Okay. Proper Things Post.
Because I've been promising one for a while.
1. I saw Cemetery Junction on Wednesday. (You know - the Gervais & Merchant film that isn't a 'Ricky Gervais Film'.) It was really rather good. Perhaps I was inclined to like it simply because it's set in 1973 and, because of LoM, that year always sets my mind into a comfortable place.
It was a great Coming of Age story - the likes of which British filmmakers don't make. All sunny and summery and beautiful (lovers of British cinema will understand how unusual that is in any sort of 70s/80s set film).
Wonderful performances from the central cast - particularly Christian Cooke proving that Ross Jenkins (Doctor Who: The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky) wasn't a one-off charming performance and Felicity Jones (who I loved so very much in ITV's recent Northanger Abbey) with her fantastic facial expressions and her normal beauty was wondrous. Tom Hughes (who looked the most at home in the 70s out of all of them) and Jack Doolan round out the main cast and are both equally fantastic. I particularly enjoyed Tom Hughes' deft handling of Bruce's arc.
Being set in the 70s there's a fair bit of period correct racism and sexism (and a bit of ableism too, I think) - but viewed through the lens of Cooke's Freddie means that it's not being played as correct.
It's a good film, beautifully shot, with great heart and wonderful performances. (Fantastic supporting cast amongst the older actors as well - Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Goode, Lovely Emily Watson (how did they make her look so frumpy in this? It boggles the mind) and Julia Davis rounding it with Ricky Gervais.)
2. Wish me luck, fellow travellers, for Saturday evening I am braving Newcastle. It is Colleague A's engagement party (and I'm sure it will be very lovely to meet her fiancée at last considering I've only ever seen the girl once and I wasn't introduced) and I shall be attending, for a little while at least, with the Boy. I wasn't going originally because (and more on this later) my Mum's in hospital tomorrow for day surgery and, y'know, I felt I should stop at home on the night time.
Combined efforts of the Boy and Colleague D have resulted in me going. Though that's probably going to end up in the apple cart being upset - D wants us to go up with her after she finishes work. Which isn't until 9:15 or so. The Boy, who works on the weekend (and starts fairly early with it), would rather go up around 7:30. I would rather that too, btw, because Newcastle + Saturday night + fucking Newcastle United match day will not = a fun place for Jen to be. There's only so much heroism the Boy can get up to after he's been drinking.
(Hilarious, and geeky aside: when he suggested about 7:30? I straight away pointed out that that would allow us to watch Doctor Who before we left. :) His response was that he was thinking of finally taking me up on the offer to watch it at my place. In HD.)
So, whatever is decided, I will need your best wishes. Because. Seriously. Newcastle. Saturday Night. Match Day.
3. Though it may not seem like it from all that ^ the Boy and I aren't actually, y'know, together. There was this whole *handwaves* thing earlier this week - and things are still Complicated (because of his foolishness) - and all you really need to know about it is that, despite what he says about 'finding me someone better'? I'm going to win.
(Weirdly enough - I'm fairly certain there's a part of him that's aware of that. He just doesn't want to acknowledge it. Because the easiest way to get me to stop? Would be to tell me he doesn't think of me 'like that'. Which is the one thing he's never done.)
4. My Mum buggered her knee royally before they went away to NZ. And it went completely about a week after they got back. So they made her an appointment for day surgery (keyhole surgery of some sort, I believe, to fiddle with whichever ligaments she managed to destroy). On a Saturday.
Weird.
My way of dealing with relative in hospital (Mum's been in hospital for a few surgeries throughout my life - memorable to me is the one in Adelaide, where Dad convinced her to let him buy a microwave on the basis that, with said microwave, I would be able to make her cups of tea, being a wee person who wasn't meant to touch the kettle) is to basically ignore the fact that it's happening. I don't enjoy the idea of people in hospital.
(Sad Fact: when my sister was in hospital for all that time a few years ago I only managed to visit her once. Can't stand people on painkillers like that. Weirds me out.)
So, anyway, spare a few thoughts for her, if you'd be so kind. <3s
5. Now I am off to listen to The News Quiz before bed.
(Have gotten rather heavily back into Radio 4 programming of late, because David Mitchell mentioned that The Unbelievable Truth was back on, and through that have been reminded of how epically awesome Mark Steel is.
Turns out one of the best ways to deal with grinding levels in Pokémon is to do so whilst listening to smart, funny British (and sometimes not British - Henning Wehn absolutely slays me, why is he not more famous?) people being brilliant on the radio.)
1. I saw Cemetery Junction on Wednesday. (You know - the Gervais & Merchant film that isn't a 'Ricky Gervais Film'.) It was really rather good. Perhaps I was inclined to like it simply because it's set in 1973 and, because of LoM, that year always sets my mind into a comfortable place.
It was a great Coming of Age story - the likes of which British filmmakers don't make. All sunny and summery and beautiful (lovers of British cinema will understand how unusual that is in any sort of 70s/80s set film).
Wonderful performances from the central cast - particularly Christian Cooke proving that Ross Jenkins (Doctor Who: The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky) wasn't a one-off charming performance and Felicity Jones (who I loved so very much in ITV's recent Northanger Abbey) with her fantastic facial expressions and her normal beauty was wondrous. Tom Hughes (who looked the most at home in the 70s out of all of them) and Jack Doolan round out the main cast and are both equally fantastic. I particularly enjoyed Tom Hughes' deft handling of Bruce's arc.
Being set in the 70s there's a fair bit of period correct racism and sexism (and a bit of ableism too, I think) - but viewed through the lens of Cooke's Freddie means that it's not being played as correct.
It's a good film, beautifully shot, with great heart and wonderful performances. (Fantastic supporting cast amongst the older actors as well - Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Goode, Lovely Emily Watson (how did they make her look so frumpy in this? It boggles the mind) and Julia Davis rounding it with Ricky Gervais.)
2. Wish me luck, fellow travellers, for Saturday evening I am braving Newcastle. It is Colleague A's engagement party (and I'm sure it will be very lovely to meet her fiancée at last considering I've only ever seen the girl once and I wasn't introduced) and I shall be attending, for a little while at least, with the Boy. I wasn't going originally because (and more on this later) my Mum's in hospital tomorrow for day surgery and, y'know, I felt I should stop at home on the night time.
Combined efforts of the Boy and Colleague D have resulted in me going. Though that's probably going to end up in the apple cart being upset - D wants us to go up with her after she finishes work. Which isn't until 9:15 or so. The Boy, who works on the weekend (and starts fairly early with it), would rather go up around 7:30. I would rather that too, btw, because Newcastle + Saturday night + fucking Newcastle United match day will not = a fun place for Jen to be. There's only so much heroism the Boy can get up to after he's been drinking.
(Hilarious, and geeky aside: when he suggested about 7:30? I straight away pointed out that that would allow us to watch Doctor Who before we left. :) His response was that he was thinking of finally taking me up on the offer to watch it at my place. In HD.)
So, whatever is decided, I will need your best wishes. Because. Seriously. Newcastle. Saturday Night. Match Day.
3. Though it may not seem like it from all that ^ the Boy and I aren't actually, y'know, together. There was this whole *handwaves* thing earlier this week - and things are still Complicated (because of his foolishness) - and all you really need to know about it is that, despite what he says about 'finding me someone better'? I'm going to win.
(Weirdly enough - I'm fairly certain there's a part of him that's aware of that. He just doesn't want to acknowledge it. Because the easiest way to get me to stop? Would be to tell me he doesn't think of me 'like that'. Which is the one thing he's never done.)
4. My Mum buggered her knee royally before they went away to NZ. And it went completely about a week after they got back. So they made her an appointment for day surgery (keyhole surgery of some sort, I believe, to fiddle with whichever ligaments she managed to destroy). On a Saturday.
Weird.
My way of dealing with relative in hospital (Mum's been in hospital for a few surgeries throughout my life - memorable to me is the one in Adelaide, where Dad convinced her to let him buy a microwave on the basis that, with said microwave, I would be able to make her cups of tea, being a wee person who wasn't meant to touch the kettle) is to basically ignore the fact that it's happening. I don't enjoy the idea of people in hospital.
(Sad Fact: when my sister was in hospital for all that time a few years ago I only managed to visit her once. Can't stand people on painkillers like that. Weirds me out.)
So, anyway, spare a few thoughts for her, if you'd be so kind. <3s
5. Now I am off to listen to The News Quiz before bed.
(Have gotten rather heavily back into Radio 4 programming of late, because David Mitchell mentioned that The Unbelievable Truth was back on, and through that have been reminded of how epically awesome Mark Steel is.
Turns out one of the best ways to deal with grinding levels in Pokémon is to do so whilst listening to smart, funny British (and sometimes not British - Henning Wehn absolutely slays me, why is he not more famous?) people being brilliant on the radio.)