Help! The Beatles are unwatchable!

Having watched as much of the digitally remastered Beatles movie, Help! (1965), on public TV as I could stand I've come to the conclusion that not all Beatles memorabilia / projects (call this what you will) should be revived and remembered.

It's not that this movie is particularly bad. The acting is fine. Some of the comedy works and, to agree with some of the people at the link above, the movie does have some very quotable lines. It's just that the plot is so ridiculous. I'm sure it was meant to be over the top and just a bit of fun to showcase the band and the music but it goes too far into extreme silliness.

To get away with this kind of silliness you have to start with a premise that is credible. This movie has a very culturally important sacrificial ring stuck on Ringo's (of course) finger. In the real world you'd just explain the situation to the famous drummer and I'm sure he'd be obliging (might even pay for his own tub of butter to help remove the ring).

However, for some reason, the ring has to recovered covertly by its obscure, Asian Cult owners and from there stupidity ensues. Complicated further by some mad scientist type who believes this ring could help him 'rule the world' (why I don't know? It's a symbolic ring with no real power or significance to anyone other than it's owners).

Maybe I missed something along the way but finally, after 'Paul's tiny adventure on the floor' I decided enough was enough and switched it off. Even as a showcase for The Beatles superb music, there just wasn't enough of it to keep me hooked.

All I can say is that you have to be a real Beatles fan to endure the entire movie. Clearly this was made at a time when the band could release virtually anything and it would find an audience to make it all worthwhile.

Personally this movie probably needs to be remembered for its highlights because as a whole, for me at least, it is unwatchable.

Skateboard Trick Tips: Two Ways to Ollie North (Ollie One foot)

You have to be quick to see my Ollie Norths! Ollie One Foots, otherwise known as the Ollie North, is one of those skateboard tricks you learn and then tend not to do very much as more interesting trick challenges grab your attention. However it does look really cool if you learn how to kick your front foot well past the nose of your skateboard. Still shot from Braille Skateboarding's Ollie North tutorial. I was inspired to make my video below, showing two different techniques to achieve a successful Ollie One Foot, when I not only saw that Braille Skateboarding's Tutorial used a different method to the one I had learned but also, when I looked at various other video tutorials, I discovered yet another technique, with no one using the method I had originally learned. Braille's method is to simply Ollie and drag your front foot past the front of your board. The second method I came across in several video tutorials is to Ollie, drag your front foot and tap your

How to Transfer Any Line Art to Your Griptape - Easy Skateboard Griptape Art Tutorial

Dog Star Griptape Art by TET Griptape art is once again gaining popularity amongst modern skateboarders. For those of us who have tried to create our own griptape art, using paint pens, you'll know reproducing your design onto the grip, without making any mistakes is incredibly challenging. Mostly because you just have to go for it and draw the design freehand, with paint pens, directly onto the griptape. You can make the odd mistake here or there but if you get the proportions of the design completely wrong, it can be very difficult to fix. Often you just have to live with the mistake. To address the problem I've come up with an easy way anyone can transfer a line art design to their griptape, removing almost all the anxiety of getting the proportions wrong. In fact, you could do this with any line art design, even if you have no drawing skill at all. Watch the video below to see my technique in action and/or skip past the video where I highlight the basic steps to get your de

Review: FP Footwear FINO Skate Shoes

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Why Your Backside 180 Ollies Suck (Probably, if they're like mine)

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Can You Learn Skateboarding Basics on a Cheap Skateboard?

$20, Mambo 31" x 8", Department Store Skateboard. Over the years I've watched many high profile YouTube skateboarders repeatedly create videos where they purchase a cheap, department store skateboard, ride it like they would their regular professional skateboard, until it breaks (usually within an hour or so), and claim that as a reason for steering clear of these products. Inadvertently what they're doing is creating less demand for cheap skateboards, meaning it's less likely department stores will stock them, resulting in no easy way for first time skaters to 'test the waters' to see if skating is really for them. Even worse, parents looking to get their children into a new sport, may not even see skateboarding as an option as they browse through the department store sports section. At the time of writing, Australian department stores have shelves filled with many different brands of scooters, alongside a small shelf or two of skateboards (and

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Movie Review: Bullet Train (2022) No Spoilers

I honestly don't understand why Bullet Train didn't do well in theaters? It's basically a live action, bonkers, cartoon but it's fun, has witty dialogue, quirky characters, and plenty of action. It's definitely underrated as something that very much reminds me of a cross between a Guy Ritchie and Edgar Wright film in terms of how it's written, filmed, and edited. The plot centers around unlucky assassin, Ladybug (Brad Pitt) who is hired to retrieve a briefcase containing a ransom from on board a Japanese Bullet Train. Unfortunately he's not the only one after the case. Confusion and mayhem ensues. The only thing that really bothered me is that the movie seems almost devoid of regular people on the train and at any of the stations. Those that are present, including the staff of the train, seem to be blissfully unaware of what is happening around them despite the interior of the train becoming increasingly more damaged and the body count climbing. The further

TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

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