Yeah, we're at that stage where I can't quite think of anything else to write about, but don't want to jinx the nice weekly thing I've got going here (may have just done that, never mind). Anyway, some more of my £3 for a DVD purchases and thoughts.
FACE/OFF
Remember when this movie was cool? I mean, it was totally worth getting it for all the nostalgia alone. This movie was cool, right? I'm not just imagining that?
HARRY BROWN
Only film I'd paid more than £3 for (it was £5). This is still a powerfully brutal film about a vigilante pensioner. Starring Michael Caine. Does it get better than that?
WINDTALKERS
Next
DAYS OF GLORY
Wasn't too sure about the sudden political message that was rammed at us in the last few scenes, but other than that, bloody good little war movie they've got going on there.
THE WRESTLER
Like all Arronofsky films, it's quite distant, alien and painful to watch at times, but it really does give you a sense of appreciating wrestling, which is pretty good, to be honest.
ROBIN HOOD
Hmmm... reviewed this film already. On second watch I stand by my original statement, story was a bit naff but the world, setting and history were quite rich and I still enjoyed it.
THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA
QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Got to wonder how I'd gone through my life without having seen this film before. It makes you look at Memento, the Matrix and Superman 2 in a whole different light! Great movie.
So yeah, now to talk about... not another movie!
MUGENKYO TAIKO
So yeah, last tuesday, instead of sitting down with my nerds to play D&D, I took my nerds to go and see Mugenkyo, the UK's only professionally touring Taiko Drumming company. This was part of Newbury Spring Festival, which is usually a time for overly posh nitwits to gather at Newbury Corn Exchange and complain about the price of the whine and dabate the qualities of their favourite chellist. I've never had much time for it, but this year I had a look through the programme and saw Mugenkyo and thought 'you know, I bet a whole bunch of my guys would be up for that'.
And up for it they were. Despite some last minute drop outs and us having a few too many tickets, the show was a great night. They started out with a set that was a bit more 'progressive and original', which meant that there were several bits at the beginning where they were walking around slowly with instruments I haven't seen since Year 6 Music and humming loudly, often not in key. This was kinda confusing and felt a bit remeniscent of GCSE Drama, especially the bit with the megaphone, taht was weird, but when they got past that and down into some drumming?
Phenomenal.
The seats we were on (Row A, right at the front), actually vibrated through some of their pieces, the beat and rhythm felt like they were embedded in you. The sheer power of these beautiful instruments was undeniable, the odd grace that comes from percussion was tangible. I can't use enough long words to describe this experience, but it was one well worth having. These guys seriously know what they're doing and I heartily recommend looking them up to see if they're ever performing anywhere near yourself (although they're based in Bonny Scotland).
Kiai!
Next time: IRON SKY
(yeah, I saw it)
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
Have you heard of Wreckamovie?
Well? Have you? Because if you haven't (the four people that actually read my blog), then you probably should have. Wreckamovie is a website that tries to get movie fans and people who think that they can make movies (but don't happen to live in Hollywood or are related to anyone who does) together, so that they can make movies. Or at least try to. Or at least discuss it.
See, Wreckamovie sounds like any other random website of nerds that want to talk more ideas than they have ability to act upon. The thing that makes it different, is that it's worked recently. More than two and a half thousand people got involved in a project that's been in development for the last six years, and it's being released today. Limited release, granted, but it's done.
It's called IRON SKY, and rest assured, I'll be reviewing it pretty soon, just got a few other to get through.
Now, don't get massively excited and sign up right now (although definately check out the website, http://www.wreckamovie.com/), because it takes a lot of hard work, effort, cash and people not being selfish to get anything off the ground. Iron Sky has more than two and a half thousand people supporting it and it took six years to get the thing made.
To be honest, I'll hold more judgement back until I've seen more projects come out of this website. I mean, if you think of the potential that this site can offer, this could undermine the major movie studios and bring film into indepedant hands, the hands of a hundred million movie fans sitting at home with their laptops. Will that happen? Probably not.
But it could. And I'd be interested in seeing it. As the website says, this could be Future of Film.
In other news, my D&D game is going weird, I'm not sure I'm a fan of join DMing, perhaps I'm more of a control freak than I thought, especially when it comes to stories. My housemate wants me to commence writing a script that he's suggested and wants to contribute too... I'm willing to give it a shot, but how well do I play with others?
Anyway.
AVENGERS
ASSEMBLE
Well, what can I say? I mean, we've been waiting about five years for this, since that last scene in Iron Man 1 back in 2008. Since then, Robert Downy Jr. has had two outings as the man in the Red and Gold Metal suit, Edward Norton made a Hulk Movie that shouldn't neccessarily be counted in the cannon, a pair of overly handsome men called Chris were given a Hammer and a Shield respectively, and now they're all here together.
Is it good? Is it up to the hype? I can sum it up in one sentence.
This film is *exactly* what we were promised. No more, no less.
I don't want to rant too much about it, because I don't want to ruin it for anyone. I don't want to praise it too highly, because it's not a perfect film, there's a very basic story that's pretty much taken straight from The Ultimates and it's in 3D (and you know how I feel about 3D). But you know what I mean by that sentence back up there?
This movie is FUN.
This movie is so much fun, that I went to see it twice, and the second time I even went alone (and I hate going alone to the movies). If you've ever seen a superhero movie, especially one of the five that came before this one, then you owe it to yourself to see this film. It may not be film of the year, it may not be a work of high art, but the Avengers deliver. It simply doesn't get any more awesome than this.
Next time: Some actual culture.
See, Wreckamovie sounds like any other random website of nerds that want to talk more ideas than they have ability to act upon. The thing that makes it different, is that it's worked recently. More than two and a half thousand people got involved in a project that's been in development for the last six years, and it's being released today. Limited release, granted, but it's done.
It's called IRON SKY, and rest assured, I'll be reviewing it pretty soon, just got a few other to get through.
Now, don't get massively excited and sign up right now (although definately check out the website, http://www.wreckamovie.com/), because it takes a lot of hard work, effort, cash and people not being selfish to get anything off the ground. Iron Sky has more than two and a half thousand people supporting it and it took six years to get the thing made.
To be honest, I'll hold more judgement back until I've seen more projects come out of this website. I mean, if you think of the potential that this site can offer, this could undermine the major movie studios and bring film into indepedant hands, the hands of a hundred million movie fans sitting at home with their laptops. Will that happen? Probably not.
But it could. And I'd be interested in seeing it. As the website says, this could be Future of Film.
In other news, my D&D game is going weird, I'm not sure I'm a fan of join DMing, perhaps I'm more of a control freak than I thought, especially when it comes to stories. My housemate wants me to commence writing a script that he's suggested and wants to contribute too... I'm willing to give it a shot, but how well do I play with others?
Anyway.
AVENGERS
ASSEMBLE
Well, what can I say? I mean, we've been waiting about five years for this, since that last scene in Iron Man 1 back in 2008. Since then, Robert Downy Jr. has had two outings as the man in the Red and Gold Metal suit, Edward Norton made a Hulk Movie that shouldn't neccessarily be counted in the cannon, a pair of overly handsome men called Chris were given a Hammer and a Shield respectively, and now they're all here together.
Is it good? Is it up to the hype? I can sum it up in one sentence.
This film is *exactly* what we were promised. No more, no less.
I don't want to rant too much about it, because I don't want to ruin it for anyone. I don't want to praise it too highly, because it's not a perfect film, there's a very basic story that's pretty much taken straight from The Ultimates and it's in 3D (and you know how I feel about 3D). But you know what I mean by that sentence back up there?
This movie is FUN.
This movie is so much fun, that I went to see it twice, and the second time I even went alone (and I hate going alone to the movies). If you've ever seen a superhero movie, especially one of the five that came before this one, then you owe it to yourself to see this film. It may not be film of the year, it may not be a work of high art, but the Avengers deliver. It simply doesn't get any more awesome than this.
Next time: Some actual culture.
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Skins... All Of It
So am back in Newbury, lounging around on my sabbatical and playing far too much D&D with whichever nerd is hanging around my house at the time (and since I live with three of them, that's quite a lot of the time). I survived the rampages of puppy Bailey, he's now experienced the horrors of being shut in, but then he does have another dog to keep him company, so I'm sure he'll cope.
One of the other things I've been doing while on my Sabbatical is watching Skins. All of it. It's all up on 4OD and I read that the seventh season intends to be the last one, so I shall take a look at the six that have come before it and offer my opinions on them, because there was a time not too long ago when it was all about Skins, there was a lot of press coverage and opinions flying about. So, my two cents.
SKINS
(this could be a long one)
GENERATION ONE:
Tony & Michelle, Sid & Cassie, Jal & Chris, Maxxie & Anwar, the Elusive Effy. The first season of this show kind of caught the British public unawares with it's massive presence, frequent drug use, frequent language, frequent sex, frequent teenage angst and frequent just about everything else. With it's colourful cast of characters and cheerful but otherwise mundane setting in middle England, this series was out to make you look at the nearest teenager and think 'really, you guys do that all the time?'. I know I didn't when I was their age, but then I'm not the poster boy for normality.
There are parties, there's pills, there's hormones, there's booze and desperate attempts to have sex by the frustrated. But beneath all this shiny, glossy, vomit-smeared exterior, there's actually a much deeper story about being too young to understand love but still having it rule your life. There's some truly questioning moments about why a gay lad and a muslim lad shouldn't hang out together and exactly how far can you push a friendship based on mutual self-loathing. If you want, this series can be just about the sex, the parties, the drugs and the jokes. If you want, this series is so much more.
So, the characters. Tony's manipulative, shallow, domineering and, oddly enough, our main hero. His girlfriend Michelle adores him but is constantly frustrated by him, his best friend Sid worships the ground he walks on, the rest of the gang seem to look to him for a lead. The only person he really seems to care about is his sister Effy, who takes everything that Tony does and amplifies it by about ten degrees. Sid is more sympathetic, he's just not good at anything and all he wants is Michelle. Or is it Cassie. Or is it Michelle? No, wait, it's Cassie, if only she'd eat a hot meal or nineteen.
Chris is the party animal who seems to get dumped on by life more than anyone could have thought possible, yet still comes up with a blood-smeared grin. Anwar's our not quite strictly adhered to Muslim boy, who can't quite reconcile the partying and pills with his faith. Maxxie is an unusual character, in that he's still considered 'one of the boys' despite being gay, also a talented dancer. Jal is quite repressed and under the pressure of her succesful father whom she resents heavily. That's our cast, nine miscreants and headfucks.
So series one sees Tony working his magic through the gang, trying to get them all to dance to whatever tune he wants. It starts to come apart when other people have ideas of their own and he makes an enemy or two along the way. Just when he's trying to pull it together, he's hit by a bus. Series two sees his rehabilitation, along with everyone else trying to grow up without him pointing the way, often getting it wrong and sometimes getting it superbly right. Another character, Lucy, was introduced, but I feel that they probably shouldn't have bothered, she didn't do anything to shake the series up.
One of the reasons this was such a good show is also one of its downsides, each episode focuses heavily on a single character, often at the detriment or ignorance of the others, so often things that seem incredibly important in one episode never seem to crop up again, like Michelle's step-sister, Chris's abandoment, Jal's young musician of the year entry and so on. This being said, only Lost has had such a heavy focus on its characters and we know how that went. This, on the other hand, seems to get it spot on, with each of our young cast being able to shine under their own spotlight, then work on helping the others shine in theirs. When the second season came to an end (which was accused of being more serious than the first, what with all the death and mortality), I felt that we'd achieved a good end to a story. But oh wait, Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain weren't quite done with us yet, were they.
GENERATION TWO:
Freds, Cook and JJ. Effy and Pandora. Tomas. Naomi. Katie and Emily. Term was back in at Roundview Collage and an almost completely new cast of faces. With only Effy returning from the previous two years, would seasons three and four be able to measure up and find their own way compared to the previous cast? The answer in my opinion was, hells yes. They did it, they managed to keep the underpinning theme and feel of the show the same while reinventing the look and swish of the characters. The trio of best buddies that's torn apart by a girl, the burgeoning homosexual relationship between two girls that can't quite help drag everyone else into it, the problems of an immigrant boy who doesn't really like where he has come to live. It's the same, but it's new.
As with the previous generation, our main character goes through a massive character shift. This time it's Effy, Tony's younger sister from the first generation, and she goes from being queen of the universe to depressed, alcoholic, emotionally shut off and suicidal, all over the situation that she's landed herself in over these three boys. Freds begins to hate his former best friend Cook, who gets to sleep with Effy whenever he wants, while JJ feels torn apart because those two used to be the centre of his world. All the while, there's the usual partying, drugs, sex, alcohol and occasional violence that lands people in all the trouble they seem to deserve, especially Cook.
Cook's probably the most interesting character in this generation, to be honest. JJ is far more loveable, Emily and Katie have their very twincestuous issues, Effy's fucked in the head, Pandora's naive and innocent, Tomas is decent and reliable, Cook is violent, dominant and abusive. He believes fiercly in loyalty and he's always, always getting into trouble. He's kind of like an attention magnet, really. For all the hating that you feel towards him, since he's a screw-up that doesn't apologise for anything, shags everything that's even remotely female nearby and is just generally detestable, you can't help but watch him and wonder why the hell he's like that. I thoroughly dislike the kid, but he's certainly got the presence.
Much like the previous generation, the second season (so fourth overall) of this generation got more serious than the first, what with Effy turning suicidal, Katie and Emily feuding and the death of the girl in the club in the very opening moments of the series, leading to a police investigation that runs through the course of the season. While for the first generation this change of tone was unexpected, for the second generation it brings into focus just how different the characters were from their predecessors and how they want to measure up to their parents. A note on parents, for all the kids in all the generations, their parents are played by a variety of well-known and talented actors, who all seem to have about ten minutes of screen time put together, which was an interesting choice in casting, but probably a good one.
I think I actually prefer this generation to the first, I found the character dynamics and the almost hard-to-watch storytelling to be much more engaging. And it helps that Cook has the end scene of the fourth series, a scene that turns all of your dislike for him on its head. Oh hells yes, that was a good end.
GENERATION THREE:
Franky. Rich & Alo. Mini and her minions, Liv & Grace. Nick & Matty. While the second generation had Effy to tie it to the first generation, this generation didn't have any links to the previous two, which alienates it from the start. I didn't feel that the writing was as strong on this one. The characters, most of them, are still pretty good and they're easily watchable. Franky goes from being isolated and shy to being an outspoken self-destructive rebel, Rich goes from being defensively aggressive to being loving and accepting, Alo goes from being childish and irresponsible to realising that he has to grow up, Mini goes from being icy popular girl into scared mother-to-be. But while the last generation felt fresh and yet similiar, this generation felt like it was clutching at the gaps left behind by the past four years.
It's not that I disliked these two seasons, it's just that I felt they weren't as strong competitors compared to what they've just followed. Matty was a character that I just didn't understand, he was flitty and I didn't understand how anyone found him attractive. His brother Nick seemed like a straight and boring mirror to him, but actually turned into the more interesting character, what with discovering what family's all about. If this generation sounds like I'm not giving it as much attention as the previous two... well, that's about right, to be honest. It was a fainter shadow of stronger personalities. The partying, drugs and sex were all upped for this generation and by the end of it, it felt kind of sickly and bitter, seeing just that much debauchery and finding that I don't really find it alluring. And Grace got creepy.
So yeah, that's Skins. It was controversial, it was decried, it was beloved and it's almost over. There's another series next year, but that'll be the last swansong for all three generations, rather than introducing a fourth. I can't help but wonder if the series would have been better simply sticking with the first generation over these seven years. What with the two year-thing being based on A-Levels that they're all supposedly taking in the background, I wonder if maybe it would have been best to see Tony and Michelle at their seperate universitys over three years, or see how Sid got on in the States, or if Maxxie and Anwar could ever afford food. Maybe, but they went a direction that hadn't been tried in TV before and I applaud them for it. The only thing I dislike was that they had to remix the opening credits tune every year. I liked how it was to start, that was good, why couldn't they have kept that? Oh well, not the end of the world.
It's all on 4OD. Go watch if you want.
Next review: AVENGERS.... ASSEMBLE!!
One of the other things I've been doing while on my Sabbatical is watching Skins. All of it. It's all up on 4OD and I read that the seventh season intends to be the last one, so I shall take a look at the six that have come before it and offer my opinions on them, because there was a time not too long ago when it was all about Skins, there was a lot of press coverage and opinions flying about. So, my two cents.
SKINS
(this could be a long one)
GENERATION ONE:
Tony & Michelle, Sid & Cassie, Jal & Chris, Maxxie & Anwar, the Elusive Effy. The first season of this show kind of caught the British public unawares with it's massive presence, frequent drug use, frequent language, frequent sex, frequent teenage angst and frequent just about everything else. With it's colourful cast of characters and cheerful but otherwise mundane setting in middle England, this series was out to make you look at the nearest teenager and think 'really, you guys do that all the time?'. I know I didn't when I was their age, but then I'm not the poster boy for normality.
There are parties, there's pills, there's hormones, there's booze and desperate attempts to have sex by the frustrated. But beneath all this shiny, glossy, vomit-smeared exterior, there's actually a much deeper story about being too young to understand love but still having it rule your life. There's some truly questioning moments about why a gay lad and a muslim lad shouldn't hang out together and exactly how far can you push a friendship based on mutual self-loathing. If you want, this series can be just about the sex, the parties, the drugs and the jokes. If you want, this series is so much more.
So, the characters. Tony's manipulative, shallow, domineering and, oddly enough, our main hero. His girlfriend Michelle adores him but is constantly frustrated by him, his best friend Sid worships the ground he walks on, the rest of the gang seem to look to him for a lead. The only person he really seems to care about is his sister Effy, who takes everything that Tony does and amplifies it by about ten degrees. Sid is more sympathetic, he's just not good at anything and all he wants is Michelle. Or is it Cassie. Or is it Michelle? No, wait, it's Cassie, if only she'd eat a hot meal or nineteen.
Chris is the party animal who seems to get dumped on by life more than anyone could have thought possible, yet still comes up with a blood-smeared grin. Anwar's our not quite strictly adhered to Muslim boy, who can't quite reconcile the partying and pills with his faith. Maxxie is an unusual character, in that he's still considered 'one of the boys' despite being gay, also a talented dancer. Jal is quite repressed and under the pressure of her succesful father whom she resents heavily. That's our cast, nine miscreants and headfucks.
So series one sees Tony working his magic through the gang, trying to get them all to dance to whatever tune he wants. It starts to come apart when other people have ideas of their own and he makes an enemy or two along the way. Just when he's trying to pull it together, he's hit by a bus. Series two sees his rehabilitation, along with everyone else trying to grow up without him pointing the way, often getting it wrong and sometimes getting it superbly right. Another character, Lucy, was introduced, but I feel that they probably shouldn't have bothered, she didn't do anything to shake the series up.
One of the reasons this was such a good show is also one of its downsides, each episode focuses heavily on a single character, often at the detriment or ignorance of the others, so often things that seem incredibly important in one episode never seem to crop up again, like Michelle's step-sister, Chris's abandoment, Jal's young musician of the year entry and so on. This being said, only Lost has had such a heavy focus on its characters and we know how that went. This, on the other hand, seems to get it spot on, with each of our young cast being able to shine under their own spotlight, then work on helping the others shine in theirs. When the second season came to an end (which was accused of being more serious than the first, what with all the death and mortality), I felt that we'd achieved a good end to a story. But oh wait, Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain weren't quite done with us yet, were they.
GENERATION TWO:
Freds, Cook and JJ. Effy and Pandora. Tomas. Naomi. Katie and Emily. Term was back in at Roundview Collage and an almost completely new cast of faces. With only Effy returning from the previous two years, would seasons three and four be able to measure up and find their own way compared to the previous cast? The answer in my opinion was, hells yes. They did it, they managed to keep the underpinning theme and feel of the show the same while reinventing the look and swish of the characters. The trio of best buddies that's torn apart by a girl, the burgeoning homosexual relationship between two girls that can't quite help drag everyone else into it, the problems of an immigrant boy who doesn't really like where he has come to live. It's the same, but it's new.
As with the previous generation, our main character goes through a massive character shift. This time it's Effy, Tony's younger sister from the first generation, and she goes from being queen of the universe to depressed, alcoholic, emotionally shut off and suicidal, all over the situation that she's landed herself in over these three boys. Freds begins to hate his former best friend Cook, who gets to sleep with Effy whenever he wants, while JJ feels torn apart because those two used to be the centre of his world. All the while, there's the usual partying, drugs, sex, alcohol and occasional violence that lands people in all the trouble they seem to deserve, especially Cook.
Cook's probably the most interesting character in this generation, to be honest. JJ is far more loveable, Emily and Katie have their very twincestuous issues, Effy's fucked in the head, Pandora's naive and innocent, Tomas is decent and reliable, Cook is violent, dominant and abusive. He believes fiercly in loyalty and he's always, always getting into trouble. He's kind of like an attention magnet, really. For all the hating that you feel towards him, since he's a screw-up that doesn't apologise for anything, shags everything that's even remotely female nearby and is just generally detestable, you can't help but watch him and wonder why the hell he's like that. I thoroughly dislike the kid, but he's certainly got the presence.
Much like the previous generation, the second season (so fourth overall) of this generation got more serious than the first, what with Effy turning suicidal, Katie and Emily feuding and the death of the girl in the club in the very opening moments of the series, leading to a police investigation that runs through the course of the season. While for the first generation this change of tone was unexpected, for the second generation it brings into focus just how different the characters were from their predecessors and how they want to measure up to their parents. A note on parents, for all the kids in all the generations, their parents are played by a variety of well-known and talented actors, who all seem to have about ten minutes of screen time put together, which was an interesting choice in casting, but probably a good one.
I think I actually prefer this generation to the first, I found the character dynamics and the almost hard-to-watch storytelling to be much more engaging. And it helps that Cook has the end scene of the fourth series, a scene that turns all of your dislike for him on its head. Oh hells yes, that was a good end.
GENERATION THREE:
Franky. Rich & Alo. Mini and her minions, Liv & Grace. Nick & Matty. While the second generation had Effy to tie it to the first generation, this generation didn't have any links to the previous two, which alienates it from the start. I didn't feel that the writing was as strong on this one. The characters, most of them, are still pretty good and they're easily watchable. Franky goes from being isolated and shy to being an outspoken self-destructive rebel, Rich goes from being defensively aggressive to being loving and accepting, Alo goes from being childish and irresponsible to realising that he has to grow up, Mini goes from being icy popular girl into scared mother-to-be. But while the last generation felt fresh and yet similiar, this generation felt like it was clutching at the gaps left behind by the past four years.
It's not that I disliked these two seasons, it's just that I felt they weren't as strong competitors compared to what they've just followed. Matty was a character that I just didn't understand, he was flitty and I didn't understand how anyone found him attractive. His brother Nick seemed like a straight and boring mirror to him, but actually turned into the more interesting character, what with discovering what family's all about. If this generation sounds like I'm not giving it as much attention as the previous two... well, that's about right, to be honest. It was a fainter shadow of stronger personalities. The partying, drugs and sex were all upped for this generation and by the end of it, it felt kind of sickly and bitter, seeing just that much debauchery and finding that I don't really find it alluring. And Grace got creepy.
So yeah, that's Skins. It was controversial, it was decried, it was beloved and it's almost over. There's another series next year, but that'll be the last swansong for all three generations, rather than introducing a fourth. I can't help but wonder if the series would have been better simply sticking with the first generation over these seven years. What with the two year-thing being based on A-Levels that they're all supposedly taking in the background, I wonder if maybe it would have been best to see Tony and Michelle at their seperate universitys over three years, or see how Sid got on in the States, or if Maxxie and Anwar could ever afford food. Maybe, but they went a direction that hadn't been tried in TV before and I applaud them for it. The only thing I dislike was that they had to remix the opening credits tune every year. I liked how it was to start, that was good, why couldn't they have kept that? Oh well, not the end of the world.
It's all on 4OD. Go watch if you want.
Next review: AVENGERS.... ASSEMBLE!!
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
End Of An Era?
(Edit: most of this post written about a month ago)
Seems like this site has had a makeover from the Dashboard side, which means that you on the reading side won't actually realise, but everything is in a slightly different place to how it was a few weeks ago. Weird, but ultimately pointless except to tie ever so loosely into what I was ambling at talking about. And judging by that last sentence, ambling was the word.
Basically, I'm going to be experiencing some new beginnings around here, I only have four shifts left to go at work. That's three days. At 11:00ish on Thursday night, my Sabbatical officially begins and I won't be employed at the Corn Exchange Newbury for six months. Is this a big deal? I think so, I mean, I've been there for six years, including my time in Southampton.
I've worked with a lot of the staff there for almost that entire time, so I figure that I'd say something about the ones I like and get on with. So...
KREN
If you look at Kren, you'd think she was late thirties. She's actually fifty, just kept youthful by the constant stream of stress and nervous energy that's a result of her working far too hard. She's genuinely the hardest working girl in showbusiness and she's the best boss I've ever had. I'll miss her.
DEBBIE
Debbie's on the Box Office as Assistant Manager and she's lovely. She can be a bit rough around the edges, but she's got a heart of gold and always has time to talk to you and help her customers. Give her a coffee with some chocolate sprinkles on top and she's a happy bunny, as well.
HANNAH
Talented artist, happy-go-lucky barmaid and all round attractive lady, Hannah got married last year, to the collective depressed sighs of about half the guys I know. She can talk the back legs off a donkey, but she's good fun to work with 'cause she gives as good as she gets.
SHIRLY
The bar used to be called Bar 1861 and we joke that it was named such because that was when Shirly started working there. She's been with the Corn Exchange since it opened as a theatre and that was about seventeen years ago. She's a grumpy old pro who believes that men should do all the heavy lifting.
ROY
Roy is the happiest man you'll ever meet. Whenever he does the announcement for people to take their seats you can almost hear 'scream if you wanna go faster!' in the subtext. He's also something of a movie nerd (not quite a gaming nerd, but he does like his sci-fi) and thus we have a good chat.
There's others, I enjoy working with Rhia and Kev, Vicky was there for pretty much every day of the cafe and she's a gamer, Julie Ann (although a traitor and going to Greenham) was one of the best duty managers, Clara on the box office has a smile that could light up the heat death of the universe and Mummy Jo is always a laugh. There's a lot of staff there, and they're good people. I'll see them again in six months. I hope.
YOUNG FRANKENSTIEN
So I'd completely forgotten I'd put myself down to steward this, because it was an special booking for a birthday party. I mean, I normally end up reviewing one golden oldie film a year, it just seems to crop up around autumn time. So, Young Frankenstien, eh? Koo, Tim's fiancee, swears by it's comedic gold and after a few stilting openings I was swayed as well.
It's an odd one, don't get me wrong. The story of Frankenstien must be one of the most often twisted and turned and reimagined and recreated for whatever ends. There's a dvd of Frankenhooker not ten feet from where I'm sitting. But this one? I think this one stands above the rest, I mean, Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder certainly knew a thing or two about comedy back then, eh?
I think the show is stolen by Marty Feldman, who plays up to the audiance the most, and is clearly the most absurd role in the movie. Having just read his bio on imdb, he seemed like a guy I probably would have liked to know.
So, what with the overpronounciations and corny ba-dum-tsss jokes that fill the script, what with the overarching shieking and feverish trembling that characterised Wilder's performance, what with the brutish meowing Peter Boyle, this film retains its classic charm. It hasn't aged well in some places, but in most, it's still just as funny as it was in 1974.
Next up: WHITE HEAT
(A BBC TV series)
Seems like this site has had a makeover from the Dashboard side, which means that you on the reading side won't actually realise, but everything is in a slightly different place to how it was a few weeks ago. Weird, but ultimately pointless except to tie ever so loosely into what I was ambling at talking about. And judging by that last sentence, ambling was the word.
Basically, I'm going to be experiencing some new beginnings around here, I only have four shifts left to go at work. That's three days. At 11:00ish on Thursday night, my Sabbatical officially begins and I won't be employed at the Corn Exchange Newbury for six months. Is this a big deal? I think so, I mean, I've been there for six years, including my time in Southampton.
I've worked with a lot of the staff there for almost that entire time, so I figure that I'd say something about the ones I like and get on with. So...
KREN
If you look at Kren, you'd think she was late thirties. She's actually fifty, just kept youthful by the constant stream of stress and nervous energy that's a result of her working far too hard. She's genuinely the hardest working girl in showbusiness and she's the best boss I've ever had. I'll miss her.
DEBBIE
Debbie's on the Box Office as Assistant Manager and she's lovely. She can be a bit rough around the edges, but she's got a heart of gold and always has time to talk to you and help her customers. Give her a coffee with some chocolate sprinkles on top and she's a happy bunny, as well.
HANNAH
Talented artist, happy-go-lucky barmaid and all round attractive lady, Hannah got married last year, to the collective depressed sighs of about half the guys I know. She can talk the back legs off a donkey, but she's good fun to work with 'cause she gives as good as she gets.
SHIRLY
The bar used to be called Bar 1861 and we joke that it was named such because that was when Shirly started working there. She's been with the Corn Exchange since it opened as a theatre and that was about seventeen years ago. She's a grumpy old pro who believes that men should do all the heavy lifting.
ROY
Roy is the happiest man you'll ever meet. Whenever he does the announcement for people to take their seats you can almost hear 'scream if you wanna go faster!' in the subtext. He's also something of a movie nerd (not quite a gaming nerd, but he does like his sci-fi) and thus we have a good chat.
There's others, I enjoy working with Rhia and Kev, Vicky was there for pretty much every day of the cafe and she's a gamer, Julie Ann (although a traitor and going to Greenham) was one of the best duty managers, Clara on the box office has a smile that could light up the heat death of the universe and Mummy Jo is always a laugh. There's a lot of staff there, and they're good people. I'll see them again in six months. I hope.
YOUNG FRANKENSTIEN
So I'd completely forgotten I'd put myself down to steward this, because it was an special booking for a birthday party. I mean, I normally end up reviewing one golden oldie film a year, it just seems to crop up around autumn time. So, Young Frankenstien, eh? Koo, Tim's fiancee, swears by it's comedic gold and after a few stilting openings I was swayed as well.
It's an odd one, don't get me wrong. The story of Frankenstien must be one of the most often twisted and turned and reimagined and recreated for whatever ends. There's a dvd of Frankenhooker not ten feet from where I'm sitting. But this one? I think this one stands above the rest, I mean, Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder certainly knew a thing or two about comedy back then, eh?
I think the show is stolen by Marty Feldman, who plays up to the audiance the most, and is clearly the most absurd role in the movie. Having just read his bio on imdb, he seemed like a guy I probably would have liked to know.
So, what with the overpronounciations and corny ba-dum-tsss jokes that fill the script, what with the overarching shieking and feverish trembling that characterised Wilder's performance, what with the brutish meowing Peter Boyle, this film retains its classic charm. It hasn't aged well in some places, but in most, it's still just as funny as it was in 1974.
Next up: WHITE HEAT
(A BBC TV series)
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