Feb 25, 2009
Being a list of films and other things I have watched in mid-air in the last three weeks
- Vicky Christina Barcelona (Woody Allen makes not entirely irritating film shocker)
- Robots (VO artiste who’s who)
- Eagle Eye (Shia Le Boeuf and Billy-Ray Thornton in risible action thriller. Not dis-similar to The Net, or Phone Booth)
- Body of Lies (Lots of mumbling, plus bad facial hair (Di Caprio) and bad accents (Crowe))
- Dangerous Liasons (Wigs and social complexities)
- W (Truth is stranger than fiction, plus special bonus appearance by Noah Wylie)
- The Secret Life of Bees (Almost exactly what you would expect)
- A Bunch of Amateurs (Horrible ensemble Brit Com starring a plank of wood as Burt Reynolds)
- Ballet Shoes (sweet BBC seasonal adaptation of Noel Streatfield book)
- Burn After Reading (Engaging Coen brothers caper)
- Rachel Getting Married (AKA is this film STILL on?)
- The Sea Inside (Javier Bardem, mumbling hotly)
- Primary Colors (electioneering fascination)
Telly, and other things:
- QI XL (3 episodes)
- Dexter s1 e1-4
- The Wire s1 e1-3
- Greys Anatomy (1 episode)
- Gossip Girl (2 episodes)
- Flight of the Conchords (s1)
Things I opted not to watch:
- High School Musical 3: Senior Year
PLUS! Bonus tip for international air travel:
You must never, ever look at yourself in the bathroom mirror at 40,000 feet, after 6+ hours in the air. There’s something about the combination of lighting, dehydration, stress, fatigue and having to stand 6″ from your bedraggled reflection that will make you feel even worse than you look (as if that were possible).
Did you love “Dexter”? The books are well worth checking out as well. Hope you’re adjusting to life away from NZ with ease :)
A Sydney reviewer said that Vicky Christina Barcelona was the first movie he’s seen where the title was the plot. In detail. Haven’t seen it yet so reserving judgment.
W was released in Sydney today - seen some good reviews of it.
oooh, ooh, what are your ‘beginner’s thoughts’ on The Wire.
We appear to be at exactly the same point.
My thoughts have been - immediately gripping, feels *fairly* real, slightly cliched “maverick/ heart of gold hidden underneath / stands up for the Right Thing” character in McNulty, but done so well they get away with it.
I have a theory regarding what’s going to happen to the lad whose heart really isn’t in it, whose cousin is the drugs lord, but I won’t mention it in case you would prefer to stick your fingers in your ears and say “La la la not listening”.
Hope you’re decompressing ok! When Foe’s back in action, will arrange date for BakeCamp. It would be perfectly lovely to do something actually groovy with it, wouldn’t it.
Dexter is interesting, but it doesn’t work as late-night viewing because it’s a bit too intriguing. I like the stylised approach, but I really find it very hard to like the main character. I don’t suppose I’m meant to.
The Wire is…taking some immersion. I feel like I hadn’t really done it justice by watching it in fits and starts on journeys and stuff. Plus my attention hasn’t really been there, and I found myself annoyed by - what seemed like - people standing around swearing at each other for no reason. I’ll probably have to rewatch a few episodes, because I’m still not seeing the magic.
Vicky Christina Barcelona was infinitely better than the previous dozen Woody Allen movies, but you’re right - it’s not exactly a very complicated plot.
W (fell asleep)
Death Race (Jason Statham and Joan Allen TOGETHER AT LAST)
The Apartment (near-to-tears funny/sweet)
Manhattan
Quantum of Solace
What just happened
The Bourne Ultimatum (again, still the best Guardian-centric action flick)
Burn after reading
Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist (sweet, inconsequential, starting to get annoyed by Michael Sera, but heroine Kat Dennings = troublingly hot)
Slumdog Millionaire
Happy Go Lucky (excellent, and again, near-to-tears funny/sweet)
Telly: a bunch of the US Life on Mars out of curiosity (Simm-replacement = shite, but Harvey Keitel playing Gene Hunt = HIGHLY BIZARRE, but not entirely un-entertaining)