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I have to say, I'm really curious as to what you make of it because while I've been watching it, I keep finding things that I think would appeal to you, from the way the story springs from the characters, to the careful analysis of the systems that trap and destroy individuals to the meticulous manner in which it picks apart the urban malaise. The first series is probably the most conventional, with a lot of the drama arising from the cops vs crooks stuff, but even there it steers clear of the usual cliches and instead manages to excite the viewer the ins and outs of police grunt work. By the time the second series is under way it's really thrown off the cop-show shackles and ends up having more in common with something like Bleak House - a story that seeks to encompass every tier of its society and picking it apart with tremendous insight. It's really special. Plus - quite a few shots of tits.
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Actually, now I think on it, the best tits don't crop up until about half way through the second season - sported by Nicky Sobotka's girlfriend, so it's worth perservering with the show.
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I saw Hostel 2 at the weekend, not a bad film in a deeply sick and twisted way. It gives you a bit more back-story to the whole torture/murder club than the first one, basically showing the setup from the side of the 'punter' as much as it does the prey. Some nice dark humour in places as well, similar to the first one.
Any man who can sit through the end stages without wincing and going 'jeeeesus..' is doing better than either me or any of the other fellas who were there..
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Recently read two John Saul books, Brainchild and Second Child. Both really enjoyable, but Second Child is winner due to the scene where a little servant boy is hacked to death and buried in a pottingshed. First books I've read by John Saul and they were both well-written, fast-flowing and - in the case of Second Child - pretty gruesome in parts.
Not half as gruesome as some of the Guy N. Smith stuff that I've recently read, mind. Classic pulp horror. The Master was pretty good, the storyline taking place in a wealthy boarding school in the Highlands where the Headmaster is a satan-worshipping, virgin-obsessed tyrant. Locusts and Cannibals were far more straight forward affairs, but, nonetheless, offer nice, brief bursts of bloody entertainment. Interesting Fact: Guy N. Smith was last year's "Pipe Smoker of the Year".
Currently reading The Godfather which I bought for 50p from a charity shop. One of my favourite films, so it was inevitable that one day I would finally get hold of the book. Also started Heavier Than Heaven, the biography of Kurt Cobain, by Charles R. Cross.
Watching:
Finally saw Hostel last week, which was 'OK'... Will be watching Napalm Death next Saturday, which should prove to be a far more fulfilling affair.
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reading Lovecraft again. I love the way he writes - everything is hateful, loathsome and unspeakable, which after a while does seem to work in terms of loosening the imagination. I guess it's a bit geeky to be reading about Ghasts and Ghouls and Zoogs, but you know. Only for a week or so.
Recently saw Coffee and Cigarettes for the first time. Patchy - felt a bit like a an acting jamboree in places, but the one with RZA, the GZA and Bill Murray was fucking fantastic. I wish I could have that entire sequence as my screensaver. And here it is!. If you have 8 minutes to spare, it's well worth a look.
Listening to: Cappadonna's reviled "Yin and the Yang" album, Battles' new one (anybody else got this? Like it?) and Bruce Springsteen. Yeah Bruce Springsteen.
The next DVD I'm getting is "Video Digital Essentials". I'm going to callibrate my TV isn't it. Get a better picture isn't it.
Saw The Host the other day. Alright, but a bit hard to place. Not really funny, scary, moving or interesting. Seems overhyped.
[ 04.07.2007, 07:47: Message edited by: Jimmy Big Nuts ]
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Reading - Any Human Heart by William Boyd - it's great so far, the kind of book that has enough little moments in it that you can think of about a hundred people that will enjoy it so feel like recommending it to everyone. Sadly makes me wish that I was either attending Oxford in the 20's or that I was living in Paris, eating bread and cheese and drinking wine.
Watching - Die Hard 4.0 - prep work was slow yesterday, so I sloped off to the pictures and watched Bruce Willis yippee-kiya his way through a stupid but fun story, fighting one of the cowboys off Deadwood - some good stunts, but some CG-stupidity, which looked worse because of a Bourne Ultimatum trailer which ran before. Also, how long before Hollywood gets over it's freerunning french jumping thing fixation? Double also...er...nope, damn, I got distracted and forgot.
[ 05.07.2007, 02:56: Message edited by: Benny the Ball ]
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Last night I rented Severance. Pretty ok actually, in a silly sort of way. Some good amputation. Some virtually naked Eastern European chicks. All in all, an enjoyable, in unchallenging film.
I've been trying to read my way through Greene's Art of Seduction but frankly, it's boring, badly written, and generally not very good.
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H1ppychick
We all prisoners, chickee-baby. We all locked in.
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I've just started reading the new Christopher Brookmyre, but I'm only about 10 pages in so far.
I was seduced by a 'signed by the author' stickered hardback (actually, to call it seduction is inappropriate, I'd have bought the hardback anyway). I've never been to a signing but seem to have randomly acquired a few such signed books over the years.
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Is it any good? (maybe answer this a bit after the 10 page mark) ...I thought they were getting a bit weaker of late...
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I'm currently reading Iron Council by China Mieville, and it's DULL AS SHIT. The first two books, I really enjoyed, but this is lame as fuck.
Books are pretty shit at the best of times, but this one's a load of weary crap. Seems like I've been reading it my whole life. Very disappointing. The only thing keeping me going is that I'm planning to read Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel when I'm done, as a kind of reward.
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H1ppychick
We all prisoners, chickee-baby. We all locked in.
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I'll let you know when I'm further progressed with it.
From his more recent stuff, I liked All Fun And Games..., but not so keen on the most recent "Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil" one. I think my favourite (apart from the early Parlabane ones which are what hooked me in) were A Big Boy Did It and Ran Away and One Fine Day in The Middle Of the Night.
Have you read Douglas Lindsay? Similar dark comedic stuff - very funny.
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Saw Bourne Unltimatum yesterday and loved it. Maybe it is time to stop making them now because there were one or two moments when the coincidences were too intrusive, and it wouldn't have worked as a stand-alone film; but it was good enough to keep me enthralled virtually all the way through and normally only books do that for me. The film that has most engaged me this year. Mr Sam and I are great fans of the first two though, so maybe we are biased.
I have also started reading Donna Tartt's The Secret History. I failed to engage with her The Little Friend, but if The Secret History lives up to its early expectations, I may revisit the Friend one. It's seriously good prose and the characters are intriguingly weird. I like weird. I am also intrigued by the suggestion it will explore morality. We'll see if she can sustain the early promise.
I read the last Harry Potter too whilst I was away. I always feel silly reading those books and I don't get so lost in the world as some adults claim to. My mother of all people really gets lost in it. How wrong is that? Your own mother? She likes fat, juicy historical novels for pity's sake. I enjoyed it well enough though. If I had been a kid I think I would have loved it totally but as it is I prefer the films.
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I have been watching Life on Mars on Youtube and as someone who can actually remember the year 1973 I was six going on seven in that year, I found it great entertainment. Thanks a lot youtube! Now I can watch television programmes without having a television. Posts: 1396
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Sam - I saw Bourne Ultimatum on Sunday too! It was good, though as I could follow the plot, it didn't feel quite complicated enough. after thrillers I usually like to vex R to the point of murder with questions afterwards. 'Why did he do that'? 'Who was the man in the suit?', etc.
I found the use of hand-held cameras for the chase sequences, while enhancing the sense of speed, danger and chaos, made me want to hurl. I had to shut my eyes to give my overheating optic nerve a break.
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quote:Originally posted by herbs: Sam - I saw Bourne Ultimatum on Sunday too! It was good, though as I could follow the plot, it didn't feel quite complicated enough. after thrillers I usually like to vex R to the point of murder with questions afterwards. 'Why did he do that'? 'Who was the man in the suit?', etc.
I found the use of hand-held cameras for the chase sequences, while enhancing the sense of speed, danger and chaos, made me want to hurl. I had to shut my eyes to give my overheating optic nerve a break.
I had a similar reaction to the lack of complexity, but it was tying up lose ends for me so I forgave it. I got on fairly OK with the handheld camera thing once I took my bi-focals off so I didn't feel too giddy. Bi-focals are useless in a cinema. I would love to say more but I don't want to spoil it for people who haven't seen the film. It was good stuff though.
I do think they must not make another. This last one was as stretched as it could get and still remain entertaining and worthy to be part of the series. I want Matt Damon to do a sensitive part in his next film now, so we don't lose sight of that side of him. Too many action-man parts, no matter how cool, and these have been cool, will spoil a decent, rather sexy actor like him and I am running out of men to drool over on the big screen.
[ 28.08.2007, 10:41: Message edited by: sam ]
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quote:Originally posted by Harlequin: I have been watching Life on Mars on Youtube and as someone who can actually remember the year 1973 I was six going on seven in that year, I found it great entertainment. Thanks a lot youtube! Now I can watch television programmes without having a television.
Life on Mars is a great series, Harley. They are going to do a similar series set in the 1980s I think and that should be pretty good too and perhaps get the memories going even better.
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I watched a film called Cat O'Nine Tails the other day, and I enjoyed it a lot. It was good. Early Dario Argento. Everybody looks very fashionable. A good "falling down lift shaft" scene. Also watched Bring me the head of alfredo garcia, which was good as well. Sweaty.
Tonight I am going to see Eagle Vs Shark, which I've heard is good. I would also like to see Knocked Up.
I have Midnight Cowboy at home, but even though I know it will be good, it's not leaping into the DVD player.
I recently read a book called 100 bullets, and I thought it was good.
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Me'n'Gree watched Atonement last night at a special preview in Bradford, neither of us having read the book. I was gripped the whole way through - the build-up to the main thing that happens was very well done, with the different perspectives taken into account. The music was also very effective - there's a scene in a hospital where it all starts kicking off with wounded soldiers coming in, and the young trainee nurses are suddenly enveloped in crazy gory madness, and the music really rammed home how they must have felt - totally swamped by events going on around them.
The scene on Dunkirk beach was incredible - one of those uncut shots that just goes on and on, along the beach as crazy stuff happens, round a bandstand, into a bar, back out of the bar, up to the buildings... it lasts about three or four minutes without a cut and is very, very impressive. AND it was shot on Redcar beach, where entirely by coincidence Sunny and I had been only the day before.
It's not a perfect film - Keira Knightley grates a fair bit, and James McAvoy, while very good, looks almost exactly like David Cameron, which is rather unnerving. The supporting cast was very good. Other not-perfect bits revolve, no doubt, around trying to get all the bits in the book stuffed in there, but it was still a very enjoyable cinematic experience.
Mind you, it had been months since I'd gone to the pictures, so that might have had something to do with it. And it was free.
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quote:Originally posted by Jimmy Big Nuts: I have Midnight Cowboy at home, but even though I know it will be good, it's not leaping into the DVD player.
Midnight Cowboy really freaked me out when my head was totally done in and I haven't watched it again. I expect you'll like it Benway.
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I think you're onto something there herbs, It's like she's asking for it to be punched. I wondered why I was always irrationally drawn to inflict violence upon her.
H1ppychick
We all prisoners, chickee-baby. We all locked in.
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It's her gritted feral teeth and inability to actually, you know, act, that annoys me. The only thing I've seen her in that didn't make me want to eviscerate her was The Jacket, and maybe I was distracted from her by the general weirdness/claustrophobia pervading that film.
I watched ten episodes of Lost yesterday from my sick-bed (aka 'sofa') whilst at home and feeling sorry for myself - episodes saved to my Sky+ between August and December last year from the end of season 2 and beginning of season 3.
I'm hooked, all over again - only 15 more episodes to go until I'm caught up, I think. If I then watch/skim/whatever the approximately 20 hours of Glastonbury coverage that have been there for two months, I can get back to a respectable %age available on the Personal Planner.
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Hippy, I'm into Lost too, I've watched all series 1 and 2 on dvd boxsets and I've started recording series 3 on sky+. The only this that worries me is that apparently they've done a 4th series which is kind of frustrating.
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That's not even a compromise. It's the most desirable option.
I don't mind Keira Knightly. She's incredibly attractive and her acting doesn't grate on me too much. I especially liked it in The Hole where she was bent over the toilet sicking herself to death with her lovely arse in the air.
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I'd really like to go out with Keira Knightly. You'd probably have to weather the occasional tantrum and nod along to the occasional moronic point of view, but I've gone along with that for girlfriends that weren't as attractive or anywhere near as rich as Keira. I could probably quite happily marry Keira, beautiful and rich as she is.
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I've just sat here for 15 minutes getting really annoyed by the fact I'm not going to marry Keira Knightley. If I could just meet her... if she could get to know me I reckon she'd be quite charmed, just like the tiniest minority of girls that meet me in real life.
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