Dorian Gray

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AYBG
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Re: Dorian Gray

#61 Post by AYBG » Thu Aug 27, 2009 10:42 pm

Sydney_Bristow wrote:I've signed up to way too many newsletters AYBG (all the mags you can think of and then some!). As well as that I'm somehow also getting regular mails from some dog magazine
If you don't want to make a new email address you could unsubscribe from most of the newsletters, though making any attempt to do the same for the spam is a bad idea ("Hey, look at me! This is an active email address! Spam me more!"). Only remove yourself from the ones you remember subscribing to...
So yeah, what I advise is to create a googlemail account... there are too many advantages to list but I'll put the ones I find particularly useful...

1) Better automatic spam protection.

2) Spam emails have gotta come from somewhere, right? From the vast number of websites we put our email addresses in, some of them are bound to be dodgy. What you can do with googlemail is give a unique address for each site by adding a + then a phrase to describe the site. e.g. say my email address is name@googlemail.com but I wasn't sure about DodgySite.com, I could sign up with name+dodgysite@googlemail.com. All the emails sent to the address will show up in my inbox as normal, but if I ever receive spam I can check the address it's sent to. Hey look, surprise surprise it was sent to name+dodgysite@googlemail.com. What I'd do after that is create a filter...

3) The ability to make filters opens up so much potential it's amazing. You can create boxes, like Family or Co-workers, and set a rule that whenever you get an email from coworkersemailaddress@whatever.com it'll get put in the right box. It's not just email addresses it can act on, but email subjects and even words in its content. I made a Purchases box and get all invoices sent there. It's an amazing auto-organising tool. Putting emails into different boxes is only one of the things you can set it to do based on the condition. You can skip the inbox, automatically delete it, forward it to a different address and more. In the case of our spam message, you could automatically delete messages sent to name+dodgysite@googlemail.com

4) You know that annoying iPhone ad? "Have to walk the dog? There's an App for that. Want to take over the world? There's an App for that." In googlemail's case it's actually true!! There's vast amounts of community created extras, so many it can be daunting! Some minor, some that change your email experience entirely! I use a desktop notifier that makes a sound whenever I have a new email (really good for getting on here as soon as there's a new code!). And a Canned responses mod that is particularly useful for me - whenever I cull here I get loads of "Why can't I log on?" emails. To these I send an in-depth reply with only two clicks.

5) Should you ever need to change email address (I don't see why you'd ever want to!) you could set it to forward some (using a filter) or all of your incoming mail to your new one.

I think these make a compelling case for why everyone should switch at the earliest excuse :)

*realises how far he's gone off-topic*
It's a bit like Dorian Gray really... number 2 and 3 mean as soon as you get spam you can block it and stay perfect (spam-free) and number 4 means your email address will have eternal life, googlemail guaranteed to be ahead of its competitors at all times. Oh, and you'll be better organised, cos everyone knows how organised Dorian was.

.......jooooiiiinnn usssssss.....
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Re: Dorian Gray

#62 Post by platini_ng » Thu Aug 27, 2009 10:46 pm

Sydney_Bristow wrote:I've signed up to way too many newsletters AYBG (all the mags you can think of and then some!). As well as that I'm somehow also getting regular mails from some dog magazine (don't have a dog here - my bf's family has a dog in the states but thats besides the point :confused: ), tonnes of email from car companies (again, dunno why?? Don't need another car :confused: ), loads of emails about how to enlarge my bits (wtf I'm a girl!!! I'd be less ticked off if they bothered to send me details about boob implants :p ), emails about getting free credit checks (err, rather have some free money tyvm), way tooo many emails saying "Congratulations....you've won free business cards from Vistaprint!!!!" (NO THANK YOU!), emails from 123greetings.com (the perils of forgetting the dreadful tick boxes when I sent an ecard using them), a gazillion emails from Heart (and its sister radio stations - grrr), too many emails from some dumbass or other about Acai Berries, Goji Berries, Chlamydia treatment (errr... is this an alternative treatment for wrinkles, similar to haemarrhoid cream?? :confused: ) and besides all that I win several million dollars/pounds every single day so even if I got only a quid for each time I've received one of those I'd be a bloody billionaire by now!!!
I got the same problem on my yahoo mail. Everyday I get 50 in inbox another 50 in Junk. I use another mail at the end.

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Re: Dorian Gray

#63 Post by dovetail » Thu Aug 27, 2009 11:19 pm

Very happy belated birthday Phunkygal.

MariaLionza very kindly arranged for me and a friend to put on the name list and I arrived at 6pm to find a huge queue inside and outside the cinema. Spoke to her briefly on the phone but couldn't see her inside. The organisers seemed rather clueless and like others my friend and I stood in the drizzly rain until 6.30pm when we told that there were no seats left. They took my email but haven't received anything yet. Would have liked to have seen the film especially after ML went to so much trouble for us but in the end went for a yummy roast duck rice at the Four Seasons restaurant.

The last time I experienced anything quite as shambolic was at the preview screening of Kenny at the Swiss Cottage. We were turned away because of overallocation but eventually sent tickets to the premiere. To cap it off, we met the cast and director in the pub next door when we went for a consolatory pint!

Hope that everyone who missed the screening get some free tix at least.

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Re: Dorian Gray

#64 Post by valda » Fri Aug 28, 2009 10:39 am

dovetail wrote:Very happy belated birthday Phunkygal.

MariaLionza very kindly arranged for me and a friend to put on the name list and I arrived at 6pm to find a huge queue inside and outside the cinema. Spoke to her briefly on the phone but couldn't see her inside. The organisers seemed rather clueless and like others my friend and I stood in the drizzly rain until 6.30pm when we told that there were no seats left. They took my email but haven't received anything yet. Would have liked to have seen the film especially after ML went to so much trouble for us but in the end went for a yummy roast duck rice at the Four Seasons restaurant.

The last time I experienced anything quite as shambolic was at the preview screening of Kenny at the Swiss Cottage. We were turned away because of overallocation but eventually sent tickets to the premiere. To cap it off, we met the cast and director in the pub next door when we went for a consolatory pint!

Hope that everyone who missed the screening get some free tix at least.
I'm sure you will get your email eventually Dovetail. I guess they have a huge amount of emails to make and probably only one intern to do it! I remember an even bigger cock up at the Swiss Cottage. When free screenings were harder to come by, there was one for Brokeback Mountain. Similar thing, hundrds of people queuing up outside, only this time the film hadn't even turned up! i got free tickets for that but never got around to using them :oops:
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Re: Dorian Gray

#65 Post by demonafro » Sat Aug 29, 2009 4:18 pm

Nearly missed it as looks a lot like spams! "Huge Apologies" from an email address called "Info" didn't really stand out that well, but might get round to seeing this film eventually.... :)

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Re: Dorian Gray

#66 Post by Beate » Sun Sep 06, 2009 5:46 pm

Has anyone heard from the indiemovies people this week, they were apparently sorting something else out too?
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Re: Dorian Gray

#67 Post by owichmann » Tue Sep 08, 2009 2:18 pm

I was promised free tickets but none have turned up yet. Has anyone got theres yet?
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Re: Dorian Gray

#68 Post by elmqueen » Thu Sep 10, 2009 1:39 pm

At first i wasn't so keen on wanting to watch this film but the more times i see the trailor the more i want to watch it!

Plus it has Colin Firth in it so probably won't be disappointed

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Re: Dorian Gray

#69 Post by Beate » Thu Sep 10, 2009 7:19 pm

I don't think Matthew and I saw the same film!

The ViewLondon Review

Review by Matthew Turner
10/09/2009
Two out of Five stars
Running time: 112 mins

Disappointing horror adaptation that has one or two good points but is ultimately let down by a lacklustre script, unimaginative direction and a shockingly bland performance by Ben Barnes.

What's it all about?
Directed by Oliver Parker (his third Wilde adaptation), Dorian Gray is based on the classic 1890 novel by Oscar Wilde and stars Ben Barnes as Dorian, a wide-eyed orphan who inherits a vast fortune and a sprawling London mansion when his abusive grandfather dies. Somewhat naive in the ways of the world, Dorian is quickly taken under the wing of cynical Lord Henry (Colin Firth), who takes him on a tour of London's vice dens and opens his eyes to the joys of booze, drugs and whores in short succession.

When his relationship with a pretty young actress (Rachel Hurd-Wood) ends in tragedy, Dorian hardens his heart and, possibly unwittingly, sells his soul to the devil in exchange for eternal youth. As he continues to whore his way around London, the excesses of his wantonly hedonistic lifestyle appear on the face of a portrait of Dorian painted by his friend Basil (Ben Chaplin), a portrait Dorian quickly decides to stash away in the attic.

The Good
Colin Firth delivers an enjoyably sleazy, bitterly sardonic performance as Henry and, as such, he's the best thing in the film, though there's also strong work from an under-used Rebecca Hall as Henry's grown-up daughter.

The Bad
The film's biggest problem is Ben Barnes, who's clearly been cast for his looks rather than his acting ability – he certainly looks the part, but there's zero chemistry between him and either of his female co-stars and he's just not a good enough actor to carry off scenes of despair or horror; his wooden attempts at the latter are particularly embarrassing.

In addition, the script is surprisingly dull, lacking anything resembling depth or sophistication, while even the lines lifted directly from Wilde seem somehow shoe-horned in. Similarly, the direction lacks any sense of fun or imagination, favouring Gothic atmosphere over suspense or horror; there's also a misguided, frequently repeated portrait POV shot that doesn't work at all.

Worth seeing?
Firth and Hall ensure that Dorian Gray is just about watchable, but the end result is disappointing, thanks to a poorly written script and a criminally bland performance by Barnes.
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Re: Dorian Gray

#70 Post by blackiceboy » Fri Sep 11, 2009 11:17 am

What an utter snoozZzefest!

Go see Julie and Julia if you want a good script/screenplay.

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