Where have I been?
There’s only one explanation for my disappearance from my blog over the past month - I’ve found new videogames to play. Two, in fact.
First came Grand Theft Auto. I’ve been playing GTA IV for a good month now. I’m probably two thirds of the way into it and have no intentions of completing it any time soon.
It’s a bit like every other GTA game I’ve played. It entertains me enough so that I can pick it up at any point, but never feel a compulsion to play it. And it does many things that I find interesting, but none compel me to write about them. I imagine that history will see it as impressive in its own right, but one step short of really worth talking about.
No commentsPersepolis & Happy Go Lucky
Strange double-film marathon this evening. I caught Mike Leigh’s Happy Go Lucky late this afternoon, and I’m pleased to report that the central character Poppy isn’t as irritating as trailers paint her out to be.
For those unaware, Poppy is a talkative and overly optimistic London girl who sees the world permanently through a ray of sunshine.
1 commentMoths ate my Doctor Who scarf
One of the things I love about London is the spontaneity that it offers the people who work and live here.
Case in point: This evening I was on my way home from work when I read about a comedy show appearing in the West End called Moths ate my Doctor Who scarf. It sounded pretty interesting, so I jumped off the tube and got on the tube heading back into central London.
No commentsFunny Games and The Orphanage
Just seen Funny Games at the movies. No spoilers, but a bit of film theory 101 in here, because that’s the point of the movie. You’ve been warned. EDIT: There’s also a bit on The Orphanage at the end too, which is a little less film-schooly. FURTHER EDIT: I’ve gone schooly anyway. And no editing either, so it’s an old school brain dump. Feel free to mark this up as TLDR.
At it’s core, Funny Games is about violence in Hollywood cinema. It savagely attacks the cinematic language and mechanics that cause audiences accept and demand violent acts for their own pleasure.
No commentsIs Rambo the most politically charged movie of the year?
At the very least, the new Rambo movie is interesting. It’s an incredibly well made film, from its tight screenplay to its visceral action. On a technical level, it’s the best action movie made in the last three years.
What is surprising though, is that it’s morally challenging. Hollywood is renowned for its liberal leanings, making war movies that are either camp and cartoony, or serious and anti-war. There’s nothing in Saving Private Ryan that questions the necessity of war – it only illustrates how bad it can be.
4 commentsThings I learned at the movies last month
East German surveillance operatives in the Cold War needed nothing more than their target to declare themselves an artist for them to turn their back on country and cause (The Lives of Others)
Massive, monolithic companies are run by incompetent woman so emotionally out of control that they resort to hiring hitmen to bump off their employees who know too much (Michael Clayton)
To show a teenage girl making the choice to carry an unborn child through pregnancy and have it adopted rather than abort it, is obviously a pro-life movie made by the religious right (Press reaction to Juno)
1 commentLondon Overground is an alien place
One of the things I love most about London is the Underground. Most people just see it as a functional thing, but means far more to me.
It warms you on a cold night, as temperatures down there are significantly higher. It’s fast, capable of throwing you across the capital in minutes. And it’s otherworldly, with its own geography, rules and terrain. Despite being part of the same city, London Underground bears little relationship to London Overground. This, if you’re not careful, can cripple you if you’re suddenly unable to use it.
3 commentsThe most important thing to do in March
I’m sitting on a hard laminate floor as I type this, looking up at a monitor perched on a bedside table that’s surrounded by computer equipment and consoles with little order to the set-up. Pins and needles no longer faze me and I’ve so accustomed to have a numb backside that I’m sure when I finally get around to buying a desk, I’ll mistake my arse for some kind of luxury cushion.
I wish I could say this is a recent development, but I’ve been living this way since the beginning of the year. The past two months have been a turbulent time in my life and make the last half decade seem utterly stable by comparison. That’s saying quite a lot.
3 commentsMy Oscar tips
So for the first time in at least five years, I’ve seen every one of the movies nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars this year. High score! Time for a few predictions, then.
This years Best Picture award should go to The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, but that’s not even nominated. Out of the nominations, the award should go to There Will Be Blood, but the Coen’s will get it for No Country for Old Men.
Best actor will go to Daniel Day Lewis for his astounding part in There Will Be Blood, and rightly so. Best supporting actor should and will go to Javier Bardem for his performance in No Country for Old Men.
No commentsThe best of 11 films in 3 weeks
Counting up the cinema stubs I’ve collected since getting my Cineworld unlimited pass three weeks ago, I’m struck by how many things over the last twenty-one days that have made me want to jump out of my seat and give the screen a standing ovation.
Being a well brought up British man though, I limited my enthusiasm to a quiet chortle, and even that got me glares. It’s probably a good thing I wasn’t born American. Here they are, anyway. I apologise for spelling errors - it’s late and I’m not staying up till 2pm proof reading for my personal blog; I already have enough trouble with that on the day job.
AND SPOILER FREE THIS TIME, PAUL, UNLESS YOU COUNT THE ODD LINE HERE AND THERE :)
2 comments