OK, so I had to watch tonight's introduction of this year's housemates in the Celebrity Big Brother house. So there's LaToya Jackson, Verne Troyer, Coolio and Ulrika Jonsson mixed with a couple of ex-popstars and a "glamour model" (don't know why they have started calling girls who like being photographed topless "glamour models", because let's face it; there's no glamour in that), a Scottish politician and Terry Christian from the controversial/annoying The Word. Well, well, well.

I started my only kind of New Year resolution yesterday (although I had planned starting it a little bit earlier, so technically it isn't a resolution for the new year); I have to watch one of my many, many unseen films for each day of 2009. Since there may be days where I actually have better things to do, and other days where I have nothing better to do, I have not made it a rule to watch one film every day, because then the project would have been doomed from the start. Yesterday I watched Mamma Mia! (Colin Firth! Stellan Skarsgård! In...spandex?!), which I had received the day before, so it was obviously a film I was going to see ASAP anyway, but it was unseen until then and as such a real option. Today I watched The 39 Steps (1935, Hitchcock), which was kind of mediocre, but then Hitchcock's films have mostly lost their charm over the years anyway, with a few exceptions (like the excellent Rope). I had to watch 36 Hours again after that. Great film, and it has James Garner in it, which is always a plus.

Labels: colin firth, film, james garner, TV

Mike Bender writes to the drunk guy he met in the toilet queue.

Oh, and I'm nearly finished with watching The Great Escape for the umpteenth time. I'm sort of watching it in parts because it's so darn long and I, quite frankly, have other things to do. Like, eat.

And watch David Attenborough's new (and last) series. Someone give that man a prize! Oh, wait, they already did that, many times over. How about creating a new Nobel prize? Hmm...worth a thought.

Labels: comedy, film, james garner, time wasting, TV

I suddenly had this strange urge yesterday (I blame the fever--I am enjoying a cold at the moment) to watch a lot of drag films. So I watched La Cage aux Folles II, Privates on Parade, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Victor/Victoria. I was also going to see Der bewegte Mann, but didn't have the time. Had to see Matthew Kelly turn nasty for a return of the Cold Blood series, you see.

But when it comes to the four films I did see, I think they're all brilliant. I have also seen them numerous times. La Cage aux Folles II is the one I have seen the fewest times, only thrice. The rest? Well, considering I saw Victor/Victoria thrice within the first 24 hours I had it...you get the picture, although that ratio has not kept up, mind.

The dubbing in La Cage is just awful, but is redeemed by the fact that Michel Serrault is extremely funny. Even with my limited French I understand that his timing is good.

Privates is just a deeply underrated dark musical comedy (yes, they do exist) and I just cannot believe I missed the chance of a lifetime of seeing Roger Allam as Captain Dennis in the 2002 stage version in this very city. I hang my head in shame. But I missed quite a lot of gems in the few years before I moved here and will eventually just have to get on with my life.

Priscilla...well, it's where I first spotted Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce. Bill Hunter I already knew through watching way too much Aussie telly (once again: Why isn't Aussie telly more popular here in the old country? You're missing out on some fantastic talent, people!) when growing up. Terence Stamp as Ralph...uhmm...Bernadette is just amazing. I constantly have to remind myself he is actually not a woman!

And V/V, with the most ridiculous turn by Dame Julie as the count/Victoria...the way she looks even the most skilled makeup artist would have major difficulties making her look the least bit masculine...obviously. But the film is very funny, the music is swell (I use that expression way too seldom, probably because it had its heyday in the fifties?) and it's sort of like the musical version of The Pink Panther. Only with a more interesting story. And James Garner, which is always a plus.

On Monday we ventured off to see Ocean's Thirteen which I think was way better than Ocean's Twelve. It helped having more of Eddie Izzard (for there can be only one Eddie...until another one comes along, that is). I was fighting against a very runny yet blocked nose (weird, I know, but perfectly natural when you have a cold) throughout parts of the film, but was saved by my trusty (but evil) Otrivine nasal spray and managed to enjoy the rest of the film. Even with overly salty popcorn.

On Tuesday I played Civilization IV. I wasn't going to, but once I got stuck on Monday evening, it just poured over into Tuesday morning, afternoon and evening. After 21 hours I finally won my first cultural victory, and immediately started a new game. What an idiot. However, it was fun watching my Viking civilisation suddenly, in a mad rush over a few decades only, manage to convert the whole world to Islam, their chosen religion. It's history in the making, I'm telling you.

I have also started buying Blu-Ray films. I was so impressed with the quality of Casino Royale (yeah, that was probably Sony's point when they gave it away for free, you sad git) that I simply had to get a few more. Not full price, though, they're much too expensive for that. And always check the online reviews before buying, as some of these films are too old to give you any effect over DVD when it comes to visual quality. I have pre-ordered The Patriot and bought Black Hawk Down and I swear it's not so that I can scrutinise the pores of Jason Isaacs. Honestly. I also bought Vertical Limit and Hellboy and of these four I already own three on DVD. I haven't even managed to upgrade my VHS collection to DVD yet, and now they want me to flesh out on a new system? Bastids.

Labels: eddie izzard, film, gaming, james garner, jason isaacs, roger allam, technology, theatre

I got a new DVD player on Wednesday, so naturally I spent the next three days off from work watching films. Short reviews:

Slither (Horror Comedy) - Completely useless. Not even funny.
The Woods (Horror) - Slightly boring, not particularly exciting.
An American Haunting (Horror) - Had potential to be a proper horror film, but I soon started fast forwarding. I also understood the whole plot solution one fourth into the film, so not very surprising.
V for Vendetta (Thriller) - Actually quite good! I had some hopes for this, which were fulfilled, and then they added to the experience, so I was very pleased with this film.
Just My Luck (Comedy) - Wow. You should really stay away from this. It's just embarrassing, not even the least bit funny.
Hostel (Horror) - Not very horrific. Soft porn meets Saw, only with a boring plot (I'm saying Saw had a good plot, I'm not claiming porn does). And a crazy Icelandic.
The Hunt for Red October (Thriller) - Right, this one is well-known. Hadn't seen it for at least ten years. Stellan Skarsgård certainly has improved his English since then. Brilliant film, exciting, even.
Up Periscope (Thriller) - Another submarine film. And another James Garner film I hadn't seen (the number is decreasing, though). Surprisingly good and thrilling.
The DaVinci Code (Thriller/Drama) - I vowed I would not pay to see this, and I haven't. But it wasn't too bad, actually. Probably more exciting for those of us who haven't read the book, and especially for those who watch the film with the intention of disregarding the gaping plot holes and errors. I still think it's sad to see some of my favourite actors getting involved with this project, however, that very thing may have saved the film for me. Paradoxical, I know.

All in all, I have wasted a lot of hours this weekend.

Labels: film, james garner, peter firth

After having overslept and missed an entire film starring Dame Julie Andrews and James Garner this morning, I tried to make up for it by watching a couple of films during the evening. I started off with The Importance of Being Earnest, a highly overdue second viewing, and then moved on to Shakespeare in Love, the latter idea brought on by spotting a framed picture I've had standing on the floor in front of my bookshelves for a couple of years now. The picture is one from the film in question, and it's autographed by some of the actors involved. Well, I've never actually believed the autographs to be genuine, I just thought it would look nice on my wall back when I bought it. However, something drove me to investigating a bit further today, and I'm starting to believe the autographs may very well be bona fide, otherwise they've made an enormous effort in forging the signature for a meager amount of money. Roaming the 'Net for photos of their autographs, I happened upon Ellen's autograph site which proved to be very interesting, as she's made a list of all the celebs she's written to, stating the dates of when she sent the letter and when she received a reply. There are also scans of the photos and autographs she has received, and my favourite was the one she got from Richard Curtis. (You should see this for a laugh!)

Now, what's the common denominator for the two films I have watched today? Actually, there are four of them: Dame Judi Dench, Rupert Everett, Colin Firth and Tom Wilkinson - speaking of whom, am I the only one who thinks he is absolutely brilliant? No matter what role he takes on, he does it so well. The same with Geoffrey Rush. I'm so in awe of those two.

And on that note, I'd better get ready for a short night's sleep before heading for the snowy landscape that is Oslo at the moment. Friday was marvellous; as I was walking home from the tube through the rather windy and snowy weather, I noticed that (possibly due to the mini blizzard) no one had used the pavement on which I was walking for at least an hour, and there was velvety snow everywhere. Quite beautiful. But snow is beautiful, until the cars rev up and spew out their toxins. Hollywood snow isn't very real, unfortunately, but on Friday they might as well have filmed Christmas with the Kranks there. Ooh, I saw the trail for that film earlier this month and was slightly embarrassed. I liked the book a lot (quite different from the other books Grisham has written), but the film looks as if it's going to be totally screwball, which I hate. Looks like I have to go back to my old impression of Tim Allen - he was superb in Galaxy Quest but I've never liked him in anything else. Oh, well. I'm not the one losing my money on that film.

Current track: Depeche Mode - Freelove (DJ Muggs Remix) (awfully out of key - erlack!)

Labels: colin firth, film, geoffrey rush, james garner, literature, tom wilkinson

It's obviously that time of year when I start publishing my Lists(TM); could be because I had a delicious supper, or just because I was getting tired of people constantly asking me which films I've got. So here is my film collection. I keep a huge database in Excel with loads more info than this, but I decided on just listing the titles here. I have kept my four categories, though: Normal, where most of my films are kept - these films are not among my favourites, but they were good enough for me to keep in my collection; Classic - older films (often in black and white), also not my absolute favourites; Must-see - newer films that I adore; Champ - classic films that I absolutely love.

Having browsed my newly updated list, I discovered that my Top Ten list of actors appearing in most films (in my collection, that is) is as follows:

William Hurt - 24 films
Alan Rickman - 18
Dustin Hoffman - 18
Geoffrey Rush - 18
John Cleese - 17
David Niven - 16
John Lithgow - 16
Sir Alec Guinness - 16
James Garner - 15
Michael Palin - 14

Further investigations left me with these additions - these are the ones that appear in ten or more films within my collection:

Christopher Walken - 12 films
Kenneth Branagh - 12
Alfred Molina - 11
Kevin Kline - 11
Bruce Willis - 10 (What? Must be the Die Hard films.)
Eric Idle - 10

The first actress appearing on the list is right beneath Eric Idle with her nine films; Emma Thompson. We need more parts for women in the film industry!

Current track: D12 - How Come

Labels: Alan Rickman, alec guinness, alfred molina, david niven, dustin hoffman, film, geoffrey rush, james garner, john lithgow, kevin kline, lists, michael palin, william hurt