Closer is a phenomenal movie. It’s set one hell of a standard for the coming year. Clive Owen is stunning and deserves every possible award. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better peformance. Portman is also awesome and deserves everything she is nominated for.
Wonderful movie. Run, don’t walk, to see it.
I mentioned Greg Rucka’s Keeper sometime last week. It went downhill a lot from the first few chapters. Maybe there weren’t as good as I thought at the time and I was just in the mood for them. It’s worth noting that I have a sister named Katie with Down’s Syndrome, I think that put me off a little bit and I’m not convinced on how accurate or even close the descriptions there were. Not majorly but it sat wrong in a couple of places. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a bad book and if Amazon had the next one in stock it would be in this morning’s order it just didn’t live up to the first few chapters.
Mitch Albom’s The 5 People you Meet in Heaven sat in Border’s as part of their 3 for 2 for a good while before I picked it up. The cover drew me in a lot, it was very simple but titled nicely. It’s a very charming story and had me thinking throughout about who my five people would be (hypothetically of course) and of how people do pass by each other in life. It’s quite a light read and it made me smile a whole lot.
Anonymous’ Belle De Jour was given to me by a friend because it was about a famous blog. Not really complaining about that, I had read her blog on and off and found it funny. I knew the book was coming and vaguely had it on my list of things to keep an eye out for in paperback down the line. I didn’t know that it was going to be in the same diary format as the blog with slightly expanded entries/chapters. So not hugely rewarding, I had read a good bit of it already. As a book, it shows up much more of the flows than an odd journal entry does. Every second page doesn’t need to go on about how pretty she thinks she is or more importantly how pretty others think she is. Not a hugely bad read but you won’t miss much by sticking to the website.
Right now, I’m in the midst of reading Lord of Misrule, Christopher Lee’s updated autobiography. It’s very well written, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Close on 200 pages and all of the tales about his family, his younger life and the war is fascinating. Some of them are far more interesting than the stories about the films we get later on. He goes on about golf a bit much for my taste but peppers it with enough anecdotes to keep it going. So, not a my life in films book but an actual autobiography which is good.
I’m sure there was something else I read recently but I can’t think of it right now. Next up is probably The Time Traveller’s Wife. Picked this up on Friday due to the massive tube advertising calling it the next Lovely Bones, enough to have me take a glance in Borders and the back made me laugh so that was that.
Everything feels like a strange sort of limbo at the moment.
Work has picked up a whole hell of a lot andd it’s not taking much effort to not be miserable there. Alongside all that is actual work and indeed deadline stress. I worked late this week for the first time in a long time. So that’s good.
Outside of work there’s been a bit going on. Yesterday I had a few friends around for lunch and then an afternoon of playing some Xbox. The evening was around to the pub where some others joined us for a late night. Good fun throughout.
I’m off to see The Frames on Tuesday night which I’m looking forward to a whole lot. They were awesome in Sheperds Bush a few weeks ago and I’m hoping for more of the same. Then the weekend. I’m not able to make V-Mas which I’m annoyed about as I’m off to see Velvet Revolver in Hammersmith. That too should be a good gig, the reviews of nights to date have all been positive. Shame on the clash 🙁
A friend brought The Killers album into work on Friday. It went around a couple of us and I was very pleasantly surprised by it. Enough to go out and buy it. Track 4 Somebody Told Me is a major standout. Up there with Franz Ferdinand for a band that I shouldn’t like but I do, quite a bit.
It’s been a strange one for music lately. I heard Nick Cave’s Fifteen Feet Of Pure White Snow and was blown away by it. I never got into his stuff at all but I love this track. As soon as I get into a store I’ll buy the album for it alone. I’m hoping it lives up to it.
Halloween weekend, I was in the pub with some of the lads having a drink after work.n One of the other pubs was having a themed evening, Dead Rock Stars for dressup. We were generally scoffing at it. Until the thought struck, what if you took it a step further and played only music by dead rock stars. This thought snowballed onwards and a pen and paper was quickly found. Thus we spent at least two hours coming up with a complilation of dead artists (or group members to get Metallica, Stones etc). We listed a good 70 songs and I’ve been collecting ’em up to make the CD. That was how I heard Led Zepplin’s Immigrant Song for the first time. Again, wow. I’ll post the full playlist when it’s done.
More and more I’m starting to regret having my hair cut off. I don’t really want to go through the years it took to get it that long again. Beard is still in a limbo state of it’s own. We’ll see about that one in another few weeks.
I read a saying of somesort somewhere once. It went something like this.
Looking back 10 years, you’ll cringe at what you did and thought. In 10 years, you will be doing the same thing.
Fuck 10 years, sometimes 10 minutes is enough.
Now I have three projects on the go. Two bigish and one small. All of course with urgent conflicting deadlines. Well it’s better than the last 6 months and one of the projects actually excites me so it’s fun to work on, which it hasn’t been around here in a long time.
I started reading Greg Rucka’s Keeper this morning. I enjoy his comic work and the Q&C novel was good fun. I was running late for work, I managed to snooze for way too long. It didn’t help that for some reason I got into the book so much that I didn’t realise we were at my stop for changing until the doors started to close. Just made it.
And some stuff that’s been sitting in draft as I’ve not had a chance to get to it all.
– It’s no doubt a very much romanticised thought, but I can think back and pick a single point in my life where if I had done something a little different (indeed a whole lot better), it would have changed my life completely.
– I’m pretty sure I’m going to sell some shares this week, I want a new digital camera. The one I have is fine and it was perfect for Japan but I want something which will fit into a pocket. Ixus look good, just have to figure out how much I want to spend on one.
– Banks are cunts. I’m really fed up with NatWest. The number of errors I’ve had with them throughout the years is disgraceful. Time to actually switch.
– Speaking of switch, avoid Belkin switches for multiOS set-ups. They just can’t handle the change-over.
– Xcode is a beautiful beautiful tool. It’s everything you could want in a l10n set, nevermind a full dev kit. Love it and loving working in it.
– I caught the last half an hour or so of a documentary on Elvis last night. I’m not a fan, but it was fairly sad, you really felt for the guy as he was standing up there pouring his heart out.
– Yay, new Garbage album very soon.
– I did watch the last hour or so of Jerry Springer The Opera, it was funny in places but only mildly.
– I’m reading The Five People You Meet In Heaven and it’s a good read. Resonates a little like The Lovely Bones which isn’t bad thing.
– Reading around the Irish music scene, seems the U2 tour may indeed be on hold as the Edge’s daughter is being treated for cancer. So understandably no big tour announcement.
– Lost, well damn I enjoyed the first few minutes of that. A sholid episode, Kate is hardcore. The locker number being the same as the plane number is disturbing. This is all pre-ordained.
– Stray Batman rocks. I’m more exicted about this than any other series in a good while now! Rucka’s Superman: Unconventional Warfare wasn’t bad at all either.
Movies I’ve seen recently:
The Birds, ITV were showing it late night. It’s a good good movie and hasn’t dated all that much. Fantastic use of sound throughout.
Shattered Glass quite enjoyable little movie about the made-up stories for The New Republic in the late 90’s. Peter Sarsgaard is excellent, one of the most watchable actors I’ve seen in a while.
Heist. I don’t like Hackman and I’m not a big DeVito fan and perhaps this was sold on the Mamet plus star case. Not the best Mamet and not the best cast.
Blood Work, an Eastwood movie from a couple of years ago based on a decent Michael Connelly novel. It was ok, had it stayed closer the book it would have been a whole lot better. Start spoiler commentWhen about half way through I realised they had set the killer up to be a long running supporting character in the books, I got annoyed and it tainted the rest a whole lot. Weak. End spoiler comment.
Miller’s Crossing, not bad at all. Completely made by Gabriel Bynre’s performance alone.
***
This week I have to catch Finding Neverland, I’ve not had the chance yet, pencil that one in for Wednesday evening.
Game stuff.
I should cancel Eve. I’m only really doing it to keep training. I don’t want to kill my character tho. I have the same problem with City of Heroes, I like them and I don’t want them to die. I was talking to Mr. Gillen late on Friday. We had both been drinking and after a while of talking about whatever, we ended up on games and slightly onto this topic. Both Eve and CoH have had me storm off from my computer, frustrated and upset. They are of course just games but I have an attachment to my characters. I’ve spent time building them up and I don’t like it when they get knocked down. It’s a big change in MMORPG’s that there is no reset. I can’t load the game and try again, I’m dead or I’ve lost my ship or whatever. It’s not a bad thing, I’m not saying that. I like the idea of death in games but sometimes it’s a killer. I’m off in EQ2 for a while now. I don’t see it lasting. It’s 6 months entertainment, probably not much more than that. Couple of friends playing it so we’ll see how that goes. I’m really not impressed with the graphics in it, I was expecting a whole lot more.
It’s been a quiet enough day. For the first week of the year and only a four day one at that, it’s been a struggle. I was pretty shattered (despite making a point of getting more sleep) and slept till well after noon. Then a lazy afternoon of doing fuck all before going out to meet a friend for dinner. A couple of drinks then a decent enough steak and home shortly after 10. I caught the last 45 minutes or so of the Jerry Springer Opera and it was allright.
I’ve just finished watching Blood Work, an Eastwood movie from a couple of years ago based on a Michael Connelly novel. It was ok, had it stayed closer the book it would have been a whole lot better. When about half way through I realised they had set the killer up to be a long running supporting character in the books, I got annoyed and it tainted the rest a whole lot. Weak.
I did get some comics while I was in town. Stray Batman continues to rock. It’s the only monthly I’ve been excited about in a while. A whole year of this (I believe) should be good stuff.
I was talking to Kieron late last night. About random stuff and then about games. I saved the whole conversation because I wanted to write something based on part of it. That was my plan for today but I’m having a whole lot of trouble sitting down to type lately. I’ve been planning while walking home on several occasions this week to sit down and type to the point of composing posts in my head as I walk. But when it comes to sit down and do it, it just doesn’t happen.
And so an hour lately, I’ve not even managed to look into this window again. Sleep calls.
I came home with the intent to type and I find it, like so many things in life fleeting.
Right now, I really miss my flat in Battersea. I want to be able to walk for hours alongside the river, there are times and I’m working up to one of them that I just need to.
I have two new year resolutions. I’ve broken one (not to drink for January) and the second (to not be so miserable in work) is going far better than I ever hoped. So um not so bad really.
Is this really going to be the year of fools rush in? I’m making a concerted effort to leave the past behind and it’s really not all that hard so far.
Not going back to Dublin for a while. I thought about sometime at the end of Feb but I think I need to go back to my early naughties of once or twice a year and leave it at that. Moscow has to be sorted this weekend, that’s the priority.
I’m reading Nietzsche, I don’t know quite why.
Last night in the pub (sober, two cokes) was very strange. It was almost vicious at times. Lots of people perhaps not in the best moods ever and some complete honesty. I certainly had never actually said some things I did last night. Strange.
Eve has just caused a “holy shit” or two. Has CA just fallen?
I broke, I bought EverQuest II.
AICN reckons that Peter Jackson’s next movie after King Kong will be The Lovely Bones.
I have no idea how it will translate to film
Frank Miller and Jim Lee on an ongoing Batman book.