Latest stash come under and gone, a swag of beanies and preview passes for Hostel: Part II from writer/director Eli Roth. Thanks to Sony Pictures for the gear to giveaway. Catch it out there from July 7.

As usual, a customary scan over the registry what made visits into the shacky rackles of the roach-infested, blood stained inn...

What is Quentin Tarantino's involvement with the film?

Executive Producer.

Writ large across the trailers and all that other material what pimps and promotes the slasher/gore/horror film. Nothing much more than paying attention.

Of the three from the first film, who survived?

Paxton. Or Jay Hernandez.

Either answer fine given it being the same person, only in the character/actor names as they usually are. To work this one out, a read up on the first film's cast list with a glance on the sequel listing matches up with only one name appearing. Of course, another method is to actually watch the first movie all the way to the end for the answer.

Not everyone needs to watch the first installment before jumping to watch a sequel. Helps, doesn't always hurt. Hardest question of the bunch.

Where do you stay when on vacation or a holiday?

Anything goes. Really, anything.

Bunker blasting, a shanty by the seaside, a relative's place, a dungeon (for those inclined), a hostel, a hotel, a motel, a ranch dressing inn. Whatever, all answers up to personal choice and selection. Not a traveller? That works too. After watching the first film, and smelling the toast from a backpackers, why chance it?

Questions pretty much of standard fare in terms of level of hunting required. Certainly not the kind of trivia markers what leave people sitting in dingy under-lit toilets watching films of prequelistic nature.

For those who won beanies, size up those skulls, the headgear looks tight.

 

Closing out another promotion and a look see on the results and entries making a play for the booty. In this case, a copy of a Studio Ghibli DVD from the crew at Dendy Cinemas. Reason being that of the exclusive limited season of Tales from Earthsea from, yes, Studio Ghibli.

Ten days for one reel to play at the Dendy Newtown in Newtown's Dendy Cinemas and on to the next state. So, on to the scoreboard of entries and the art coloured in the lines.

Who sings the theme song to Tales from Earthsea?

Aoi Teshima.

On the surface isn't all that simple. Unless a quick check of the Wikipedia entry is made. Not much for the IMDB listing. Clearly nothing from the film's official site.

Well, it is a crap shoot when playing with Wiki as a source. In this case, it plays well enough to the tune.

Name another Studio Ghibli film not already mentioned on this page:

Any of the following made an entry a valid entry: Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Grave of the Fireflies, Kiki's Delivery Service, Only Yesterday, Porco Rosso, The Ocean Waves, Pom Poko, Whisper of the Heart, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbors the Yamadas, The Cat Returns or Spirited Away.

Most entries fell safe and late with the use of Spirited Away as the chosen marker. Obviously, when sorting through, and with the options to consider, any entry which opts to drop with any other title floats a bit higher in the pool.

When picking from a list, take a look at other movies, in case they don't seem so dragged down by being so recent or popular as to not make the brain think.

Which Studio Ghibli DVD would you like to win?

Any would do: No preference; Howl's Moving Castle; My Neighbour Totoro; or Nausica of the Valley of the Wind.

This round works on two shots; the personal choice and the blind shot. For those who are really interested in picking up a DVD of their choice, they would go for the one they're looking to nab. Others, for the sake of winning, will just throw down "No preference" and hope for the best. When there are entries for all the other titles however, those with a shot at "Whatever" will lose out.

Most of the time.

Those that will always lose out are those who cannot decide and go for more than one. And that's the worst thing to do. There exists a blacklist for those who choose to rort. It's there for a reason. Stay away from it and have palms clear of red paint.

 

Feeling the smooth coat of radioactive ooze wash over the face, it's a startling read to see the quick entries thus far swimming in for the Ninja Turtles giveaway.

Only eight hours after the notice of the start and the speed is picking up a steady pace. Interesting to note that there are a few people who don't sleep between the hours of 01:30 and 06:00 or if they were sleeping, know how to program their bodies to sleep-email and enter competitions.

That's an impressive skill if ever there was one for a comper. To never end with the onslaught of emails and form entries for the multitude of competitions and giveaways that exist.

Don't know what that would do for the entry:win ratio. Can't be good as there's always an eventual petering out and plateau on the horizon.

And that's from experience.

 

Stage one and day one of the online flog-a-log for A Scanner Darkly is underway. Thanks to Roadshow Films for the opportunity to spread the word on what has got to be one freaky visual feast of SF and drama. Philip K. Dick no less on the platform with Richard Linklater transforming it from the page to the silver screen.

Notice of the the competition and/or give away (oh semantics, smell a foot of talcum powder) hitting out on the mailing list first. After about a day or so, middle into Friday perhaps, the site's going to find some eyeballs peering across all the pages of the site.

Now it's just waiting to see if any one mentions or brings up what the reference is on the sign off line of "Fish?"

Hopefully it's just another run of the mill farewell that people figure to be par for the side dish.