A couple of film reviews for you. I watched Brideshead Revisited not knowing what it was about, and usually that's a good thing. I like the actor who plays the main character (Matthew Goode), but there was a lot missing. I don't think you get to see Charles' motivations enough. Towards the end, other characters start pointing out things that you hadn't been allowed to figure out for yourself as if you should already know it. It's a bit like a "butler did it" ending in a mystery.
If it had been longer, it could have been better. As it was, it didn't really work, because I just ended up feeling far too sorry for Sebastian, and also for his father. It has made me want to read the book though, so I might do that once I've finished everything else I still have to read. 3 stars.
I gave my mother a choice of films to watch the day before yesterday, mostly because I thought she'd make the right decision. She didn't. She picked Tim Burton's shaky start: Beetlejuice.
Oh, two stars, before we get any further. It features a sickeningly in love couple who die and end up haunting their old house and despising the oddly contrasting new tenants. The other characters are the idiot father, the evil stepmother and the loveable goth girl. Oh, and the fat, lecherous, rotting Betelgeuse himself. All in all, it's about as funny as cancer and about as clever as stapling yourself in the eye.
Please, God, bring me a film that's worth watching.
Saturday 21 August 2010
Wednesday 18 August 2010
One hell of a day, one hell of a play and a disappointment
Right, so, to cut a long story short, I spent most of today thinking that my best friend was dead, because I over-analyse things. I think I dealt with it fairly well, to be honest. Turned out it was just a misunderstanding involving some Greek mythology.
I think it's best that I leave that story there; it's probably more fun if you fill in the gaps yourself. What about Greek mythology could possibly lead me to the conclusion that my friend had died?
In any case, I went down to London today. It's turning into a bit of a second home to be honest. I went to see Alan Bennett's new play at the National. I know, it's a play, nobody cares. Just because you live in "the arsehole of the world", doesn't mean you have to act like a pleb. I think it's important to find culture wherever you are, else we're back to laughing at farting.
It was a good play, to be honest, quite clever and such an unexpected laugh at the opening of the second act... well, I didn't see it coming. I don't think anybody did. We all came in after the interval and were greeted with... well, I won't spoil it, just in case there's a film or you happen to watch it. Tickets are going like wildfire; ours were really good, front row of the circle. We didn't exactly pay through the nose either, because it was a matinee.
So, 'The Habit of Art'... I'd have to give it 5 stars. A witty piece which, due to the nature of it, had to be superlatively acted. I'm sounding like a toff; I'm really not. Incidentally, my Conservative Party membership card came today.
I got home, was greeted with my dad's Thai Green Chicken Curry (I can do better) and went on to watch a film, Starter For 10.
I didn't like it (3 stars). They ruined a perfectly good story about University Challenge by making it a love story. University Challenge is a love story. Of course, the setting was nice, the 80s, though I wish they hadn't blathered on so much about Thatcher. I also didn't like the female lead; a little caustic.
James whatsisface did an alright job as the main character; it wasn't his job that the character wasn't written with any credibility. Another character without credibility was the idiot that Benedict Cumberbatch (everyone's favourite Sherlock Holmes until Guy Ritchie brings out another film) got to play. He was a little caricatured, though it's fortunate that B.C. pulls off caricature very well. He commands any scene he's in, though we'll see what happens when he goes American in the Whistleblower.
Not sure I'll see it, actually. Seems a bit... boring. One woman's struggle to bring down sex trafficking. Ethical and all that, but I'm not sure I have enough of a soul to waste two hours of my life pretending to care.
What I am going to be doing, is wasting my life learning stuff. University Challenge, Mastermind, I don't really care so long as it's BBC, primetime and I win. I don't mean next year, but one day.
P.S. Watched Lovely Bones the other day, 0 stars. Devastating.
I think it's best that I leave that story there; it's probably more fun if you fill in the gaps yourself. What about Greek mythology could possibly lead me to the conclusion that my friend had died?
In any case, I went down to London today. It's turning into a bit of a second home to be honest. I went to see Alan Bennett's new play at the National. I know, it's a play, nobody cares. Just because you live in "the arsehole of the world", doesn't mean you have to act like a pleb. I think it's important to find culture wherever you are, else we're back to laughing at farting.
It was a good play, to be honest, quite clever and such an unexpected laugh at the opening of the second act... well, I didn't see it coming. I don't think anybody did. We all came in after the interval and were greeted with... well, I won't spoil it, just in case there's a film or you happen to watch it. Tickets are going like wildfire; ours were really good, front row of the circle. We didn't exactly pay through the nose either, because it was a matinee.
So, 'The Habit of Art'... I'd have to give it 5 stars. A witty piece which, due to the nature of it, had to be superlatively acted. I'm sounding like a toff; I'm really not. Incidentally, my Conservative Party membership card came today.
I got home, was greeted with my dad's Thai Green Chicken Curry (I can do better) and went on to watch a film, Starter For 10.
I didn't like it (3 stars). They ruined a perfectly good story about University Challenge by making it a love story. University Challenge is a love story. Of course, the setting was nice, the 80s, though I wish they hadn't blathered on so much about Thatcher. I also didn't like the female lead; a little caustic.
James whatsisface did an alright job as the main character; it wasn't his job that the character wasn't written with any credibility. Another character without credibility was the idiot that Benedict Cumberbatch (everyone's favourite Sherlock Holmes until Guy Ritchie brings out another film) got to play. He was a little caricatured, though it's fortunate that B.C. pulls off caricature very well. He commands any scene he's in, though we'll see what happens when he goes American in the Whistleblower.
Not sure I'll see it, actually. Seems a bit... boring. One woman's struggle to bring down sex trafficking. Ethical and all that, but I'm not sure I have enough of a soul to waste two hours of my life pretending to care.
What I am going to be doing, is wasting my life learning stuff. University Challenge, Mastermind, I don't really care so long as it's BBC, primetime and I win. I don't mean next year, but one day.
P.S. Watched Lovely Bones the other day, 0 stars. Devastating.
Tuesday 17 August 2010
My First Blog Post
Okay, so the title won't win me any literary awards. I'm not looking for that, though. Basically, the reason I'm writing a blog is because I'm bored, and also because I want attention. I'm going to be writing about my life, films I've seen, television programmes I've watched and so on.
The subject matter isn't going to be a thrillride, but at least I can spell, which is more than you can say for a lot of people.
People get my back up. To be honest, if I was going to sell myself as a human being, this is probably where I'd start. I know, as a USP, misanthropy is an unusual approach, but that's the point. I'm different; that's why people like me. The reasons people don't like me are many and varied, but usually it's because I didn't like them first and happened to let them in on that somewhere along the line.
I am an unemployed genius with no idea where my life is going until Thursday.
The subject matter isn't going to be a thrillride, but at least I can spell, which is more than you can say for a lot of people.
People get my back up. To be honest, if I was going to sell myself as a human being, this is probably where I'd start. I know, as a USP, misanthropy is an unusual approach, but that's the point. I'm different; that's why people like me. The reasons people don't like me are many and varied, but usually it's because I didn't like them first and happened to let them in on that somewhere along the line.
I am an unemployed genius with no idea where my life is going until Thursday.
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