Alcotraz

Alcotraz: Hide Your Beer!

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Marcus Bronzy recently attended Alcotraz pop up bar in London, the one place where you have to hide your beer! If you get found out by the guards there’s punishment!

This bar is a lot of fun, it’s definitely something different than what we have experienced before. It’s an immersive theatrical experience that gets you from the second that you arrive at the destination.

Alcotraz bar is inspired by Hollywood movies that have brought to life one of America’s most infamous prisons. Right in the heart of London. The bar is London’s very first immersive theatrical cocktail bar. It’s not an experience that stops once you get to the end, it’s a fully functional bar once it’s over. If you manage to escape the guards that is.

Alcotraz: Experience

Upon entering the venue you are given orange jumpsuits to get into the feel of Alcatraz. Then to get immersed further, you are thrown into real metallic cells. Making for an intimate place to perfectly enjoy a drink within an intimate environment.

When you’re sent to Alcotraz (or going there willingly) inmates (as you’re known) are sent into a world of exciting mischief as you smuggle in liquor. However, this is the liquor that will be used to make delicious cocktails, made entirely of your imagination! Why? As there isn’t a set of menus at Alcotraz, they’re all made up by the inmates!  Don’t forget this is a prison!

Alcotraz creates a range of tailored cocktails every night, it’s based on the liquor that is brought in by inmates. As well as your very own tastes. Again, just make sure that the warden doesn’t catch you! Don’t be too afraid though as there are some guards that are on the inside, on your side! They’ve got some creative ways of hiding contraband too, so take their advice!

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Alcotraz
Alcotraz

 All in all, we had a very enjoyable experience whilst at Alcotraz. Not Alcatraz, we don’t wanna go there!

To attend Alcotraz bar please click here!

To listen to the guys talking about Alcotraz please click here!

Swingers

Swingers Golf

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There’s quite a few golf pop ups in London and Swingers is one to take note of, as it incorporates drinking into the mix too! Swingers is a crazy golf venue that is located both in the city and also located in London’s west end. To show how crazy this venue is there is only a limited amount of walk up tickets available to punters. For the most part, it is a booking only venue, so make sure you book your tickets to avoid disappointment! One thing to note is that Swingers is an 18+ venue as there is alcohol served on the establishment.

Swingers is a crazy golf club that turns the traditional crazy golf ideology and turns it on it’s head. It has regular crazy golf of course, but it also has street food available to it’s punters and amazing drinks to create one incredible social experience.

Swingers: Venue

It is based on a 1920’s golf-club that was set in the bucolic English countryside. Step into the secret world of old-school clubhouses and enjoy the lush greenery and foliage around the holes. So it’s just like the heart of English countryside, right in the heart of the urban landscape of London’s cityscapes.  Swingers covers a HUGE amount of square feeterage, 16,000sq footage to be exact.

Within this area there are

  • 2 bespoke nine hole crazy golf courses (lighthouse and windmill)
  • Five cocktail bars
  • Three street food vendors
  • Clubhouse with gin terrace
  • Even nightly DJ’s!

This crazy golf venue is definitely is a lot of fun and it’s unlike any other crazy golf experience that we have done before.

If you like the sound Swingers and are interested in attending please click here

To listen to the guys talking chatting about this on How To Kill An Hour please click here!

EuropaCorp

Netflix purchasing Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp?

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Luc Besson he released a visually impressive film called Valerian last year. Releasing through his own film company, EuropaCorp. It is being touted as one of the most expensive independent movies ever made. However, on release the movie wasn’t well received by critics. Valerian didn’t show the same promise that the money that got put into it. As a result, according to Variety, EuropaCorps prospects of staying alive are dwindling.

Netflix, EuropaCorp Saviour?

However, there could be a lifeline in from Netflix. EuropaCorp are said to be in “advanced talks” according to reports gathered by Slash Film. Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp is one of Europe’s largest indie film studios. Founded in 1996 and has spawned many famous films. The thriller Taken is a EuropaCorp production, a favourite of many! The Sci-Fi film Lucy was well received by critics too, hitting 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. So EuropaCorp are no slouch when it comes to movies. However, the company is said to have taken on significant debt. Therefore have been downsizing American operations to return to French language films.

According to Slash Films reports the talks between the streaming giant and EuropaCorp began in January. With the intention of a multi picture deal being considered. However, Netflix are now said to be wanting the whole company and want a total acquisition of EuropaCorp. If the acquisition were to go ahead, Besson, would remain with the company as the central creative entity.

So, Netflix is serious about making movies. We may see Netflix either in the cinema. Taking on the cinema from people’s homes. Or both!

If this aquistion were to happen as scheduled in the summer. We’re very interested to see what Netflix can do with a movie studio under it’s wing. Netflix Originals have done very well on the platform and if they can replicate that success with films. That would be a very bold move from Netflix to Hollywood indeed.

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

Four Thieves

Four Thieves – A whole lot of fun!

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Four Thieves is like no pub you have seen before! It’s unlike anything we have seen before, we’ll say that much! If you want fun on a Friday night head down to the Four Thieves pub as we can guarantee if you’ll have fun! There is so much to do there besides drink copious amounts of alcohol. So much more, if you’re a big kid, you’ll love it. Ok I’ll stop hyping it up now and actually tell you why we think that it’s so good. It’s impressed us. Can you tell?

This pub has a lot of games inside it, there’s a whole room dedicated to it! There’s Moonshine Racing which is remote controlled car racing, Virtual Reality Booths, Mini-Golf and Retro Arcade games! The beers that the guys sell here are all brewed from their own on-site brewery. Great food available, lots of different events on weekly, it’s no surprise that the pub picked up a best pub nomination from Time Out just two weeks after opening!

Food

Four Thieves Food

Four Thieves Food

The guys over at Four Thieves have created great dishes taking influence from great British pub food and also the vibrant street food scene made with seasonal, fresh locally sourced ingredients! It’s so good it’ll make you want to stop gaming to grab a bite to eat.

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a bit more about those games we were telling you about:

Moonshine Raceway

Four Thieves Raceway

Four Thieves Raceway

The Moonshine Raceway is an intense RC car race against 10 other players, in a game that’s described as the hottest “true to life motorsport experience”

 

VR

Four Thieves VR

Four Thieves VR

The VR venue at Four Thieves is the UK’s only dedicated virtual reality installation, available to the public! There has a range of different games available to you whilst at your time at the pub.

Brookhaven Experiement

In this game you step into a deserted town square, at night and a lone. Fight a swap of Zombies armed with just a pistol and a flashlight. You can even change the theme with this one, ask the guys there to be put into the storm drains, or the reservoir.

Longbow

This game is a classic! It’s a simple protect your castle with a bow and arrow game. Shoot hoards of enemies as they attack your castle with your trusty bow and arrow.

Slingshot

Your tasked with making sure that a giant is fully functional. You’re the technition and it’s your job to make sure it works. The twist. The way you check that it works is by firing bowling balls at towering stacks of crates in the warehouse.

 

 

Plonk Golf

Four Thieves Golf

Four Thieves Golf

Plonk Golf is a crazy golf game in the middle of a pub that’s dark, but it’s filled with a lot of colour to keep things crazy. (Alongside the obvious when it comes to crazy golf) The crazy golf does cost £6 a game, no pre-booking though, just turn up and get swinging.

 

Lady Chastity’s Reserve

Solve the sordid secrets of Lady Chastity’s vineyard in time to win her fabled bottle of aphrodisiac wine, but hurry, she doesn’t suffer idiots lightly. This new immersive gaming experience promises to be an entertaining and exciting challenge for you and your friends.

The game has been described as ‘the next generation of the ‘escape room’ format, offering surprising challenges throughout, while involving a ‘Punchdrunk’ twist with a comedic tale of mystery. This immersive story plunges players into the action, much like a dark ‘Secret Cinema’. Lady Chastity’s Reserve is proud to be dubbed as ‘the Crystal Maze on crystal meth’.

 

Events

Four Thieves Events

Four Thieves Events

Four Thieves hosts different events each week, so there’s always something on for you to check them out! They host the very best comedians and even take part in an you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it quiz hosted by Boogaloo Stu!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brewery

Four Thieves Brewery

Four Thieves Brewery

So, the guys over at Four Thieves brew their own beer, a whole 40 casks! That’s 1440 pints! So therefore there’s a steady flow of craft ale at the Four Thieves Pub. The Four Thieves has its own Keg pale ale and their own brewer fresh lager – a Czech style pilsner, served straight into the glass in the bar.

 

 

 

To attend Four Thieves please click here!

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

Annihilation

Annihilation Movie

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Annihilation is another Netflix great. This time, it’s a movie rather than a tv show, yet Netflix are proving once again, that streaming has a huge and profitable future.

Annihilation is a female led sci-fi film that is based on a book by Jeff VanderMeers best selling Southern Reach Trilogy. It’s written and directed by Alex Garland, who’s film credits include Ex Machina and 28 Days Later. The film stars Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Issac.

The film follows a group of military scientists who venture out into a mysterious quarantine zone. However, what they find there isn’t exactly what they expected and soon find themselves in a world full of mutilating landscapes and creatures.

Reception

The movie has no theatrical release and was released internationally through Netflix on March 12th 2018 However it still hit the cinemas in the US and Canada for a short theatrical release on February 23rd 2018. The rest of the world though saw the film on Netflix after Paramount sold the rights in December.  However that is not an indication of what the movie is like. Twitter are absolutely loving it:

The film has also registered a high score with film critics. Hitting a 87% on the tomatometer on famous film critic website RottenTomatoes. With the websites critiques consensus giving Annihilation tonnes of praise for its visuals and ambitious yet impressive themes. However one thing of note was that this movie stays with you long after the end credits roll!

To watch Annihilation download Netflix by clicking here Apple / Android

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

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VAR

VAR to be used at the World Cup

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Whether you like it or you hate it, Football is going to see a technological revolution in the next few years. VAR (Video Assistant Referees) have just been approved by FIFA to be used in this summers World Cup in Russia. If you are unawares of what VAR Technology is. Here is some information to get you up to speed.

What is VAR?

The tool, much like hawk eye in cricket and rugby, is used to help referees make calls that are dubious. A referee on the field of play can call on his VAR to help make a decision that he is unaware of. Then he will speak to a team of trained referees in a television center style box sometimes hundreds of miles away. Whereby they have access to many different angles of a replay. This can be sped up or slowed down as they wish to help make the correct decision.

The tool helps referees make the right call on goals, penalties, offsides or even penalisation of a player. In theory this will help decisions easier for the ref and help the right outcome of a match. Therefore, the correct team will proceed to the next round.

VAR Criticism

This is HUGE for the technology as there has been some ups and downs in recent trials around the UK. The main criticism of it being that it takes too long for a decision to be made. There is no communication between the fans and the officials nor between officials and players. Unlike Rugby where you can hear almost every word a referee says, you don’t hear anything.

That being said, the speed of the game should largely be unaffected as VAR’s only come out when there are huge errors or serious missed incidents. Most of the time it’s down to the referee on the pitch to make the call on his own.

Whether VAR is going to be a huge success at the World Cup is anyone’s guess. But it’s a huge sign of how serious FIFA is taking this technology.

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

 

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Ready Player One

Ready Player One – The MOVIE!

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We got an advanced screening of Ready Player One this week and we were really excited to go see it!

However, for those wondering, the movie is released on March 29th and we thought that it was…….well you got to listen to the show to find out! As we’re telling you about the movie before it’s out. You’re probably wondering about spoilers. Therefore it’s best to note that we won’t spoil anything! So it’s safe to keep reading!

Ready Player One is a science fiction movie, which is produced and directed by the great Steven Spielberg. It’s written by Zak Penn and Ernest Cline, which is based on Cline’s 2011 book of the same name. The movie is riddled with pop culture references from all decades! (1980’s, 1990’s, 2000’s and 2010’s) Consequently any film goers of all ages will enjoy this film’s nostalgia fest. So, during the film, there are references that are sometimes subtle to a lot of people’s favourite comic, movie and even gaming favourites. From The A-Team, Mad Max, The Iron Giant to Robocop, Jurassic Park and Microsoft’s heavyweight game, Halo!

Ready Player One: Plot

Please see the summary of Ready Player One from Warner Bros below:

In the year 2045, the real world is a harsh place. The only time Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) truly feels alive is when he escapes to the OASIS, an immersive virtual universe where most of humanity spends their days. In the OASIS, you can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone-the only limits are your own imagination. The OASIS was created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance). Who left his immense fortune and total control of the Oasis to the winner of a three-part contest he designed to find a worthy heir. When Wade conquers the first challenge of the reality-bending treasure hunt, he and his friends-aka the High Five. Are hurled into a fantastical universe of discovery and danger to save the OASIS.

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

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twitter video

Twitter video becoming like Snapchat?

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Twitter are said to be working on a Snapchat style video sharing tool. Twitter video is about to get very interesting in the next few months if the latest rumour is true. The social media platform are said to be working on a new way to make sharing videos on it’s platform easier.

Three sources have told CNBC that a Snapchat like camera-centric feature is in the works and may follow the same life that Snapchat’s snapmap works. So, for those unaware’s Snapchat’s Snapmap allows you to scroll around the map of the world and zoom into certain areas to see what’s going on in the world. Within this feature there is a huge focus on popular events.

According to CNBC’s sources, Twitter’s version of this would utilise the already popular Twitter moments feature that is already built into the social media platform. The location data on popular photo’s and videos would merge with the Twitter moments. Therefore creating a much broader collection of data and information surrounding important events.

Twitter Video: Growth

Most notably this new feature would allow Twitter to grow on the growth that it’s had recently. By implementing this new Twitter video discovery feature, it will attract advertisers to the brand. Sponsored content among user created content will help Twitter. The social media platform will grow, as well as promoting impact in the wider world.

While this seems as though the feature is at the very early stages of development. We’re rather excited by what the future holds for Twitter video. As especially since the growth of live content on Twitter, as shown by Twitter’s focus on livestreaming news content.

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

To download Twitter please click here Apple / Android

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Altered Carbon

Altered Carbon: What’s life like in 2384?

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Altered Carbon is another one of those Netflix gems that you come across from time to time that you just cannot stop watching. So as you watch the show, you see yourself in the reflection of the Tv at 2am and wonder what your doing with your life, but you keep watching. As the show is just that good. Altered Carbon is another one of those shows. As it’s a Netflix Original, of course it is. Netflix keep smashing it out of the park!

Altered Carbon is a tv show which is created by Laeta Kalogridis, based on a 2002 novel of the same name. The novel is written by English author Richard K Morgan. The first season of Altered Carbon is 10 beautiful episodes long. Furthermore the show premiered on Netflix on February 2nd 2o18.

Altered Carbon: Plot

So, why is Altered Carbon so good? Well, the series takes place over 350 years in the future, in a year neither you or I will be alive. The year 2384. Therefore, there’s going to be some really cool stuff going on in 2384 right? Well, of course there is! In this super cool future, a person’s memories can be kept in a disk shaped device called a cortical stack. Consequently this cortical stack, is implanted in the vertebrae at the back of a person’s neck. As of course it is. These memory storing devices are of alien design, reverse engineered and even mass produced.

The human body as we know it have now become ‘sleeves’ for the memories and are used as vessels. Which therefore means that any ‘sleeve’ or ‘vessel’ can accept any stack that’s implanted into it. We follow Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman) a political operative with mercenary skills. We follow his life as he wakes up after 250 years after his previous sleeve was deleted. Kovacs is given a choice. The choice to spend the rest of time. (Noticed I said time and not life) In prison for his crimes, (he previously was involved in an unsuccessful uprising attempt to defeat the new world order)  or help solve the murder of Laurens Bancroft (James Purefoy) Bancroft just so happens to be one of the most wealthiest men of the ‘settled’ worlds.

To watch Altered Carbon download Netflix by clicking here Apple / Android

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Ninja

Drake Breaks Twitch Records with Ninja

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Drake recently broke some more records. This time it wasn’t for a hit track streamed on Spotify. Nor was it for spending x amount of weeks on the Billboard 100. This time it was for concurrent live viewers on Twitch with Twitch superstar, Ninja.

 

Yes you heard correctly. Twitch. The game streaming platform.

Drake recently hit up massive superstar streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins to play Fortnite. According to Blevins, Drake followed Ninja on Instagram, only for a few days later to slide into Ninja’s DM’s to ask about the possibility to join forces on Fortnite.

At first Drake joined Ninja for a few rounds of duos, with the unlikely pair winning two rounds. Then Drake called on Travis Scott and NFL Superstar Juju Smith to get in on the action of Squad mode. At it’s peak Ninja’s gaming session with Drake, Travis Scott and Juju Smith hit 628,000 concurrent viewers. The most for any stream on the platform. (Personal stream, not including huge e-sports events or branded content) We were even treated to drop ins from KimDotCom, Logic even wanted to get in on the action, as did Lil Yachty.

https://twitter.com/Logic301/status/974160337195868165

Logics call out even got a shout out from Drake mid stream:

Here are some gems from the stream:

So what did we learn? Drake’s a vegan and likes pineapple on pizza, Drake heals people by reciting his own Lyrics and Travis Scott likes to trash talk online.

The aftermath: Ninja

In all seriousness, Drake hoping in on Ninja’s stream set Twitter on fire and brought A LOT of attention to the gaming space. Ninja was raking in a lot of money during that stream, he is said to have earned $25,000 from Twitch subscriptions that night A LONE. (You can sub to your favourite creator on Twitch for $5 a month, like Netflix) This is not counting the donations that Ninja got that night. One of them being $5k dollars.

Therefore what’s the fallout from this? Everyone now knows what Twitch is about. Twitch has got a HUGE boost in it’s competition with YouTube. (Though they are two separate platforms, based on two different ways of sharing content)

So, what does Ninja get out of streaming with Drake? Well, it’s said that he is now earning $500K a MONTH in Twitch subscriptions. At the rate he’s going, he’s said to earn $1M a MONTH. In just Twitch Subscriptions. Not including sponsorships, merch or Twitch Donations.

To download Twitch please click here Apple / Android

To listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!

 

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