Back to work tomorrow!
The seven days seemed to fly and I'm back to work tomorrow. It's been a good week though with lots of sleep, surfing, chilling out and fannish things.
Galavant. I've started watching i and I want to like it but so far I'm a bit undecided. The characters are engaging but the music isn't very memorable. I was hoping for better songs... but I shall persist.
Spectre. Huge thumbs down from me. I sound like a fuddy duddy but I really preferred the old James Bond movies. I can't recall a single storyline from any of the Daniel Craig Bond films ... It's not simply that I'm not that enamoured of Craig as Bond ... it's that the storylines are so forgettable. Spectre seemed to be a series of Bond just going from location to location and knowing where to go after that ... I found it ridiculous that he had a bonkfest with the Monica Bellucci character when they were in the midst of peril and then to have another bonk fest with Léa Seydoux when they were on the train and Bond had just had the crap beaten out of him ... I know you're supposed to suspend disbelief in such films but it hung together so poorly that it just made us roll our eyes.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor. How could I not like it? It's adorable. I find it kind of hilarious to see Ewan McGregor playing a dorky geek - he does it so well and yet he's such an attractive man normally. Kristin Scott Thomas is wonderful (channelling Emma Thompson) and Tom Mison is dashing. It's a very British story and it's just gorgeous.
Man in the High Castle. We've watched 9 out of the 10 episodes of the first season. On the one hand it's a beautiful looking series. Wonderfully atmospheric in terms of its appearance and the music. It also has a fascinating premise and Rufus Sewell is very good. Unfortunately, the other leads are really disappointing... Worst is Julianna Crain who is the protagonist. At first, she seems smart and kick ass (learning akido etc) but then she makes a series of extremely inexplicable decisions - one after the other and her commitment to the 'cause' is hard to reconcile with the selfishness of her actions towards her loved ones. Joe Blake her 'love' interest is kind of bland. Frank Frink, her actual boyfriend is selfless and dedicated - but we can't understand why. I really dislike infidelity storylines and while they haven't done anything yet, both Julianna and Joe are in relationships with kind and decent people ... There are a range of interesting characters, Inspector Kido who is smart and on the ball but manages to be thwarted by circumstance time and time again and also gets dissuaded too easily... I'm looking forward to the final episode.
I am still intending to watch Room and Beasts of No Nation in the next week or so. Two depressing-looking films, I'll have to temper it with something fluffier.
We had an early Chinese New Year dinner last night with family, my brother drove from Sydney to join us. I still have "Six of Crows" to finish and half a dozen unfinished little Star Wars fics that I've started but can't seem to get finished. Hopefully work will still be a little bit quiet so it's not crazy ... Two recruiters are coming in to my office next week to meet with me for a coffee - will see what happens. I probably won't be changing jobs any time soon but it's always good to see what's out there.
Galavant. I've started watching i and I want to like it but so far I'm a bit undecided. The characters are engaging but the music isn't very memorable. I was hoping for better songs... but I shall persist.
Spectre. Huge thumbs down from me. I sound like a fuddy duddy but I really preferred the old James Bond movies. I can't recall a single storyline from any of the Daniel Craig Bond films ... It's not simply that I'm not that enamoured of Craig as Bond ... it's that the storylines are so forgettable. Spectre seemed to be a series of Bond just going from location to location and knowing where to go after that ... I found it ridiculous that he had a bonkfest with the Monica Bellucci character when they were in the midst of peril and then to have another bonk fest with Léa Seydoux when they were on the train and Bond had just had the crap beaten out of him ... I know you're supposed to suspend disbelief in such films but it hung together so poorly that it just made us roll our eyes.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor. How could I not like it? It's adorable. I find it kind of hilarious to see Ewan McGregor playing a dorky geek - he does it so well and yet he's such an attractive man normally. Kristin Scott Thomas is wonderful (channelling Emma Thompson) and Tom Mison is dashing. It's a very British story and it's just gorgeous.
Man in the High Castle. We've watched 9 out of the 10 episodes of the first season. On the one hand it's a beautiful looking series. Wonderfully atmospheric in terms of its appearance and the music. It also has a fascinating premise and Rufus Sewell is very good. Unfortunately, the other leads are really disappointing... Worst is Julianna Crain who is the protagonist. At first, she seems smart and kick ass (learning akido etc) but then she makes a series of extremely inexplicable decisions - one after the other and her commitment to the 'cause' is hard to reconcile with the selfishness of her actions towards her loved ones. Joe Blake her 'love' interest is kind of bland. Frank Frink, her actual boyfriend is selfless and dedicated - but we can't understand why. I really dislike infidelity storylines and while they haven't done anything yet, both Julianna and Joe are in relationships with kind and decent people ... There are a range of interesting characters, Inspector Kido who is smart and on the ball but manages to be thwarted by circumstance time and time again and also gets dissuaded too easily... I'm looking forward to the final episode.
I am still intending to watch Room and Beasts of No Nation in the next week or so. Two depressing-looking films, I'll have to temper it with something fluffier.
We had an early Chinese New Year dinner last night with family, my brother drove from Sydney to join us. I still have "Six of Crows" to finish and half a dozen unfinished little Star Wars fics that I've started but can't seem to get finished. Hopefully work will still be a little bit quiet so it's not crazy ... Two recruiters are coming in to my office next week to meet with me for a coffee - will see what happens. I probably won't be changing jobs any time soon but it's always good to see what's out there.