Argh. A plague on all your houses, villas, chalets and yachts, Bill Gates. I’ve just spent a good few hours trying to get Microsoft Office working again. The sixty day trial was up and the easy ‘converting’ method proved to be anything but. Pages wouldn’t load, the Microsoft website’s a labyrinth that would put Minos’ [...]
Entries from January 2008
January 26, 2008
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Quick Notes
I’ve been reading Stephen Fry’s autobiography Moab Is My Washpot. It’s to be recommended, sure. The man has a wit unrivaled since the time of Oscar Wilde, who he, entirely without coincidence, has played on film. But what really surprised me was how much of myself I recognised in Stephen’s words. He loves language but [...]
January 25, 2008
Bonjour Tristesse
“If you can’t stand people as they are, don’t try to change them. It may already be too late.”
- Cecile, as played by Jean Seberg.
This film makes me want to go to France. The people are beautiful, the landscape is wonderful, the sea glistens like soft velvet and everything is shot brightly, like a postcard [...]
January 22, 2008
Something To Darken Your Day
Oh hell. I just heard about this on the BBC.
It’s… There’s no words for it, really, but I’ll try. I’ve been a fan of Heath Ledger for years now. He was a charming hero, often rising above the quality of the material, in blockbuster work like A Knight’s Tale, The Brothers Grimm and Casanova. And [...]
January 22, 2008
Through The Mangle
Harrowing. In this day and age you can see that word quoted from film reviews and lifted directly onto the poster. These days the promise of a harrowing experience can be used to advertise a movie. Entertainment does not have to be entertaining. Art can be art for its own sake. It seems that somewhere, [...]
January 18, 2008
Midnight Cowboy
I thought I knew this film about as well as could be done. It’s one of my favourite product of the Sixties, next to The Beatles, blooming headgear and flares. But I may not be as wise to its deeper meaning as I had thought.
I’ve long held Midnight Cowboy to be a ‘simple’ tale of [...]
January 16, 2008
Even More Quick Notes
I have a bit of an excuse for why I haven’t updated in a week. I’ve been busy with some things that I couldn’t talk about before, they being mysterious and tender and still up in the air. It’s all still hovering, but it’s gotten a little more real today. This morning I was on [...]
January 14, 2008
The Ice Storm
Due warning for the unitiated; the following analysis reveals elements of the plot. If you haven’t seen The Ice Storm, do so before reading on. Don’t worry. I’ll wait.
Directed by Ang Lee and released in 1997, The Ice Storm was based on a bestselling novel of the same name and featured an ensemble cast of [...]
January 7, 2008
Caution: Work (Back) In Progress
First of all, a warm welcome to my Head of Department, all-around great Scot Brian Dunnigan. Apparently he googled his name – and don’t we all? – and stumbled thusly onto my humble blog. He advertised this today in class, at our first meeting of the term, and described it as “a lot better, I [...]
January 4, 2008
Characters With Character
The second term approacheth. The message board is slowly stirring into wakefulness, the timetables have been sent, and now there is only one weekend standing between me and twelve more weeks at the London Film School. To celebrate, if that’s the right word, one final extract from the first term’s entries in the Work and [...]
