gedge

Film: Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:38:38 GMT

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Ah, Woody Allen - our paths so rarely cross...

Now, I am a Woody Allen fan of old, but must confess that I haven't seen a lot of his recent work (hell, he's a lot more prolific than I remember, and it looks like I've not seen one of his for 10 years! Oops!).

It was worth the wait: writing and directing, Allen provides a New York neuroses meets French cinema piece (though the meeting appears to be on relatively neutral ground - in Spain). I like his New York neuroses and French cinema - what could possibly go wrong?

So, it's a boy meets girls, boy dates girls (not necessarily the same girls or at the same time), then it all goes horribly right/wrong.

I really enjoyed this film. I like to see people struggle with decisions hinged on the battle between heart and mind - arguments about romance versus love, especially when they involve sex. But, L found the caricatures too much - she's not such a big Allen fan (maybe this is why I see so few of his films). Unlike L, I don't find the personalities too much - they need to be big to carry the ideas.

Well, I enjoyed the ride, but the conclusion left me wanting... Hmm, maybe I've seen too many Hollywood endings. I think I have to make more time for Woody Allen.

Having said that, I was surprised that Penelope Cruz got an Oscar (she doesn't really have much of a part, in my eyes). And, I can't help but feel that it would have been shot in France, with Gerard Depardieu, if he was young enough to be the said "boy".

Film: Milk (2008)

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 02:01:13 GMT

Milk (2008)

Back in the 1980s, I used to pogo to a punk band called the Dead Kennedys - an angry group from California whose anger resonates with my own.

In the late '80s, the DKs sung a cover of "I fought the law" and I learned of the infamous Twinkie Defense and read more about Harvey Milk. I also saw the very powerful documentary, The Times of Harvey Milk (1984).

All that was wrong with the world seemed to be summed up in the demise of Harvey Milk, and the success of the Twinkie Defense. With super power comes super responsibility - or super-corruption.

While The Time of Harvey Milk won a docu-Oscar, and this recent film won best actor and screenplay, I think I prefer the former. It's probable that I prefer to see the real thing, where possible.

Sean Penn was good, but he didn't quite capture the Milk I remember from the documentary - disarmingly sweet and charming. Perhaps I am over-romanticising my memories of what little I've seen of him.

Either way, I cried at the start (which shows the announcement of Milk and the mayor's deaths) - the film uses a few well-placed excerpts from the period.

Dan White (the killer) was not a convincing part of the plot (neither were the fake '70s beards!), but these were relatively small detractions from an otherwise well-paced and subtle plot.

Milk broke new ground in his outness as a politician, and that part of the film and his enthusiasm and common-touch shone through.

So, my expectations were high, and while I enjoyed the telling of the tale, it didn't take me back to the anger I anticipated to feel about the wrongs in the world. I celebrated the life, and the successes. Times have thankfully changed for the better. Thanks, in no small way, to Harvey Milk.

London: Lost and Found Orchestra: W; Avenue Q

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 20:46:24 GMT

Was in London for a 3 nights, with L and R, from the 24th.

Arrived Paddington, taxi to hotel, check-in, dump bags in room, dash to tube, Embankment, walk across Hungerford bridge, Festival Hall, pint. All in 90mins - Weee!

We saw the Lost and Found Orchestra and it was magical - music made from household/building items. The three of us sat there with daft grins on our faces enjoying the wonder that is make-shift at first glance, but so very well planned and executed - and amusing, too! We had seen the company in Stomp a few years back - this was on a bigger scale, but was true to its percussion roots.

In the foyer of the Festival Hall, we had another drink and noticed that the Shanghai Syncopated Orchestra were playing 1920s/1930s dance/jazz. The magic continued. We watched and listened as the music lifted spirits and the dance floor steadily became busier and busier. Sometimes there was only a 4-year-old boy sitting on a blanket, other times there was a mix of local dancers (dressed suitably for the occasion, with billowing skirts and period hairdos - some donning dancing shoes etc. in the wings), passing dancers, and parents and their young charges having a jolly time.

What a start to our visit!

Off for food - and a wander into Soho for a Vietnamese. Suitably nice. Sleep.

On the 25th, we were slow to start, and had a brisk walk through Hyde Park before arriving late at the Lido on the Serpentine - 9.10am - missing all but a brace of swimmers emerging from the cold, dark water. Several tv cameras were interviewing shivering, wet, not exactly young, towel-wrapped, swimming-cap-wearing enthusiasts (I use that word cautiously).

We walked along Piccadilly, enjoying the clear, fresh skies (cold and dry!), when we saw a coffee shop open (staff putting a sign out), so we rushed over for some warmth/sustenance. Phew! Things are opening - and the fast was broken. We were the first into the shop, and sat in the window to reassure other pale-faced passers-by that refreshment was available. I think a full 20 minutes passed without a soul passing - they all joined the queue in the shop, which became about 20 people long and choked up the entrance.

A relaxing morning walk up Bond Street and further into the West End met with us similarly falling into a Bella Italia ("Something is open! Food! Quick!") (I think we were on Shaftesbury Ave) - and, while it was almost full when we arrived, a queue soon formed in our wake and remained until our departure. Mm, pasta and some of R's pizza.

L had planned for us to join a walking tour. A walking tour of Dickens' London. We went to Trafalgar Square and joined the hundreds of people in a queue for the tour (much "Is this the queue for Dickensian London?"). The family in front of us are from Montreal, and their son is at Bishops University (L's alma mater) - coincidence!

The queue is split into five groups (one guide per group or 60-80, perhaps) and our guide is a solid American man of some 50 years, wearing a large hat and solid coat, who spends the next 2.5-3 hours taking us on a very entertaining, interesting and thoroughly-cold (the wind had picked up!) journey through a rather old part of London (including John Adam St, the Strand (and the lampposts in the middle, each side of which indicates the parish/boundary), a few tiny alleyways, finishing in Covent Garden.

Back in Trafalgar Sq - our guide was in fine voice, fighting the crowds and traffic to be heard, and me worried that he'll lose his voice within minutes at this volume. Fortunately, he got quieter as the streets got smaller and less busy, but he did occasionally dip below the audible level frequently, but not often enough to be of much concern. R and I were on the fringes of the crowds: staying available to assist a woman (and her daughter) with her mobility scooter - lifting up and down steps, mostly. This all added to the convivial atmosphere.

Marvellous. Mews. Dickens. Alleys. Walking.

Find a very unimpressive Indian restaurant, off Leicester Square (Leicester Court?). Quiet, though, but small and uncomfortable. Also, L notices a Cinnabon shop near Leicester Sq - an old fave of hers from BG days. We make a note to come back, but never succeed.

Hearty sleep!

On the 26th (R's birthday), and the start of the sales in most shops, we walked along Oxford St for a short time - and into Selfridges, you know, for a laugh. Very busy (the two days could not be a greater contrast - from 5 people per block to 500ppb) - not much fun. Shoot up a side-street for lunch at a quiet 'Eat and two veg' where pains are taken to point out that some dishes were not available due to their having been closed for holidays recently. Interesting location (a 1920s diner feel to the large restaurant) - we sat under a skylight and enjoyed a hearty meal (lentil soup, burger/fries, apple/rhubarb crumble with custard). Yum. Well worth finding.

More crowds/shops (Bond Street again - some lovely xmas decorations) slowly weaving our way towards our ultimate appointment at the theatre.

En route, we opt for a film in the cinema - not much on (Australia, etc) but we select Oliver Stone's W in Leicester Square. In a tiny (35 seat?) screen, we weren't impressed by the film (so, in that sense it was very evocative of G W Bush). It just lacked something in the plot - but perhaps that's the point - he was just dragged along by events, on the coattails of his dad, not really succeeding at anything but his relationship with his wife, and not gaining the recognition he seems to desire from his father.

Sing Happy Birthday to R walking along a busy Leicester Sq. :-)

A quick chance to grab some felafel kebabs in the West End (above our table, coincidentally, was a signed picture of the cast of Art - including Paul Freeman).

Avenue Q was all that I expected of it, and more. More marvellous - more amusing, more impressive, more cheeky, more accomplished. The singing/acting was very good and it was all an enjoyable romp. Thankfully, R enjoyed it (he hadn't heard of it beforehand), so job well done.

Manage to find a Nicholson pub (as recommended by friends) just as they ring for last orders. Damn. This one was a very Dutch one (Dutch-accented staff, beers/menu in Dutch, etc) - called De Hems.

Hotel. Good sleep. Up for coffee en route to Paddington (on Edgware Rd) and home.

We never did make it back to Hyde Park for the skating/fun-fair (it was closed on the 25th, of course). Ah well - such a non-stop trip! Most of the stalls/rides were in German, oddly.

But, what a 'weekend'! New Year's was positively quiet after that.

Film: Burn after reading

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 21:49:17 GMT

Burn after reading (2008)

The brothers Coen bring us (writing and directing) another fairly short, fast-paced farce. Fab stuff.

When an analyst at the CIA falls foul of job and marital -um- complications; when a fitness centre assistant feels dedicated to improving her looks; when intelligence isn't --- this is when Bad Things Happen (I think Joel and Ethan should trademark that phrase!).

It all happened so quickly, and the end left me wanting more, but I laughed and boggled along the way, so I say job well done to the script and the ever-more-A-list cast.

Definitely one to recommend.

Film: The Edukators (Fetten Jahre sind vorbei, Die)

Mon, 28 May 2007 18:31:54 GMT

Every heart is a revolutionary cell

I think this German film shows how hearts can change over time. In the short-term and long-term. About love and politics and friendship. About idealism and realism.

There are a lot of different emotions in the film. Lightly dealt with.

The fact that I sympathise with the protagonists' ideals in the film probably helps, too. ;-)

Very much recommended.

IMDB

Film: Bombón: El Perro

Mon, 28 May 2007 17:54:13 GMT

Laid low this (long!) weekend with a persistent cold, forced to watch films endlessly. ;-)
Sadly, so few of note. (Yes, I bought SkyMovies for the month, to keep me company.)

This touching Argentinian film stood out (well, that's not hard, when the channel is called Sky Indie and the other channels are showing the usual action adventures - yawn).

After 20 years as a mechanic, redundancy has left Coco trying to make ends meet. A modest and quiet man, his helpful disposition leads him to a new life with a Dogo, though not without its new troubles.

More like The Straight Story in pace and melancholy atmosphere. In this case, perhaps, more reflecting the general economic state in the country.

Ended rather suddenly, for my tastes, but with some optimism. Recommended.

IMDB

Film: Orchestra Seats / Fauteuils d'orchestre

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 22:45:49 GMT

If you liked Amelie, then you may well like this.

Bringing the Amelie concept back towards a more mainstream French cinematic tradition, this film shows a group of people coming to terms with change and/or love.

All this through the eyes (or in the wake) of an attractive young woman - can you say ingenue without a French accent? ;-)

Not a great movie - a few small flaws which broke the spell - but it certainly tweaked my love for a world of sprightly, open optimism.

I think I'm beginning to require a film cause me to shed a tear. Perhaps it's my time of the month.

IMDB

Film: After the Wedding / Efter brylluppet

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 22:32:34 GMT

Good plot, very well made, well acted, thoroughly enjoyable (sufficient quality of highs and lows).

Recommended.

I do like films that send you through a gamut of emotions (though my favourites are those that are mostly challenging and largely despairing). This film scored highly in that regard. Yum.

Film: Letters from Iwo Jima, Sunshine

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 09:36:57 GMT

Wow - so little to watch at the cinema these days. Am I missing something?

Letters from Iwo Jima

An exception to the above rule.

Not quite as powerful as I'd hoped, but still a very good film.

My expectations may well be tainted by my own stereotyped preconceptions. Shame on me. But it seemed somewhat Americanised.

It didn't affect me as deeply as I'd hoped. There were shocking moments, of gore, and touching moments, but it left me wanting a more powerful experience.

Sunshine

So. Many. Flaws. Technical and plot flaws. Sci-fi porn, but far too formulaic.

It's live TV folks

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 21:39:24 GMT

Watched the football tonight (Spurs v Sevilla).

At one point, midway through the second half perhaps, one player jumped to avoid the tackle of a sliding opponent. It wasn't a particularly nasty attempted tackle and little, if any, contact was made.

However, the leaping player deliberately brought the studs of one foot down the back of the head of the player on the floor. Looked painful!

The recipient of this shoeing was a Spurs player, so the commentators were naturally harsh in the criticism of the visiting player...

"The referee really needs to put his foot down, here..."

It's the kind of thing I'd say deliberately, and get sent to Coventry for my efforts.

Film: Serenity

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 23:01:29 GMT

L and I watched Serenity the other night. She thought it was okay, I wasn't so sure.

We were put off the Firefly series since it was basically Bonanza in Space.

I'm looking forward to seeing Hot Fuzz (maybe tomorrow), and Letters from Iwo Jima (when it comes!).

western digital

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 20:40:46 GMT

Bought a raft of (okay, three) expensive large Western Digital drives last year - WD5000YS. Connected them to an expensive RAID card.

All was fine for a few weeks.

Then one dropped out of the array. It had timed out. No previous errors.

Being one who likes the belts-and-braces approach, I thought I'd buy a fourth drive to take to the DC with me, re-seat the dodgy drive, and add the new one as a spare.

Re-seated the drives. Perhaps the trip to the DC had shaken them up a bit. Brought the absent one back into the array. Fine. It started rebuilding the array. Added the new as a spare.

All was fine for a few weeks.

A different one dropped out of the array. No problem, the spare stepped into the breach.

All was relatively fine for a week or two.

Another one dropped out of the array. This was getting silly. Brought the server back to the office, re-seated all the connections. Ran the WD diagnosis tool. Nothing. Visited the WD website, got the firmware update that fixes the known problem (fix just released, days before!)! Yay!

Booted off floppy, into DOS: the firmware upgrade failed to update the drives. Ugh.

Got onto Western Digital's website - reported the error.

...

A week later, chased them with an e-mail.

...

Another two weeks later, I get an e-mail: my drives are too old for the firmware (same model!), WD will replace them.

That's meant to be a good thing.

Apparently, I have to pay to return the drives to Germany! Ugh!

Looking on the bright side: it's better than an RMA to Scan. ;-)

One definite positive: WD will send replacements before I send mine back, provided I give them my CC details (so they can charge me more than I paid for them if I don't return the old drives within 30days). Cruel irony, given the drives have halved in price since I bought them.

Maxtor drives suck. Can anyone recommend another manufacturer (drives and RMA)?

Instigating change

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 00:49:11 GMT

L and I had another long discussion about global warming. Probably still on our minds from watching the film Inconvenient Truth[1] last week.

Individuals and organisations are slowly coming around to the idea, but it's too slow. How do you speed up the rate of change - to a more sustainable footprint from those individuals/organisations - in order to stop climate change being, well, (what are the right words?) catastrophic? No, that's not the right word (it seem very likely that it's already going to be catastrophic). If we all do something now, perhaps it'll just avoid being an ELE (extinction-level event)[2] for humans.

But can it be better (than ELE, or even merely catastrophic)...? I'm not so sure. L is more hopeful, until she talks to me. The graphs in the film were startling. Compare them to the relative flatline that appears to be people's interest in doing something about it. Sad times.

Sad times, indeed when people seem less and less interested in ideology, in vision and hope - selflessness. Disenfranchisement anger, stress avoidance and celebrity-obsessed escapism seem to be the things that get people excited these days. These things do not encourage long-term commitments to acts of global benefits which may never appear to improve things, merely to stop them getting worse.

Two ideas run have stuck in our heads:
1. allocate individual allowances (carbon allowances), perhaps annually, which - like cash - are exchanged when goods are purchased. You run out, you don't get to buy. Tough. This is equitable in the sense of stopping people with money buying their way out of it.

2. carbon tax - which would need to be applied EU-wide, but will suffer from the usual objections to taxes (see above).

So we have one major restriction on freedom, or one major tax burden. Who will police the allowances; who will get the tax money? Are these ideas even possible in this climate of political stagnation? I shall have to look elsewhere to see where the best minds have thought about these topics. Green Party? New Scientist? Greenpeace?

If I don't discover some plausible solutions, I fear I will end up embittered for the little that I feel I do about the carbon-rich skin of air on this water-touched lump of rock (oh, and it's inhabitants).

Ah, well - bedtime. You're either part of the solution, or part of the precipitate.

[1] A good film - more powerful than I was expecting, sadly. Bad news.
[2] Another film reference (though it's likely that the phrase "ELE" doesn't come solely from Deep Impact.

Hmm

Fri, 26 May 2006 23:09:05 GMT

As Pink Floyd asked: Is anybody *out there*?