BOOKS
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LENNY BRUCE!! by Albert Goldman (based on the journalism of Laurence Schiller) Written 10 years after his death in 1967, its post-hippy style has since gone out of fashion, but this remains a fascinating and detailed insight into the great improvisational comedian whose irreverent style of political commentary inspired some of the best known comedians that came after him: Bill Hicks and Dennis Leary in the States, and at home Billy Connelly and Ross Noble. A wild ride, suitable for the untamed, doomed genius Lenny was.
HOLLYWOOD'S BABYLON WOMEN, by John Austin. In a rather carelessly written book, there is nonetheless much intriguing detail on the demise of such stars as Natalie Wood, Carole Landis, Lupe Velez, and, especially interesting for me, Inger Stevens. Austin uses the word "oligarchy" several times to describe the Hollywood establishment, who are more interested in preserving their box office takings than revealing the often tawdry truth. These days of course the word is inseparable from the likes of Putin and Abramovich...
FILMS
THE WRECKING CREW (1967)D- Phil Karlson. Dean Martin is Matt Helm, secret agent and lady's man. Truly appalling essay in sexism and poor taste. Martin leers and croons tunelessly in almost every scene. Even the sultry Elke Sommer, sheathed in clingy outfits, fails to save this bomb. Typical lines:
Colleague (indicating Sommer): "That's his girlfriend."
Helm: "I like his style."
Colleague: "Be careful, Matt. She may look beautiful, but she has a bite like a barracuda!"
Helm: "I really like his style!"
PAUL (2010)D- Greg Mottola. 2 British nerds discover an alien escaping from Area 51. Hilarity ensues. Or does it? I like "Fregg", or "Prost" (you choose) a lot, but here they have over-reached themselves and made a film that just isn't funny enough. The main problem is Paul himself, the alien who seems to be less from outer space than the lower east side of Manhattan. Despite other good characters, the film fails because a believable identity for Paul is never found.
RANGO (2011) D-Gore Verbinsky. In a variation on the Grimm fairy tale "The Brave Little Tailor", an chameleon (well voiced by Johnny Depp) kills the local villain (an eagle) by pure accident and becomes a hero. Anthropomorphising aside, this is actually a pretty good effort.
LA TERRA TREMA (1948) D-Luchino Visconti. In post war Italy, poor fishermen struggle to free themselves from the exploitation of the wholesalers. This moving and beautiful, if tragic, film attracted the ire of critics from the left who considered it "overly interested in aesthetics". What bollocks. Visconti is an artist: are they asking him to make a film that isn't a work of art? Strikes me those critics should stick to politics, and leave the movie making to people who know what they're doing.
BLACK GOD, WHITE DEVIL (1964) D- Glauber Rocha. In pre-revolutionary Brazil, a group of uncompromising rebels fight for justice. Set in the devastated landscape of north-eastern Brazil, the mood is unremittingly bleak, as terrible deeds are done in the name of freedom. Recommended, but steel yourself for a grim ride...
OSSESSIONE (1943) D- L Visconti. The original "Postman Always Rings Twice", but with more style and panache than the 2 subsequent Hollywood remakes put together. One of Visconti's best.
127 HOURS (2011) An overconfident young man is rock climbing when he falls into a ravine and his hand is wedged behind a boulder which has fallen with him. Slowly he realises he will die of thirst unless... Terrific, deceptively simple account of a true story about the dangers of hubris.
THE BARBER OF SIBERIA (1998) D- George Malekov. A somewhat reluctant soldier makes his painful way through officer training in fin de siecle Russia. One of those lavish, multinational productions which looks wonderful on the screen, but which lacks pace and dynamism. There are just 2 stunning scenes in its 3 hours: when our hero goes berserk and attacks his fellow officers, and when the "Barber of Siberia" a terrible behemoth of a machine meant to automate the process of tree-felling, runs amock and panics the local villagers. Otherwise, the film drags and drags.
HEROES FOR SALE (1932) D- William Wellman. A shell-shocked soldier returns from the trenches and seeks solace in opium. Later he gets his act together and makes a fortune, only to lose it again... Fine film by one of the giants of early Hollywood, banned because of its drug references.
WILD BOYS OF THE ROAD (1933) D-William Wellman. In depression hit America, a bunch of impoverished street kids decide anywhere's better than where they are, and take to riding the rails to find food and work. Once again Wellmann's gritty, realistic touches were too much for the censors who banned this humane and powerful film.
THE ARTIST (2011) D-Michael Haganacius. A fading silent movie star is redeemed by a younger starlet on the rise. A marvellously inventive film, and, something very unusual, a true otiginal. Just when you thought the movie industry was getting tired, something like this comes along, and you can forgive them almost anything...
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Okedoke Djoki
Oh I say! I hope Dan Maskell was watching from on high today as Nole (as he is known) came through to beat Nadal in the final of the Australian Open. When he faced Andy Murray on Friday, the plucky Scot, playing as well as I've ever seen him, pushed him all the way to the foundations of his being to mine the will he needed to emerge victorious.
Today also, he was forced to dig deeper than ever before to summon the will to win. It's all about this at the highest level. All of the World's top 4 players are supremely talented men at the peak of their athletic prowess. Ultimately it is only the will that separates them.
I feel privileged to be living at a time when so many of history's great exponents are playing at the same time. And what of Murray? After his performance on Friday, even though he lost, I still don't rule him out of winning a Grand Slam tournament one day. Maybe soon...
Today also, he was forced to dig deeper than ever before to summon the will to win. It's all about this at the highest level. All of the World's top 4 players are supremely talented men at the peak of their athletic prowess. Ultimately it is only the will that separates them.
I feel privileged to be living at a time when so many of history's great exponents are playing at the same time. And what of Murray? After his performance on Friday, even though he lost, I still don't rule him out of winning a Grand Slam tournament one day. Maybe soon...
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Pelagius is almost famous
Last week our local rag ran a follow-up article on my recycling of street waste project. Only a quarter page, with a photo so small you can barely make out my face, in a journal with a 75,000 readership is scarcely Pulitzer prize stuff, but it is more column inches.
With the help of a friend I am beginning to uncover the reasons for the Council's failure to recycle waste retrieved by the street cleaners. Turns out it's a complicated job to change their working practices. The unions would have to be involved; job descriptions would have to be re-drawn, plus there is the inertia of what they refer to as the "culture" of the workers involved. But as one friend pointed out, the Council is very keen to have the public change its ways, recently increasing the green sack collections from fortnightly to weekly, for instance, but they are clearly much less anxious to change their own ways. This, as they say, ain't over.
BLS UPDATE.
BLS stands for Basic Life Support and the local health authority insists all members of the general practices, doctors included, must attend a 90 minute session annually to refresh their resuscitation skills. Now my Alzheimer's not yet having kicked in big time, I can still recall the details of the course last January fairly well. But the hook is that every year the organisers of the courses tinker with the protocols ever so slightly so we "need" to attend to apprise ourselves of these updates. This can be seen from the latest media campaign fronted by Vinny Jones, which discourages people from deploying mouth-to-mouth breathing,standard received wisdom until this year, presumably on the grounds that surveys have shown that most people would find such a practice so distasteful they'd really rather the victim died than expose themselves to the horror of applying their lips to those of an unknown person.
It's bollocks really. Whether on the street or in hospital, success rates of resuscitation hover around 10%, which I'm sure is an overestimate. When people have a cardiac arrest they're kind of, very ill, usually beyond the help of anything other than divine intervention to bring them through. When it's your time, it's your time...
With the help of a friend I am beginning to uncover the reasons for the Council's failure to recycle waste retrieved by the street cleaners. Turns out it's a complicated job to change their working practices. The unions would have to be involved; job descriptions would have to be re-drawn, plus there is the inertia of what they refer to as the "culture" of the workers involved. But as one friend pointed out, the Council is very keen to have the public change its ways, recently increasing the green sack collections from fortnightly to weekly, for instance, but they are clearly much less anxious to change their own ways. This, as they say, ain't over.
BLS UPDATE.
BLS stands for Basic Life Support and the local health authority insists all members of the general practices, doctors included, must attend a 90 minute session annually to refresh their resuscitation skills. Now my Alzheimer's not yet having kicked in big time, I can still recall the details of the course last January fairly well. But the hook is that every year the organisers of the courses tinker with the protocols ever so slightly so we "need" to attend to apprise ourselves of these updates. This can be seen from the latest media campaign fronted by Vinny Jones, which discourages people from deploying mouth-to-mouth breathing,standard received wisdom until this year, presumably on the grounds that surveys have shown that most people would find such a practice so distasteful they'd really rather the victim died than expose themselves to the horror of applying their lips to those of an unknown person.
It's bollocks really. Whether on the street or in hospital, success rates of resuscitation hover around 10%, which I'm sure is an overestimate. When people have a cardiac arrest they're kind of, very ill, usually beyond the help of anything other than divine intervention to bring them through. When it's your time, it's your time...
Saturday, 21 January 2012
play fair, play dirty
COMMENT
Mr and Mrs Cooper will have doubtless drawn the scorn of millions down on them when it emerged yesterday they had concealed the sex of their child, Sasha. On the face of it it did seem a barmy idea, but listening to Sasha's dad on the radio today it turns out they were not crazy at all, rather they sought simply to avoid the usual boring stereotypes that would have been forced upon their son. Some pundit was also wheeled out who was worried he might face problems in his adult life because he would have been ill equipped with the sort of manly traits found so attractive in a prospective mate. Bollocks. Not all women want the "he-man" type; indeed, many find that sort of man repellent. I have several "feminine" aspects to my personality, and if anything it actually enhanced my appeal to women, and I doubt I'm alone.
I never thought in my wildest fantasies I could feel sorry for a right-wing plonker like Newt Gingrich. I was wrong. This week, in a despicable smear campaign, his opponents for the republican nomination for presidential candidate let it be known he had asked his wife for an "open marriage", whatever that is. What this has to do with suitability for the White House is unclear, but what is clear that the American right will stoop to any, and I mean any, depth to win. Remember when John McCain was up against George Bush in the nomination race in 2000? Then the other side claimed he (McCain) had fathered a black child out of wedlock. The rumours are believed by some to have cost him the nomination. In fact he and his wife had adopted a baby from Bangladesh. Cute, huh?
The only good thing about the race this year is that without any really compelling candidate emerging from the republicans this year, it looks good for Obama to win a second term. True, he ain't as wonderful as we were hoping he was going to be, but he's a fuck of a sight better than anyone else out there.
Mr and Mrs Cooper will have doubtless drawn the scorn of millions down on them when it emerged yesterday they had concealed the sex of their child, Sasha. On the face of it it did seem a barmy idea, but listening to Sasha's dad on the radio today it turns out they were not crazy at all, rather they sought simply to avoid the usual boring stereotypes that would have been forced upon their son. Some pundit was also wheeled out who was worried he might face problems in his adult life because he would have been ill equipped with the sort of manly traits found so attractive in a prospective mate. Bollocks. Not all women want the "he-man" type; indeed, many find that sort of man repellent. I have several "feminine" aspects to my personality, and if anything it actually enhanced my appeal to women, and I doubt I'm alone.
I never thought in my wildest fantasies I could feel sorry for a right-wing plonker like Newt Gingrich. I was wrong. This week, in a despicable smear campaign, his opponents for the republican nomination for presidential candidate let it be known he had asked his wife for an "open marriage", whatever that is. What this has to do with suitability for the White House is unclear, but what is clear that the American right will stoop to any, and I mean any, depth to win. Remember when John McCain was up against George Bush in the nomination race in 2000? Then the other side claimed he (McCain) had fathered a black child out of wedlock. The rumours are believed by some to have cost him the nomination. In fact he and his wife had adopted a baby from Bangladesh. Cute, huh?
The only good thing about the race this year is that without any really compelling candidate emerging from the republicans this year, it looks good for Obama to win a second term. True, he ain't as wonderful as we were hoping he was going to be, but he's a fuck of a sight better than anyone else out there.
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Pelagius retored to posterity
The other day I noticed my new senior partner had ordered new letterheading- sans my name. It felt a bit strange being written out of history like this. I know I retired last year, but I am still a partner, albeit a lowly salaried one. Last year I worked nearly 150 sessions for the practice, plus many patients have expressed great relief that I have not bowed out of the practice altogether, which eventuality would have resulted in their leaving the practice for pastures new.
So I wrote my partner expressing in very carefully chosen words my desire to be included on the letterheading, even if in lower casing than the full partners. Yesterday she conceded she may have committed an oversight and will include my name on the next batch. Result!
Today I went out and scored a tiny safe for use by my mum's carers. Another step in acknowledging my mum's increasing mental disability, it was not an easy thing to do. But we have already been down this rod with my FiL, who, incidentally, has now taken to peeing, not just in our kitchen on Christmas Day (qv) but almost anywhere when the feeling strikes him, including right in front of his carers. They, to their credit, remain sanguine about the whole thing. I take my hat off to them.
So I wrote my partner expressing in very carefully chosen words my desire to be included on the letterheading, even if in lower casing than the full partners. Yesterday she conceded she may have committed an oversight and will include my name on the next batch. Result!
Today I went out and scored a tiny safe for use by my mum's carers. Another step in acknowledging my mum's increasing mental disability, it was not an easy thing to do. But we have already been down this rod with my FiL, who, incidentally, has now taken to peeing, not just in our kitchen on Christmas Day (qv) but almost anywhere when the feeling strikes him, including right in front of his carers. They, to their credit, remain sanguine about the whole thing. I take my hat off to them.
Saturday, 14 January 2012
Attack of the flesh eating ladybirds
Ladybirds. Cute little critters aren't they? With their divine red-and-black markings and those little wings they keep so neatly sheathed behind a protective shield. However, it's gone too far in our house. A community of the little buggers have ensconced themselves in the ageing wooden frames of the windows in our bedroom. From which they sally in increasing numbers, wandering over everything in their search for a food source. Ladybirds are pretty much omnivorous, meaning they will eat virtually any organic matter, including you, if they could. Of course they're not really dangerous, but in times of famine they can land on you and give you a tiny nip. This is quite disconcerting if it happens to you in bed, as it did to me only last night, before unsheathing its little wings and flitting off to the end of the bed where it disappeared.
Perhaps we should be grateful. In 1995, due to a perfect sequence of weather conditions, several parts of Britain experienced ladybird "plagues". We were holidaying in Rhyl when they descended on the town, literally clouds of them, swirling around in a fresh breeze. At some places along the pavements there were small "ladybird drifts" accumulating around obstacles.
Meanwhile, what do we do now? Call the 24 hour ladybird hotline? Or Larry's Big Bug Killer Inc? Help us somebody!
Perhaps we should be grateful. In 1995, due to a perfect sequence of weather conditions, several parts of Britain experienced ladybird "plagues". We were holidaying in Rhyl when they descended on the town, literally clouds of them, swirling around in a fresh breeze. At some places along the pavements there were small "ladybird drifts" accumulating around obstacles.
Meanwhile, what do we do now? Call the 24 hour ladybird hotline? Or Larry's Big Bug Killer Inc? Help us somebody!
Thursday, 12 January 2012
Did you see
Richard Desmond at the the Leveson Inquiry yesterday? Illuminating. The proprietor of the Express newspaper group, as well as being a big player in the porno market was asked his views on press freedom. In replying, he revealed an intellectual poverty and a level of unscrupulousness that was breathtaking. Asked about ethics he claimed not to know what the word meant. It was pretty obvious to everyone that he knew what it meant all right, the idea just never entered into his calculations. Like the execrable Kelvin McKenzie before him, he was of the view that if there's a story it should be published, regardless of any moral considerations.
Worst of all, when quizzed about his paper's peddling of the idea that the McCanns were responsible for their child's death, he had the gall to suggest they were happy to go along with the coverage because it as keeping coverage of their disappearance on the front page, and that they only decided to sue (which they did, securing a half mil in settlement) when they engaged Carter-Fuck, the famous firm of libel lawyers. Really? They were perfectly happy to read day after day that Maddie was dead, and that they had murdered her?
I did find myself agreeing with him at one point though. He felt the PCC was a useless, toothless institution, run by people who hated his guts. He's right there of course. The chair of the PCC is none other than Paul Dacre, owner of the Mail group, Desmond's biggest rivals.
Desmond, like other editors we have seen, came over as a repugnant little spiv whose only interest is turning a healthy profit. He might just have easily said:
"Ethics? Fuck ethics. Just give me the fucking money. I've got an obscene lifestyle to finance."
Worst of all, when quizzed about his paper's peddling of the idea that the McCanns were responsible for their child's death, he had the gall to suggest they were happy to go along with the coverage because it as keeping coverage of their disappearance on the front page, and that they only decided to sue (which they did, securing a half mil in settlement) when they engaged Carter-Fuck, the famous firm of libel lawyers. Really? They were perfectly happy to read day after day that Maddie was dead, and that they had murdered her?
I did find myself agreeing with him at one point though. He felt the PCC was a useless, toothless institution, run by people who hated his guts. He's right there of course. The chair of the PCC is none other than Paul Dacre, owner of the Mail group, Desmond's biggest rivals.
Desmond, like other editors we have seen, came over as a repugnant little spiv whose only interest is turning a healthy profit. He might just have easily said:
"Ethics? Fuck ethics. Just give me the fucking money. I've got an obscene lifestyle to finance."
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Pelagius rants
As a birthday treat, my wife arranged a 2 day stay in my alma mater, viz, Liverpool. I have not been back there since 1975. Obviously a lot has changed; the docks have disappeared, replaced by the Albert Dock development, all shiny new museums like the Tate and restaurants by the scroe, just like Bristol and Cardiff, in faot. Other things though remain satisfyingly as they were: the medical school looked no different, and the Philharmonic pub, my favourite watering hole, was exactly as I remember it, still featuring its famous marble latrines; still providing an irresistible attraction for females wishing for a peek, despite the possibility of encountering a gentleman using the facilities in a manner commensurate with its design.
RANT 1: BOOB JOB BOO-BOO
50,000 plus women find themselves in the unenviable position of discovering their implants were made to absolute minimum standards and are now beginning to fail. The issue of who is going to pay to have them removed and replaced is now a hot issue. For my part I believe the private clinics who fitted them should be responsible though the fact that HMG has suggested they have a "moral responsibility" will not cut much ice with these consummate rip-off artists. They didn't become fabulously rich by doing the right thing; they got fabulously rich by persuading thousands of women they needed the damn things in the first place.
And I have to say this: what of these women, who allowed themselves to be persuaded by a chauvinistic male population: do they not also bear a heavy responsibility for playing into the hands of the men? Don't they realise that an awful lot of us are not that shallow? The extraordinary boom in boob jobs shows how far the feminist movement has got to go. Speaking personally, I am as interested in breasts as much as the next red-blooded heterosexual male, though in fact I prefer a more streamlined superstructure to the pneumatic, obviously enhanced variety, and I suspect I'm not alone. Shame on you women for allowing yourselves to be manipulated so!
RANT 2: PALTROW SCHMATROW
Gwyneth Paltrow has had some very good press lately as the most "meaningful" woman in Hollywood. She's just published her own cookery book, though someone worked out how much her recipe for brownies would cost: about the same as buying them as Fortnum and Masons. She recently advertised for a nanny, stating her requirements: they should be "classically trained" (whatever that means) to speak at least three languages, including preferably Mandarin, and should have a keen interest in Tennis and marshal arts.
On hearing this, my wife pointed out that it should be easy to get a rep as a great mum with such a multi-talented nanny- they could even help the kids with their homework, thereby avoiding those unpleasant little scenes that arise when you try to do that yourself. Good luck, Gwynie- I'm sure there'll be no shortage of applicants for such a great job!
RANT 1: BOOB JOB BOO-BOO
50,000 plus women find themselves in the unenviable position of discovering their implants were made to absolute minimum standards and are now beginning to fail. The issue of who is going to pay to have them removed and replaced is now a hot issue. For my part I believe the private clinics who fitted them should be responsible though the fact that HMG has suggested they have a "moral responsibility" will not cut much ice with these consummate rip-off artists. They didn't become fabulously rich by doing the right thing; they got fabulously rich by persuading thousands of women they needed the damn things in the first place.
And I have to say this: what of these women, who allowed themselves to be persuaded by a chauvinistic male population: do they not also bear a heavy responsibility for playing into the hands of the men? Don't they realise that an awful lot of us are not that shallow? The extraordinary boom in boob jobs shows how far the feminist movement has got to go. Speaking personally, I am as interested in breasts as much as the next red-blooded heterosexual male, though in fact I prefer a more streamlined superstructure to the pneumatic, obviously enhanced variety, and I suspect I'm not alone. Shame on you women for allowing yourselves to be manipulated so!
RANT 2: PALTROW SCHMATROW
Gwyneth Paltrow has had some very good press lately as the most "meaningful" woman in Hollywood. She's just published her own cookery book, though someone worked out how much her recipe for brownies would cost: about the same as buying them as Fortnum and Masons. She recently advertised for a nanny, stating her requirements: they should be "classically trained" (whatever that means) to speak at least three languages, including preferably Mandarin, and should have a keen interest in Tennis and marshal arts.
On hearing this, my wife pointed out that it should be easy to get a rep as a great mum with such a multi-talented nanny- they could even help the kids with their homework, thereby avoiding those unpleasant little scenes that arise when you try to do that yourself. Good luck, Gwynie- I'm sure there'll be no shortage of applicants for such a great job!
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
December book and film review
BOOKS
THE PICKUP, by Nadine Gordimer. Spoilt South African white girl picks up illegal immigrant Arab. Worlds collide... Nadine Gordimer's unique style of prose comes over as a blend of poetry and song as she weaves her delightfully constructed tale of love amidst the clash of ancient cultures. Brilliant.
THE CARDIFF TRILOGY, by John Williams. Three books, "Five pubs, Two Bars and a Nightclub", "Cardiff Dead" and "The Prince of Wales"- all charting the progress of a collection of low-lives who nonetheless have their intriguing, some times hilarious and occasionally heart-rending stories to tell. John Williams' earthy style paints the pictures graphically but with great panache. Recommended, especially if you know that teeming, cosmopolitan capital which takes centre stage in each story.
FILMS
UP, (2009) D-Pete Docter. Yet another success from the Pixar stable, this time telling the story of an old man trying to realise the dream he and his late wife nurtured. As always there is a villain to be vanquished, and fascinating characters to meet along the way. Wonderful for a ten year old; pretty good for any whimsically minded adult too.
THE FIGHTER (2010) D-David O Russell. One of the very best from 2010, securing a richly deserved Oscar for best supporting actor for Christian Bale as older brother to his contender-sibling Mark Wahlberg. His intentions to bring him to the championship of the World are good, but life and drugs intervene. Represents what Hollywood movie making at its best can achieve. Superb.
THE INVENTION OF LYING (2009) W-D Ricky Gervais. In a world where it has never occurred to anyone to tell a lie, Ricky comforts his dying mum with the promise of an afterlife. He is overheard, and overnight becomes world famous as the man who discovered Heaven. An interesting idea. In fact on reflection this actually indicates how religions started in the first place: someone comes along saying they have been in direct contact with God and other people believe him. Both inventive and highly amusing.
BABY FACE (1933) D-Alfred E Green. Barbara Stanwyck sleeps her way to the top, quite literally in this case as she gradually ascend from floor to floor in a huge Art-Deco office block in New York. Banned by Joe Breen following the introduction of the Hays code, for its cynical, if not totally unrealistic portrayal of a ruthlessly ambitious woman.
l'APPARTEMENT (1996) D-Giller Mionouni. A young man is in love with an aspiring actress playing a role in a stage production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", not appreciating that the plot of his life and hers is actually matching the plot of the great play. Entertaining, if limited French effort.
BOMBSHELL (1933) D- Victor Fleming. Hollywood star Jean Harlow is exploited by unscrupulous agent Lee Tracy (who has to be one of the most annoying characters in 1930s Hollywood; he never stops talking and it's all lies) but Harlow carries the day. Best line:
Director: "Get her on the set right away. And tell her to lose the brassiere."
THE DIVORCEE ((1931) D- Robert Z Leonard. Norma Shearer gets married, it all goes wrong and she leaves her husband to become a good-time girl. Too much for the censors who banned it for its honest portrayal of a certain kind of woman in the early thirties.
THE FREE SOUL (1930)D-Clarence Brown. Norma Shearer won the Oscar for best actress in this portrayal of a woman determined to live her life the way she wants despite the moral constraints of her day. 3 years later Joe Breen banned it on the grounds it would deprave and corrupt American youth. What a load. It's actually a fine film, with a splendid cast including Lionel Barrymore and Clark Gable and great production values throughout. But that's America for you...
THREE ON A MATCH (1932) D-Mervyn Leroy. Three girls grow up in an orphanage, then as they grow up their lives diverge, then converge again as one, the gorgeous Ann Dvorak, becomes involved with the mob. Striking movie, with its climax still capable of shocking 80 years after it was made. More than noteworthy.
"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED" LIST
If you hate lists, you might want to miss this bit. I have compiled a list of seven books and thirteen films I have encountered this year I would regard as worthy of recommending to anyone interested in the respective genres:
BOOKS
Middlemarch
The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Song of Rowland
Augustus John (biography)
Heart of Darkness
The Pickup
FILMS
Election
The King's Speech
Hot Fuzz
The Grave of the Fireflies
Coming Home
The Killers (1946)
The Virgin Spring
Funny Games
Winter's Bone
Vivre sa Vie
Inception
Day of Wrath
The Fighter
Enjoy!
THE PICKUP, by Nadine Gordimer. Spoilt South African white girl picks up illegal immigrant Arab. Worlds collide... Nadine Gordimer's unique style of prose comes over as a blend of poetry and song as she weaves her delightfully constructed tale of love amidst the clash of ancient cultures. Brilliant.
THE CARDIFF TRILOGY, by John Williams. Three books, "Five pubs, Two Bars and a Nightclub", "Cardiff Dead" and "The Prince of Wales"- all charting the progress of a collection of low-lives who nonetheless have their intriguing, some times hilarious and occasionally heart-rending stories to tell. John Williams' earthy style paints the pictures graphically but with great panache. Recommended, especially if you know that teeming, cosmopolitan capital which takes centre stage in each story.
FILMS
UP, (2009) D-Pete Docter. Yet another success from the Pixar stable, this time telling the story of an old man trying to realise the dream he and his late wife nurtured. As always there is a villain to be vanquished, and fascinating characters to meet along the way. Wonderful for a ten year old; pretty good for any whimsically minded adult too.
THE FIGHTER (2010) D-David O Russell. One of the very best from 2010, securing a richly deserved Oscar for best supporting actor for Christian Bale as older brother to his contender-sibling Mark Wahlberg. His intentions to bring him to the championship of the World are good, but life and drugs intervene. Represents what Hollywood movie making at its best can achieve. Superb.
THE INVENTION OF LYING (2009) W-D Ricky Gervais. In a world where it has never occurred to anyone to tell a lie, Ricky comforts his dying mum with the promise of an afterlife. He is overheard, and overnight becomes world famous as the man who discovered Heaven. An interesting idea. In fact on reflection this actually indicates how religions started in the first place: someone comes along saying they have been in direct contact with God and other people believe him. Both inventive and highly amusing.
BABY FACE (1933) D-Alfred E Green. Barbara Stanwyck sleeps her way to the top, quite literally in this case as she gradually ascend from floor to floor in a huge Art-Deco office block in New York. Banned by Joe Breen following the introduction of the Hays code, for its cynical, if not totally unrealistic portrayal of a ruthlessly ambitious woman.
l'APPARTEMENT (1996) D-Giller Mionouni. A young man is in love with an aspiring actress playing a role in a stage production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", not appreciating that the plot of his life and hers is actually matching the plot of the great play. Entertaining, if limited French effort.
BOMBSHELL (1933) D- Victor Fleming. Hollywood star Jean Harlow is exploited by unscrupulous agent Lee Tracy (who has to be one of the most annoying characters in 1930s Hollywood; he never stops talking and it's all lies) but Harlow carries the day. Best line:
Director: "Get her on the set right away. And tell her to lose the brassiere."
THE DIVORCEE ((1931) D- Robert Z Leonard. Norma Shearer gets married, it all goes wrong and she leaves her husband to become a good-time girl. Too much for the censors who banned it for its honest portrayal of a certain kind of woman in the early thirties.
THE FREE SOUL (1930)D-Clarence Brown. Norma Shearer won the Oscar for best actress in this portrayal of a woman determined to live her life the way she wants despite the moral constraints of her day. 3 years later Joe Breen banned it on the grounds it would deprave and corrupt American youth. What a load. It's actually a fine film, with a splendid cast including Lionel Barrymore and Clark Gable and great production values throughout. But that's America for you...
THREE ON A MATCH (1932) D-Mervyn Leroy. Three girls grow up in an orphanage, then as they grow up their lives diverge, then converge again as one, the gorgeous Ann Dvorak, becomes involved with the mob. Striking movie, with its climax still capable of shocking 80 years after it was made. More than noteworthy.
"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED" LIST
If you hate lists, you might want to miss this bit. I have compiled a list of seven books and thirteen films I have encountered this year I would regard as worthy of recommending to anyone interested in the respective genres:
BOOKS
Middlemarch
The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Song of Rowland
Augustus John (biography)
Heart of Darkness
The Pickup
FILMS
Election
The King's Speech
Hot Fuzz
The Grave of the Fireflies
Coming Home
The Killers (1946)
The Virgin Spring
Funny Games
Winter's Bone
Vivre sa Vie
Inception
Day of Wrath
The Fighter
Enjoy!
Sunday, 1 January 2012
doing the janus thing
There is a tradition among diarists, starting with the great Samuel Pepys, to use this day to take general stock of the year passed along with a look ahead to the prospects of the coming year.
Last year I read 42 books (3 fewer than in 2010) and watched 103 films for the first time, which is a personal record (NB: see my blog in the coming days for my book and film review for December- it's gonna be great!) There were other fascinating cultural diversions too, including being host for 3 weeks to a man from Bethlehem- a strange, at times confusing, but always a hugely enjoyable experience.
I wrote about half a dozen short stories, and although I failed to win anything in the short story competition I entered, I still feel they had some merit and were certainly creditable first attempts at the genre. I have also written about 30,000 words of my autobiography, representing about half of the total I intend to write. I should say the first half is not completed. It awaits the critical 3rd draft, where I shall read the words aloud, always an essential part of any editing job. I expect it to be nearing the end of 2012 before the book is in a suitable condition to send to publishers.
I have managed to ward off the depression I feared might overtake me following my retirement at the beginning of last year, keeping myself occupied without placing too much pressure on myself to stay active. My recycling project has kept me quite busy, and I continue to do regular hill walks and sessions with my hand weights. Last year also marked the transformation of my teeth and the grim discovery that I have a difficult-to-treat eye condition which may threaten my vision at some stage down the line. In February I am due to see the corneal specialist who will give me the definitive 411 on the issue.
We have had some good holidays: Malta, Normandy, Budapest and Milan; this year we plan to return to the West Bank, this time by way of Jordan, to add variety.
Finally, in my New Year Resolution list is to follow a trial in Crown Court. I already have one in mind: 2 youths charged with the savage knife murder-for hire of a young man- who was not even their intended target. They are pleading not guilty, and are facing their accusers for a second time, as the first trial collapsed late last year on some technicality. Sounds interesting, non?
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!
Last year I read 42 books (3 fewer than in 2010) and watched 103 films for the first time, which is a personal record (NB: see my blog in the coming days for my book and film review for December- it's gonna be great!) There were other fascinating cultural diversions too, including being host for 3 weeks to a man from Bethlehem- a strange, at times confusing, but always a hugely enjoyable experience.
I wrote about half a dozen short stories, and although I failed to win anything in the short story competition I entered, I still feel they had some merit and were certainly creditable first attempts at the genre. I have also written about 30,000 words of my autobiography, representing about half of the total I intend to write. I should say the first half is not completed. It awaits the critical 3rd draft, where I shall read the words aloud, always an essential part of any editing job. I expect it to be nearing the end of 2012 before the book is in a suitable condition to send to publishers.
I have managed to ward off the depression I feared might overtake me following my retirement at the beginning of last year, keeping myself occupied without placing too much pressure on myself to stay active. My recycling project has kept me quite busy, and I continue to do regular hill walks and sessions with my hand weights. Last year also marked the transformation of my teeth and the grim discovery that I have a difficult-to-treat eye condition which may threaten my vision at some stage down the line. In February I am due to see the corneal specialist who will give me the definitive 411 on the issue.
We have had some good holidays: Malta, Normandy, Budapest and Milan; this year we plan to return to the West Bank, this time by way of Jordan, to add variety.
Finally, in my New Year Resolution list is to follow a trial in Crown Court. I already have one in mind: 2 youths charged with the savage knife murder-for hire of a young man- who was not even their intended target. They are pleading not guilty, and are facing their accusers for a second time, as the first trial collapsed late last year on some technicality. Sounds interesting, non?
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!
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