I'm sorry, but that just isn't needed

I don't know if you've seen the new Aviva advert about life insurance, but I shall tell you now.
I saw it not 20minutes ago. And I hate it. With a passion.

It starts with a family getting ready for a holiday. The son's lost his goggles and running around to find him, the daughter's off to University, the mum's dealing with it all and the Dad is walking around just commenting on it all, as the advert normally goes.
There is a very small hint as to what it's about, but it's something you only realise at the end, after seeing it all.

Anyway, they all arrive downstairs. It goes a bit quiet and the daughter says "It won't be the same without Dad", quietly. The mum brings her close, kisses her forehead and says "I know".
And then there's a zoom out, and the Dad (who was previously standing on the edge of shot) has disappeared. And wasn't really there at all. First reaction: A very let-down "oh". And then just: depression. Doubly so for me. Why?

I have suffered the loss of a paternal figure.It is not in any way good or positive and is not suitable for an advert trying to use it in this way. I think the fact that Aviva is using this sort of situation is absolutely fucking disgraceful. I'm not normally one to turn against parts of society, but the sooner that advert goes, the better.

Sorry everyone. But that's what I feel. My first angry-rant blog.
And Aviva? I've lost all respect for you.

A modern classic

Brought on by a lazy film-watching New Years Day, I'm going to do a film review of the Disney film Wall-E.

Well, it's brilliant really.
The general animation, narrative and voice acting is superb. The idea of two robots falling in love is one of my personal Disney favourites
But I also like this film a lot because of its allegorical ideologies.

I can see the human race doing this.
We get new technologies, new superstores, new everything and we binge. Overuse resources and leave the Earth ruined - in real terms, we're about halfway there. We're not drowning in rubbish - yet.
So, what do we do?

We run away, leaving the responsibility of cleaning up our regretable act to someone - or this case - someTHING else.
And we stay in a spaceship - getting lazier and larger and generally drowning in technology and leaving the Earth a brown, dusty memory.

Disney were just being creative. They saw contemporary issues and put them within a brilliant film - subtly hidden by a mute robot falling in love with a swanky piece of kit.
In today's terms? It's like a PlayStation 1 loving an Ipod.

Anyway - a film with modern and shocking (yet potentially truthful) ideologies.
And it's also the last film in Disney's good run. Besides 'Up', their latest work including 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs', 'The Princess and the Frog' and their latest others have not reflected their best work.
And Wall-E was the last great film before they went downhill.

So watch it, enjoy it, laugh and coo over the love between the two opposties.
And secretly think to yourself: So this is what the end of the earth looks like.