Susan Hated Literature

Today, as I was ensuring I didn’t have to lug three tonnes worth of glossy publications and leaflets^[1] by hand, I got the the bus to work. Okay, I’ll admit it. I usually get the bus to work. But I’ve been prety good recently about walking home. As I was saying, as I was getting the bus a fine and upstanding member of Garda Siochana pulled us over.

See, the was a bus already picking up passengers at the stop at the top of O’Connell St., so our bus driver pulled in behind and let the people get on. Only this very fine member of the Traffic Corp didn’t like this. And proceeded to tell him to pull in and then ticketed the the bus driver.

Honestly. What a load of crap. Especially seeing as he wasn’t stopping anywhere that he wouldn’t have been stopping anyways. I mean that he would have had to wait behind the other bus in any case, so he wasn’t causing any more of an obstruction to the rest of the traffic than he should have been. Fussy cops.

But as we sat, watching the lights change from green to red to green to red, as the garda wrote out his ticket, this crazy woman came along and asked the bus driver if he’d be so good as to open the door so she could hop off and grab and Metro while we waited. Was she insane? The bus driver gets a ticket for stopping a few feet short of where he should do, god only knows what the cop woulda done if he’d opened the doors again between stops and let some get on and off! The horror of it all.

Anyone use Google Reader? Isn’t the new layout very snazzy altogether? Must start learning those shortcuts so I never have to use the mouse again

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Dir: Adam McKay
Writ: Will Ferrell & Adam Mckay

• Will Ferrell - Ricky Bobby
• John C. Reilly - Cal Naughton, Jr.
• Gary Cole - Reese Bobby
• Sacha Baron Cohen - Jean Girrard

Ricky Bobby, born in a speeding car, wants nothing more out of life than to go fast. That, and win. Because if you aren’t first, you’re last. As his daddy told him the one time he turned up in his life. And as a winning NASCAR driver he seems to have a pretty good life. He wins, has plenty of money, two obnoxious kids with the genius names of Walker, and Texas Ranger, a beautiful wife, and the ability to go fast all he wants.

But then things begin to go wrong, as Jean Girrad, an F1 driver turns up on the circut. Ricky crashes his car, and all of a sudden begins to feel the fear. He loses his drive, his wife, his desire to go fast. And its all fun and games when his father shows up trying to help him out, in his own drunken bum with a heart of stone way.

Overall it is an entertaining enough film, with a fair few laughs, but it isn’t the genius that was Anchorman and a few of the laughs fall flat. Still, worth watching if you’ve nothing better to do.

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Author: Louis De Bernières
ISBN: 0099478986
DDC: 823.914

The people who remained in this place have often asked themselves why it was that Ibrahim went mad. I am the only one who knows, but I have always been committed to silence, because he begged me to respect his grief, or, as he also put it, to take pity upon his guilt.

I’m not really sure where to start with this review, because this book covers so much. It is set in a small village in Anatolia, in the finaly few years of the Ottoman Empire, just before the forced separation of Turks from Greeks, and Muslims from Christian. There are a multitude of characters, sometimes they tell their own stories in first person narration, other times a third person narrator details their lives as they intertwine and grow apart.

Continue Reading »

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Dir: Stephen Frears
Writ: Peter Morgan

• Helen Mirren - HM Queen Elizabeth II
• Michael Sheen - Tony Blair
• James Cromwell - Prince Philip
• Sylvia Syms - HM The Queen Mother
• Paul Barrett - Trevor Rees-Jones
• Helen McCrory - Cherie Blair

This is an odd sort of film. Parts of it are very good, but other parts, well I just don’t think they work. The film is mostly set in the few days surrounding the death of Diana, as the British public went into public mourning over the “People’s Princess” while the Royal Family seemed to remain aloof and distant. Thereby earning a lot of criticism from their subjects.

Maybe my main problem with the film was that I never understood the huge out pourings of grief over Diana, and I really don’t get why she still manages to sell papers, almost 10 years after her death. The hundreds of thousands of people who went into the streets in tears didn’t know her at all, yet her death still impacted hugely on them. And the Queen of England didn’t appear to get it either. Prefering to stay in Balmoral with the family, dealing with the family’s grief in private. In a dignified manner.

And Helen Mirren does a good job at portraying this woman raised to be dignified and in control. Raised in a different generation so that to some she appears cold-hearted and distant. The rest of the casting I wasn’t so impressed with. James Cromwell is too dignified to really excel as Prince Phillip, although on occasion he does get it right. While many of the other actors looked to similar to the characters they were portraying and so came across more as a skit show rather than as actors. And I wouldn’t be happy if I was Cherie Blair as written for this film.

Also the fact that “the boys” were never shown was a bit of a mistake from the story’s perspective, although I can see why the film makers would want to respect the privacy of William and whatever the other one is called. And I suppose you could argue that the film is about the Queen, not the family, but it didin’t really work for me.

Overall I felt the film was effective in parts, especially in its mixing real footage of the time, but it just didn’t work as a whole. As a character study of the Queen, yes. But apart from that it wasn’t great, maybe because instead of characters we got imitations of the other main players.

Or then again, maybe it is just the fact that I really don’t seen the point in having a monarchy at all, and that political opinion coloured my interpretation of the film.

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Write & Dir: Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor

• Jason Statham - Chev Chelios
• Amy Smart - Eve
• Efren Ramirez - Kaylo
• Jose Pablo CantilloVerona
• Francis Capra - Badguy on roof

If you are ever in the mood for some mindless entertainment, then I can wholeheartedly recommend Crank. You can switch your brain off quite easily and enjoy. Come to think about it, it is probably best to switch your brain off, because the plot makes little sense. Switch any morals or ethics off as well, because there is no need for them.

Statham seems to have developed into quite the mindless action hero, and he does a pretty good job, running through the streets, driving like a mad man, pulling any stunt in an attempt to keep his adrenaline pumping.

His character, Chev has been poisoned you see, by some weird Chinese synthetic substance. But he can stay alive for a little while because adrenalin prevents the poison from bonding with his blood and killing him. yeah, enough of the pseudo-science, because that is all so not the point. The point is action, action and more action.

And the film delivers. Action is what you get. Action in the form of violence and the odd bit of sex.

If you are looking for a good film, this probably isn’t your cup of tea, but if you just want to switch off and be entertained by something you know is pointless and ridiculous then this is one to watch.

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I really love this sorta weather. Sunny, but a little on the cold side^[1] When I headed out this morning I could actually feel the chill in the air. Autumn weather, when dry, is great.

And look, Paul O’Connell^[2] has been named captain of Munster. I’ve a great grá for Paul, so yet another reason this is a happy day. But Anthony Foley has been named as vice-captain, and I’m sure that he’ll end up playing as captain on numerous occasions as Paul’ll won’t play all the matches. Ronan O’Gara has also been named as vice-captain.

I’m almost regretting my decision to go home this weekend, as we don’t have Setanta Sports in Sligo, and so I won’t be able to watch Munster V Ulster. This is the first weekend that all the international players will be back playing so it should be a good game.

I was watching C4’s BodyShock programme last night. All about how doctors are killing people to save them. Well freezing them so that they appear dead and their metabolic rates drop so that they can operate on their brains. It was all very interesting, but yer man who was being operated on obviously came from a fairly religious family, and kept saying things like God would help him, and his belief and faith would carry him through. And that got me thinking.

Supposing for a moment that the Christian god exists and all that, does this fella then believe that god will only look out for people who have faith and belief in him? I’m not saying he shouldn’t believe, or that he shouldn’t pray, and i’m not suggesting he shouldn’t believe that god helps him, it was just the way he phrased it. God helped him, not because god is good and helps people, but because this dude believes and has faith. And there was me thinking you weren’t supposed to bargain with god, or put “the Lord your God to the test”?

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Dir: Alfonso Cuarón
Writ: Alfonso Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, & Hawk Ostby
Based on the novel by P.D. James

• Clive Owen - Theodore Faron
• Julianne Moore - Julian Taylor
• Michael Caine - Jasper
• Chiwetel Ejiofor - Luke
• Charlie Hunnam - Patric
• Claire-Hope Ashitey - Kee

In a previous review at some stage I mentioned that I’m quite a fan of Clive Owen’s. Not in “omg he’s lovely� sort of a way, but in a “he’s a good actor� sort of a way. And he is often in interesting films. Course, he is also in some terrible films, but you win some you lose some.

This may be the first film where he actually lives up to what I’ve always thought he could do, because he is perfect as Theo. Cynical, slightly depressed and weary of life, but he also has flashes of humour and a definite personality.

Theo used to be an activist, that is where he met his wife Julian. But his son died in when flu swept across the country, he and his wife divorced. Not only that, but there is also the fact that no more babies are being born. The human race is dying out. And without the hope that new life brings societies are being ripped apart in violence and chaos.

Only England still stands. Or so the English government adverts would have you believe. But at a high price. Terrorism is common. Suicide kits are advertised everywhere. And every immigrant is illegal. Sheltering, feeding or helping an immigrant in any way is also a crime.

Owen is perfect in his role as everyman turned possible hero in this dystopian England of 2027. And the film itself is very entertaining. In certain situations it isn’t at all subtle. Images of Bexhill, the refugee camp echo the images of torture Abu Ghraib. Images of London mourning the death of “the world’s youngest inhabitant� are strikingly similar to those from around the time of Diana’s death.

But that is the point. To point out the possible future by showing us a reflection of the present.

It also manages to blend the bleakness and darkness of this fascist regime with the odd bit of humour. Michael Caine’s character of Jasper is a perfect example. And the surreal aspect of Theo’s minister cousin going around the world, saving great works of art from destruction, despite the fact that in 40 or so years time there won’t be anyone left to appreciate them.

It does get a little obvious, and there are attempts to hit hard with the emotion, but I think it works. Mainly because it is balanced by the fact that the sentiment doesn’t really win out. There are also a few surprising deaths along the way. Always a good thing.

It also looks great, but we knew from Cuarán’s work on Harry Potter that he could make a scene look fantastic. Overall, well worth the watch.

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