WAS IST DAS? - Owlsploitation

Classic Owl Album Cover

YorkshireNed — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:42:09 +0000

Ohhh, to fly away on a giant owl while wearing your jim-jams, isn’t it what all of us dream of? While you’re at work? On the bus? No? Just me? Well, Gerry Rafferty understood.

Classic album, you can get it off amazon dead cheap

Owl music

YorkshireNed — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:24:37 +0000

feathered Jerry Lee Lewis alert.

Owl Tea Towel

YorkshireNed — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:01:42 +0000

Owl tea towel – what a beautiful phrase, it rhymes wonderfully. So, here is a nice example with a whole parliment of owls…and only £8.95 from amazon UK

Hello Mr. Ural Owl

YorkshireNed — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:17:18 +0000

look! An Ural Owl. Hi there. Uh-oh, the Urals are very aggressive and will attack you if you come near their nest.

Owl Beer From Colorado

YorkshireNed — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:46:33 +0000

Not had the pleasure yet of this beer from Colorado brewery Odell’s but I am getting pretty obsessed with their amazing IPA which seems to be coming more and more commonplace here in the UK. Hope I can find one of these at a specialist shop, otherwise it will have to be on my to do list for my next visit to the States.

It’s a laughing owl!

YorkshireNed — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:17:19 +0000

Photographed Tin Man Lee captured this amazing shot of a Snowy Owl yawning in a way that made it look like ti was yawning. The shot has now gone global

Adopt An Owl!

YorkshireNed — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:10:21 +0000

owl in a box

Gift Republic do a very nice gift to get for your fellow owl-lovers – “Adopt An Owl” gift box back. Each pack allows the recipient to adopt an owl (they can choose the species) for 12 months. This supports the rescue and rehabilitation work at Turbary Woods Owl Sanctuary in Preston and includes a free ticket for visiting the centre. you can get the gift pack from here for £19.99

Owls In The Stove

YorkshireNed — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:10:39 +0000

The Parkers of Stowmarket, UK returned home from a trip away to discover two tawny owls inside their wood burning stove. They had squeezed down the chimney flue into the stove.

Fortunately, rather than cook them, the Parkers released them. A UK tabloid quotes Mrs.Parker as saying the owl were lucky the fire was not on but I suspect owls probably have a natural instinct that stops them flying head-on through a tiny tunnel full of smoke into a blazing fire. Otherwise they would have gone the way of the dodo and the Gary Glitter fanclub.

DISCLAIMER: do not capture wild animals then shut them in a stove so you can sell the photos, not that the Parkers did, just don't want you to get bad ideas

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole

YorkshireNed — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:04:06 +0000

Based on the books by Kathryn Lasky, this film is a funny old beast. To look at the poster you would expect a cutsie family film with plenty of comic relief but a quick look at the details reveals the director is a certain Zack Snyder. That is the same Zack Snyder who directed Watchmen, 300, the remake of Dawn of the Dead and Sucker Punch.

So, in effect, what we have here is an attempt to do an epic movie in the style of Lord Of The Rings only all in CGI and with owls instead of people. The story follows a young owl who sets out to rescue his little sister from an evil army of owls by seeking out the assitance of the legendary Guardian owls. His older brother, meanwhile, is seduced by the power and might of the evil army and the two brothers end up on opposing sides of the conflict.

Anyone with a passing familiarity with the fantasy genre will get a sense of deja vu about the plot. While it might not break new grounds, it still feels quite innovative in what is essentially a family annimated film. The battle scenes are surprisingly dark with owls going to war wearing steel claws and the story of the siblings is genuinely moving and touching.

The animation is so detailed and stunning that at times you have to keep reminding yourself that this is not a real film. There is also a fantastic cast providing voices including a demonic turn from Helen Mirren and Hugo Weaving bringing depth to his part.

Unfortunately, the film lets itself down on the soundtrack. The original score is just too bombastic without any impact. It serves as a joyless, soul-less homage to John Williams (who is great, BTW, don’t complain). Even worse it features a twee, annoying song by the twee, annoying Owl City.

There is no doubt that this is a visual treat and must have been even better in 3D but the film just does not really quite reach into “classic” status. There are some very original aspects of it but at the same time it does also feel like another “multiplex” film, especially with the dreary, irritating, generic soundtrack.

Yet, if you love owls and are not a snob about family films, then it is still well worth seeking out and can even stand up to repeated viewing. Also, as the film is no longer brand new, it can be picked up for bargain prices. On Amazon UK it is currently only a fiver on DVD
and it is currently only £15 for a triple-play blu-ray that has normal blu-ray, 3d blu-ray and a digital copy which isn’t bad at all.

The owls won’t stop barking……..

YorkshireNed — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:56:20 +0000

It is OK, I’ve not had a breakdown. The post title refers to the fact that these little blighters are the Barking Owl, AKA the Barking Boobook or Winking Owl. I think I prefer The Barking Boobook. Anyway, the name comes because they can bark and growl like a dog, as well as make the loud sounds of a screaming lady. So loud, in fact, that they are widely credited with being the source of the Aboriginal legend of the Bunyip – a fearsome swamp monster whose cries could be heard at night.

Here they are in action:

Unfortunately, due to a decline in their habitat (woodlands being cleared for farmland), Their nUmbers are declining