not an elephant! I am not an animal! I am a human being! I … am … a … man!”
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
In which Boba saves Ace from arrest by overturning an official’s jeep.
The Jungle Book
In which Colonel Hathi forgets to say “HALT!”
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06 May 2011
London agenda for Friday 6 May
1. Listen to designer Hussein Chalayan in conversation with Emily King [Le Cool]
2. Watch Terry Gilliam’s Damnation of Faust at the ENO [Run Riot]
3. Eat well, eat very well at the Underground Night Market [Time Out]
4. Not use a computer to find out about the 200th anniversary of the Framebreakers’ Uprising [Ian Visits]
5. Test drive a smart car in Central London [Tired of London]
6. Check out the second UK solo show by Finnish artist Annti Laitenen, Bark Boat [Lauren Down]
06 May 2011
Idiot Glee - All Packed Up (Dreamtrak Session)
Young Kentucky piano teacher and burgeoning lo-fi pop star Idiot Glee is coming over to the UK this May. Hear his sweetly wholesome Americana below, and catch him at the Vortex Jazz Club on May 12th.
Idiot Glee – All Packed Up (Dreamtrak Session) by snipelondon
05 May 2011
Is this the best opening to an espionage thriller ever?
Taken from the review of Spy Counter-spy by Don Betteridge, in the utterly magnificent London Mystery Magazine (Vol 20), from 1954.
“The book opens with a deaf-mute stripping off her clothes to reveal an invisible-ink message inscribed on her back.”
Who has this book? I need it.
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05 May 2011
Notable worldwide referenda of the last decade (excluding boring topics like constitutional reform)
Smacking babies (New Zealand)
Spiritual healing (Switzerland)
Referendum on not letting the government tell you what referenda are about (Switzerland)
Lawyers for animals (Switzerland)
Whether or not to bother paying back debts (Iceland)
What to do with all the gas (Bolivia)
What to do with all the guns (Brazil)
Whether to keep open a Chenobyl-style nuclear plant (Lithuania)
Impeaching the President (Romania)
Cockfighting – wholesome family pursuit? (Ecuador)
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05 May 2011
City Skills: The best frozen pizzas on the London convenience store market, ranked by value
5. Gino’s Pepperoni pizza (99p, in some locations. Shop around.)
“Hand topped with the finest ingredients and mozzarella cheese,” says the product description. Love the “and”. Those finest ingredients include:
“Flour Treatment Agent (E920) , Mozzarella (Milk, Salt, Starter, Rennet), Analogue, Water, Veg Oil, Milk Protein, Starch, Salt, Emulsifying Salts (E331, E339, Colour E160a), Aroma, Antioxidant (E301), Preservative (E250), Colouring (E160c).”
One for desperate times.
4. Chicago Town The Deep Dish 2 Meat Combo pizzas (around £1.99)
They’re not filling, the base always goes crusty, and the meat has the texture of rubber that’s melted and rehardened. But you can’t deny that Chicago Town’s offerings give eating frozen pizza alone in your empty flat a certain, dare I say, pizzazz. The glamour option.
3. McCain Maximo Cheesy Garlic pizza (around £1.50)
As read about on the always interesting Beyond Potato section of their website. McCain are a byword for quality in the frozen food sector. That means something.
2. Goodfellas Deep Pan Loaded Cheese pizza (around £2.49)
This has got a lot of cheese, and if you’re going to buy a frozen pizza it makes no sense to scrimp. This pizza is the most challenging to cook, as inexperienced chefs often burn the edges without fully defrosting the cheesy middle.
1. Dr Oetker Mozzarella pizza (around £2.49)
The doyen of the frozen pizza conoisseur. An undiscovered gem, and one those in the know would love to keep secret. But its quality demands greater public reknown. I can do no better than quote this online review (review refers to the North American version of this pizza).
“The mixture of “fresh” and shredded mozzarella created probably the best frozen-pizza-cheese combo I’ve ever tasted. The herbs and diced tomato that top the pizza were fresh tasting and evenly distributed. This is one frozen pizza you can eat confidently without needing to add any basil or oregano.”
Is there a Doctor in your house? Perhaps there should be.
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Twitter: @mikpollitt
Email: michael.pollitt@snipelondon.com
05 May 2011
London agenda for Thursday 4 May
1. Listen to Philip Seymour Hoffman discuss his career [Le Cool]
2. Visit the studios of Netil House for a one off evening of arts, design, music, workshops, exhibitions, pop up shops and a warehouse part [Run Riot]
3. Check 22 years worth of photography by Dave Swindells, nightlife editor of Time Out [Flavorpill]
4. Hear some cheeky retro pop by Paloma Faith [Time Out]
5. Learn how to not keep bees [Ian Visits]
6. Visit Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum [Tired of London]
7. Visit the space between art and architecture at Urban Fog in Dalston [Lauren Down]
8. Discover why you need to rethink your rocket with author Ken Hollings [Jon Davis]
05 May 2011
Queen Of Hearts by Fucked Up
New stuff from Fucked Up, the fourth pre-release single from forthcoming concept LP David Comes To Life, released June 4th via Matador. Download Queen Of Hearts, plus the three prior releases here. Guest vocals come courtesy of Maddy from Cults.
04 May 2011
Will Ken regret the m-word?
If you read the bulk of what Ken Livingstone is quoted as saying by the Evening Standard today, you’d find there wasn’t too much controversy in his views on Osama Bin Laden’s death.
You may not agree with them, but these weren’t the ravings of a hothead.
“I just looked at it and realised that it would increase the likelihood of a terror attack on London… I don’t think I’ve ever felt pleased at the death of anybody. The real problem for London is that after America we’re a big target so it’s a very dangerous time at the moment.
“We should have captured him and put him on trial. It’s a simple point – are we gangsters or a Western democracy based on the rule of law? “
So far, so reasonable. Then…
“This undermines any commitment to democracy and trial by jury and makes Obama look like some sort of mobster.”
Note Ken didn’t actually call the US president a mobster – just said his special forces’ actions made him look like one. There is a difference.
But for political opponents looking to take offence, that was enough, with Chelsea’s Tory MP Greg Hands obligingly calling it “yet another example of Ken Livingstone’s extreme views”.
Ken’s political allies have also objected, with Left Foot Forward editor Shamir Das calling it “an ill-judged attack”.
Ken Livingstone’s got decades of form for stepping outside the political mainstream. Many Londoners – only too sadly aware that Middle East politics can have tragic consequences in their own city – will be able to see through the hype.
But will even the merest suggestion that Ken called Barack Obama a “mobster” deny him the suburban votes he needs to win?
Ken’s intervention also reinforces an impression that London’s mayoral candidates – and those who scrutinise them – are happiest when talking about anything but London issues.
Last year, Boris Johnson branded Obama’s predecessor a torturer in his Telegraph column – to a distinct lack of outrage from Tory MPs.
What’s pretty clear, though, that with a year to go to the election, the battle for City Hall is shaping up to be as dismal and negative as The Scoop feared it would be.
04 May 2011
Walthamstow cinema campaigners push for happy ending
Campaigners hoping to save Walthamstow’s long-closed cinema are hoping Waltham Forest councillors will back their plan to buy the building and start showing films there again.
The EMD cinema has lain empty for eight years, and a planning committee will decide later this month whether a religious group can turn it into a church.
But campaigners have set up the Waltham Forest Cinema Trust, with the aim of buying the premises from the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.
As a not-for-profit organisation, it would be eligible for grants to restore the building, which opened in 1930 as London’s first Granada cinema.
The site has been used as a cinema since 1896, and Alfred Hitchcock, who grew up in nearby Leytonstone, is believed to have watched films there. An artists’ impression released by campaigners last year shows a reopened cinema named after the legendary director.
Former local MP Neil Gerrard is chairing the trust, which hopes to persuade Waltham Forest councillors that the building has a viable future as a cinema. They cite the Soho Theatre – which opened a decade ago thanks to lottery money and private housing and business development – as an example to follow.
Gerrard said: “The cinema was originally built to inspire and benefit the entire community. The Trust’s plans are entirely in keeping with this legacy, and will restore this building to its former glory.”
In February, squatters broke into the building and tried to hold a rave. Gerrard’s successor as Walthamstow MP, Stella Creasy, entered the cinema and took photos of the damage – but then found herself accused of trespass by UCKG.
Councillors will decide the future of the building at a meeting on 18 May.
04 May 2011
Snipe Highlights
Some popular articles from past years
- An interview with Desiree Akhavan
- Hope and despair in Woolwich town centre
- Number of people using Thames cable car plunges
- Punk brewery just as sexist and homophobic as the industry they rail against
- The five best places in London to have an epiphany
- Could red kites be London's next big nature success story?
- Nice Interactive timeline lets you follow Londoners' historic fight against racism
- Nice map of London's fruit trees shows you where to pick free food
- Margaret Thatcher statue rejected by public
- Diary of the shy Londoner
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