Since I'm having difficulties concentrating on anything these days, it's quite a miracle that I've been able to enjoy three days of listening to lots of music and even watching a couple of films.

Went to see Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street yesterday, and it was very well made. Unfortunately I felt it was slightly too long, but I have a feeling this was because I saw the stage version three times in July and have heard three different (but not that different) recordings quite a few times since then. Loved the gloom; very fitting and very Tim Burton. I think they made a very good choice when picking him to be the director. Timothy Spall was excellent, as per usual, and so was Alan Rickman. Really liked all the actors in this one, to be honest. Johnny Depp has grown on me (very slowly) over the past few years, and although Helena Bonham-Carter seems to be rather weird in real life, she was spot on for the part of Mrs. Lovett.

Today I finally watched Spun, after it's been sitting on my shelf, still in its shrink-wrapped form, for at least three quarters of a year. Mickey Rourke was really cool in this film, and Brittany Murphy was as brilliant as ever. Liked the filming as much as I enjoyed the cinematography in Requiem for a Dream.

Got a few CD's this week; The Best Country Album Ever (which apparently I had won in a survey I took many moons ago), Rock Against Bush Vol. 2 (with lots of Californian punk rock), some comedy album with lots of old and newish gems, and In Sorte Diaboli by Dimmu Borgir. Needed to know what the fuss about their latest album was. Think I need to hear it a few more times, because I didn't think it was better than my favourite album of theirs, Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia, but some albums have a tendency to grow on me (like Superfamily's Back in Paris, which I remember telling Cato was very uneven the first few times I heard it, but has now become a dear favourite.)

So, anyway, I've been very good these past few days and have actually sat down just to listen to a lot of music. Thanks to Last.fm, that most diabolical site, one band or singer has taken me to another, then to yet another and so forth, so I have listened through a lot of songs I had even forgotten I had. I have listened to some comedy as well, mostly Grrreg, but that's just because I am getting fed up of the seemingly endless repeats of the UK version of Whose Line on Dave, and I am sort of saving the episodes available on 4oD.

Ooh, by the way, I remember seeing the poster at my local cinema last week, but I forgot to mention the fact that I am hopeful regarding the film version of the excellent, comedic teenage angst book Angus, Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging. I have deliberately not read anything about the film, so I just wish I am not being lured into a false sense of security here.

Well, time to go to bed, I feel. Bit too early, but I am planning on watching the news (and possibly Newsnight) in bed, so that will take at least 30 minutes.

Have fun, everyoink!

Labels: Alan Rickman, comedy, film, greg proops, literature, music, musicals, TV