Month: January 2008

Movie: Alien Vs Predator: Requiem

Seriously, what were they thinking? Get rid of the humans in this story and you could have a half decent movie.

With a fairly good storyline to begin with which picks up very nicely from the Alien Vs Predator, it begins to go downhill once the humans get involved. With shoddy acting, ridiculous side storylines that are a distraction and an ending that was so incredibly predictable it was embarrasing. What’s even worse is that it clearly is set up for a trilogy. Well surely they can’t get any worse from here, can they?

0 out of 5!!!!!

Movie: Charlie Wilson’s War

We saw this a week or two ago. I am not the greatest Tom Hanks fan however this was a very interesting story. We were probably half expecting the usual “peace, justice and the American way will prevail” outcome but were quite surprised with this well balanced story.

For a synopsis on the storyline here is the link to the official website.

http://www.charliewilsonswar.net/

Memorable quotes:

“You know you’ve reached rock bottom when you’re told you have character flaws by a man who hanged his predecessor in a military coup.”

“These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world… and then we f****** up the endgame.”

“Why is Congress saying one thing and doing nothing? “, “Well, tradition mostly”

4 out of 5.

My bike got stolen!

Todays blog is dedicated to Phil so he will actually read this!

OK so it was really cheap, I have never actually ridden it as yet, it had a flat tyre (hence not having ridden it yet) and it was chained up outside our house for the last 6 months in an area prone to lifting anything that isn’t bolted down. What did I expect?

Darn it!!!!

IT SNOWED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK so it didn’t blanket the ground as it melted before it hit there but it snowed! Hopefully Steve has some good pics from work where it did make it to the ground. I was so excited that I made our flatmate come downstairs from the 3rd floor to watch it out our front door. I would say if he didn’t think we were odd before then this has clinched the deal for him. 🙂

Can’t explain how excited I was!!!!!!!! I have video as well so will post that as well from my new Youtube account. Thanks Xavier, you inspired me on that one!

Me and Carey Grant

Went out walking the other day and bumped into Carey so we decided to go for a stroll.

Did you know: Carey Grant was born in Horfield, Bristol in 1904. His real name was Archibald Leach, he was married 5 times, has 1 daughter and died of a brain hemorrhage in 1986 (hmmm that would make it hard for me to go walking with him then, wondered why we didn’t get far). Ian Fleming is said to have modelled the James Bond character with Cary Grant in mind.

A little town called Ledbury

I took the opportunity to visit Ledbury on Thursday. Situated about 1.5 hours north of Bristol it is a small town in Herefordshire. I have since discovered that the area was home to Elizabeth Barrett Browning (“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…”) poetess.

Although a rainy day I could instantly see that there was lots to see. However, nothing would open until 9.30am and I was in great need of a coffee. During my brief stay there I investigated the All Angels church which has a magnificent timber roof inside. The town is full of Elizabethan and Georgian architecture. I have decided I quite like Georgian for its definate lines and uniformity. Steve prefers the Elizabethan (Tudor style) with the black beams and “leaning” effect.

Although there isn’t much here that is a “has to be seen” item it is a nice enough, friendly town with a good days worth of sites and walks.

Book review: World Without End

The sequel to The Pillars of the Earth (one of my favourite books) this was an epic read comparable to Pillars. Written by Ken Follett I have been waiting for years for this book to come out and it did not disappoint. My only regret is that I have finished it. Believe me, I put it down for a day as I was nearing the end, just to avoid having to complete it.

Just like Pillars it is not a book for the faint hearted. It is often gruesome in a most graphical sense as it describes life in the 14th century. I believe that if it had been written in lesser tones this would have diminished the harsh and brutal reality of life during this time. The lives of simple peasants, earls, tradesmen, religious orders and merchants are played out in the town of Kingsbridge 200 years on from Prior Phillip, Tom, Jack, Aliena etc however family ties link new characters to the old. As the cathedral was built 200 years ago this book looks at further building projects undertaken within the town and with it yet again the struggles for power, control and love. The characters this time are also faced with the Black Death sweeping through Europe which brings another layer to the epic journey.

I continue to be fascinated with lifestyles of those in the middle ages and again this book brings this particular section of years to life. At 1111 pages it is a rollercoaster ride that you just don’t want to end. I will be re-reading this again and again just as I have done with Pillars over the years. 10 out of 10!

Movie: We Own the Night

Two words – don’t bother!

Over the years I have come to quite like Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoneix as actors. Robert Duvall is another draw card in here with Eva Mendes thrown in for good measure. However yet again, the actors are fab but the directing is tragic.

There is no connection with the characters, particularly stupid criminals, little action which is fleeting and boring at best, insipid dialogue – should I continue? Why waste my energy.

1 out of 10 (just because I feel sorry for the fab actors in this tragic mess).

Happy New Year

One year since this blog has been in action (date of the first entry was 26th December 2006) and I have had fun looking back through our year. So far I have written up 12 movies (however we have seen far more than this). I have failed to add anything about the books I have read this year which is a shame as there have been a number of good ones, there have only been 3 “Observation” entries however I have now completed the 101st entry to date.

I have never been one for extravagant new year resolutions as situations can change so quickly and there are few things more demoralising than looking back at a list of plans and feeling as if you have not accomplished anything. However I do think it wise to plot a “destination” just as we did when we decided to move to the UK although it is not always a literal location that I refer to. This way we have the direction but because we are not so fixated on the rock solid unwavering plan of getting there we have time to listen, take notice and be proactive to what is happening around us. I think this also holds well in day to day life. We get so caught up in our tunnel vision of where we need to be that we forget to really look and listen to what is going on around us.

So here’s to a new year of listening, seeing, undertaking wise counsel and being proactive.