Fun Stuff

Mercedes-Benz shows us how it’s done in the tough, fierce and just plain ferocious G-class edition. In this beast of a car the smallest driver can feel like an American gangster rapper or a cold blooded warlord. In fact, we’d love this mean machine for our own car park combats – of course collateral damage is expected.  

   

It’s been a five-year makeover for the failing Disney property known as the California Adventure Park. But the crowds for the weekend opening of the new Cars Land suggest the entertainment giant could be on a winner with this one.At one stage the people lined up for the main feature ride -- Radiator Springs Racers – stretched all the way out of Cars Land itself, with waiting times posted as up to four hours. The ride takes visitors in open-topped cars on a rollercoaster through the whole theme park, which has been given detailed attention to be as close as possible to Radiator Springs.Cars Land has two other rides, the dance-themed Mater's Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi's Flying Tyres – think bumper cars on speed.Food spots are also right out of Radiator Springs with Flo's V8 Cafe, Fillmore's Taste-In and Cozy Cone Motel.  The inevitable merchandising traps are configured as Sarge's Surplus Hut and Ramone's House of Body Art.To take an interactive tour, check out the Disney site here. 

In the movie 28 Days Later, it's simply a virus. In the Evil Dead movies, it's black magic from the pages of an evil tome.  In video game Resident Evil, it's brain parasites. In Stephen King's novel Cell, it's sparked off by a white-noise phone call to your mobile that turns your brain to scrambled eggs. It could be a curse, voodoo, military experiments - but whatever the reason, eventually the human population turns into mindless shambling cannibals, and you've got a fictional zombie apocalypse on your hands. Read the Ultimate Guide to Spotting a Zombie here http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/my-view-baz-mcalister/story-e6freq7f-1226395920720

...about how tough they think the Thunder Ute is.

The ride offer is part of a short-film competition called the Open Road Film Festival, promoted by Harley-Davidson Australia.Entrants will have to complete an unfinished film-noir thriller called The Queen of Hearts, created by Australian director Gregor Jordan whose credits include Two Hands, Buffalo Soldiers and Ned Kelly.Jordan has created an ending and film makers have to come up with the beginning. The film, which can be viewed at openroadfilmfestival.com, features a man in a helmet handcuffed to a motel bed.A woman steals his keys and rides off on his Harley, leaving behind a room key and a Queen of Hearts playing card. To help entrants make their films there are five $1000 production grants available, as well as the opportunity to be mentored by Jordan and acting legend Bryan Brown.Films submitted to the Open Road Film Festival will appear online for the public to vote on, while Brown, Jordan and other industry experts will also judge submissions based on film craft, storytelling and originality. Brown says the competition has "the potential to help new directors get noticed''.Prizes include a Harley-Davidson Iron 883 bike valued at $14,250 (ride away) and a $10,999 Canon EOS-1D C camera. Scripts must be submitted by July 13 and finished films by September 7.Entries will be available on the web from September 10 to October 17 for judging with the final 10 films screened at a venue yet to be announced in November. The competition launches Harley-Davidson's 24-hour test-ride program in Australia until the end of September. 

For a start, if those are British workmen supposedly destroying the Jaguar clay model, where's all the British workers union approved safety kit – hi-vis vests, goggles and earmuffs – plus the mandatory shop steward standing by with a clipboard. And is it just Carsguide who thinks that this wrecking crew looks far too much like they’ve just stepped from the scenes of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels?  We’re suspicious … how about you?

A study has found 58 per cent of Australian drivers have consciously started driving more smoothly – and reducing hard acceleration -- to save fuel. The survey of 2119 motorists by Canstar Blue found Aussies are also taking other measures to reduce fuel bills.Of the survey respondents, 40 per cent are turning off the car’s air conditioner, while a further 20 per cent considered ditching their current cars in favour of a more economic option – a smaller car, bike or scooter.Canstar Blue Manager, Rebecca Logan says motorists are more conscious about petrol prices and tend to favour independent service stations more often.“Given renewed concerns about the world economic outlook, it is expected motorists will remain sensitive about petrol prices despite a slight drop predicted by economists,” says Logan.

L for what? We never really find out but fans of the Greek Weird Wave will love it. However the vast majority of moviegoers will find the film an unrewarding watch, lacking in plot and character development.Released at the Sydney Film Festival this week, the film follows 40-year-old professional honey driver Man (Aris Servetalis). During the day Man picks up honey and delivers it to a 50-year-old narcoleptic man.On several occasions Man meets his estranged wife in a car park and takes his two children for a spin in his car, whilst listening to an awkward rendition of Moonlight Sonata. It’s a pity that the film doesn’t delve deeper into his relationship with his family, as there is much to explore.Instead, the plot shifts gears after Man’s job as a honey courier is usurped by another driver. Man joins a biker gang to find a sense of purpose. The bikers hate motorists and to prove some sort of loyalty Man smashes his own car, in a slow torturous way.Near the end of the 87 minute film - yes we were counting - Man repeatedly has conversations with his dead best-friend who was mistaken for a bear and shot dead a year ago. We’re guessing this is a link back to the honey. And the film ends without conclusion, with Man singing a song about the sea.There may be a few devotees of the difficult art cinema, who will find a deeper meaning in the flat plot and the lifeless characters in L. But for the rest of us, we’ll stick to a classic car chase. The Sydney Film Festival runs from the 6-17 June 2012.