Both the Evening Standard and BBC London relate that residents in London felt the earthquake that hit the UK last night (5.2 on the Richter scale, the biggest in almost 25 years). The epicentre was Market Rasen in Lincolnshire.
I was awake at 1am and definitely felt nothing untoward happening. Maybe it was just West and North London that felt anything? Growing up in Johannesburg, we frequently had tremors, caused by the gold-mining activities thousands of feet down.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Modern Painters: The Camden Town Group
Went with Catriona to the private view. Have always avoided the Camden Town group wherever possible in the past, and the first room reminded me why! – they are all so reductively derivative; aping the concerns and style of French post-Impressionism. Yargh!
Luckily, the Tate peps things up a bit with contemporary documentary film footage of London. I enjoyed seeing a top-hatted gent descend the (open) rear staircase of a horse-drawn omnibus as it pulled up Whitehall into Trafalgar Square – all the buildings remain recognisably the same, but everything else is so different. I wonder how this stretch will appear in a hundred year’s time? A glowering, attitudinal bowler-hatted boy was clearly just waiting for hoodies and the onset of Catherine Tait. Chavtastic before his time.
Refreshed by the film footage, the following rooms were far more enjoyable. Especially, it was charming to see familiar London sights expressed Post-Impressionist stylee. Charles Ginner’s Piccadilly Circus (1912) depicts another London bus: the 19 to Clapham Junction!
The most distinguished Camden Groupie is, of course, Walter Sickert. Catriona was intrigued by Patricia Cornwall’s theory he was the real Jack the Ripper. Apparently, Cornwall spent $6 million of her own money investigating this theory – controversially, she even destroyed a Sickert painting she bought searching for forensic evidence!!
Sickert’s prostitute paintings and paintings of the Camden Town Murder can easily be explained by his French Post-Impressionist influences: Manet, Toulouse Lautrec and Degas all painted prostitutes and sometimes violent scenes of ‘real life’. Also, it is unclear why Sickert, if he really was Jack, would wait 20 years after the Ripper murders to start painting such scenes. Also, has anyone checked out Sickert's knowledge of the backstreets of Whitechapel? In justice to the unfairly accused Sickert, let us hope this exhibition causes his prices to rise and Cornwall to regret her misguided iconoclasm.
The exhibition ends with more newsreel footage. Be warned, though, that footage of the suffragette Emily Davison throwing herself in front of the King’s horse at the Derby horse race in 1913 is included, and is pretty shocking: think frog in a blender. I’m amazed such an event was caught on camera at the time. I don’t think she meant to kill herself, just interrupt the race. A glancing blow from the leading horse knocks her right in the path of the horse following and down she goes, in a welter of hooves and skirts. What this has to do with the Camden Group, who knows, but it is interesting.
Modern Painters: The Camden Town Group
Tate Britain
13 February – 5 May 2008
Luckily, the Tate peps things up a bit with contemporary documentary film footage of London. I enjoyed seeing a top-hatted gent descend the (open) rear staircase of a horse-drawn omnibus as it pulled up Whitehall into Trafalgar Square – all the buildings remain recognisably the same, but everything else is so different. I wonder how this stretch will appear in a hundred year’s time? A glowering, attitudinal bowler-hatted boy was clearly just waiting for hoodies and the onset of Catherine Tait. Chavtastic before his time.
Refreshed by the film footage, the following rooms were far more enjoyable. Especially, it was charming to see familiar London sights expressed Post-Impressionist stylee. Charles Ginner’s Piccadilly Circus (1912) depicts another London bus: the 19 to Clapham Junction!
The most distinguished Camden Groupie is, of course, Walter Sickert. Catriona was intrigued by Patricia Cornwall’s theory he was the real Jack the Ripper. Apparently, Cornwall spent $6 million of her own money investigating this theory – controversially, she even destroyed a Sickert painting she bought searching for forensic evidence!!
Sickert’s prostitute paintings and paintings of the Camden Town Murder can easily be explained by his French Post-Impressionist influences: Manet, Toulouse Lautrec and Degas all painted prostitutes and sometimes violent scenes of ‘real life’. Also, it is unclear why Sickert, if he really was Jack, would wait 20 years after the Ripper murders to start painting such scenes. Also, has anyone checked out Sickert's knowledge of the backstreets of Whitechapel? In justice to the unfairly accused Sickert, let us hope this exhibition causes his prices to rise and Cornwall to regret her misguided iconoclasm.
The exhibition ends with more newsreel footage. Be warned, though, that footage of the suffragette Emily Davison throwing herself in front of the King’s horse at the Derby horse race in 1913 is included, and is pretty shocking: think frog in a blender. I’m amazed such an event was caught on camera at the time. I don’t think she meant to kill herself, just interrupt the race. A glancing blow from the leading horse knocks her right in the path of the horse following and down she goes, in a welter of hooves and skirts. What this has to do with the Camden Group, who knows, but it is interesting.
Modern Painters: The Camden Town Group
Tate Britain
13 February – 5 May 2008
Oscars 2008
I am absurdly pleased and proud of Europe’s success – all four best actor prizes went to America’s foundation colonial powers (UK = 2; Spain = 1; France = 1). However, can’t say I’m planning to see any of the films – they are either too scary or too worthy. Two of them (There Will be Blood and No Country for Old Men) definitely have very scary haircuts and moustaches.
Javier Bardem’s haircut mercifully was vastly improved for the Oscars. However, can’t say the same for Daniel Day-Lewis – he was channelling Elizabethan travelling player style with lank locks and earrings. I do not agree with all the flak Tilda Swinton and Marion Cotillard got for their frocks – I liked both their outfits; it’s nice to see individuals expressing their own taste rather than displaying the safe stylishness imposed by stylists. Julie Christie especially looked great.
Javier Bardem’s haircut mercifully was vastly improved for the Oscars. However, can’t say the same for Daniel Day-Lewis – he was channelling Elizabethan travelling player style with lank locks and earrings. I do not agree with all the flak Tilda Swinton and Marion Cotillard got for their frocks – I liked both their outfits; it’s nice to see individuals expressing their own taste rather than displaying the safe stylishness imposed by stylists. Julie Christie especially looked great.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Quote London
I can walk about London and see a society that seems an absolutely revolutionary change from the 1950s, that seems completely and utterly different, and then I can pick up on something where you suddenly see that it's not.
~ Penelope Lively
~ Penelope Lively
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Bad water
So, after last night bottled water is now on every eco-warrior’s hit-list: it’s the new Chelsea Tractor or patio-heater. BBC’s Panorama programme made a really strong case against – the transportation and (plastic) bottling of water is a real ecological nightmare and complete waste of resources. Discarded plastic harms wildlife and pollutes the oceans an will hang around for hundreds of years.
Fiji water turns out to be quite a bad deal. Originally funded by the EU to source fresh water for the islanders, the government now licenses an American company to bottle and export the water to North America and Europe. But a third of the islanders do not have access to safe water and typhoid is still quite prevalent. The Fiji water company is doing something to help this situation, but obviously as a private company doesn’t have the responsibility to supply the islanders with their water needs. One wonders what their government is doing with all the royalties from the export of their fresh water.
Fiji water turns out to be quite a bad deal. Originally funded by the EU to source fresh water for the islanders, the government now licenses an American company to bottle and export the water to North America and Europe. But a third of the islanders do not have access to safe water and typhoid is still quite prevalent. The Fiji water company is doing something to help this situation, but obviously as a private company doesn’t have the responsibility to supply the islanders with their water needs. One wonders what their government is doing with all the royalties from the export of their fresh water.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Rules of Shopping
1) Sainsbury’s guarantees never to have the crucial ingredient Hedgie needs. This ingredient will always be the last item on Hedgie’s shopping list.
2) Hedgie will always choose the wrong queue at the check out. This effect will be magnified when shopping on limited time at lunch hour, when there will be a confused moron in front of Hedgie who queries a £2 special offer, causing spiralling confusion amongst the till operator and her supervisor, finally resulting in an IT meltdown which will take 20 minutes to fix. It will then be found that the moron was mistaken and the bill was correct all long.
3) And what is it with Asda’s bread? It certainly wins the prize for most bizarre baguette ever. A bouncy, chewy texture much like a doughnut, with a sugary crust much like a doughnut. Not unpleasant, but definitely weird and definitely not ever to be given to French friends.
2) Hedgie will always choose the wrong queue at the check out. This effect will be magnified when shopping on limited time at lunch hour, when there will be a confused moron in front of Hedgie who queries a £2 special offer, causing spiralling confusion amongst the till operator and her supervisor, finally resulting in an IT meltdown which will take 20 minutes to fix. It will then be found that the moron was mistaken and the bill was correct all long.
3) And what is it with Asda’s bread? It certainly wins the prize for most bizarre baguette ever. A bouncy, chewy texture much like a doughnut, with a sugary crust much like a doughnut. Not unpleasant, but definitely weird and definitely not ever to be given to French friends.
Made in the Dark . . .
And should have stayed there!☹
V. disappointed with Hot Chip’s new CD – it’s massively different to The Warning, their excellent 2006 release, and to my ears not as good. At first listen I like only two tracks: the first single “Ready for the Floor” and “Don’t Dance”. About 3 or 4 other tracks are ok; the others are either dismal dirges or just noise. Some Sunday paper reviews felt it was “more commercial” – not so!!!
I’ll give it a few more listens to give it a chance, but in the meantime, disgruntled of Clapham signing off . . .
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Tube Rage
Blissfully, I have managed to avoid rush-hour tube travel for almost 25 months. Unfortunately, however, I had to take the tube up to Euston on Monday morning at 7:18 am.
From previous experience, I thought this would be early enough to at least be able to squeeze into a carriage at Clapham Common station, if not actually get a seat. However, we were packed so tight I was able to identify people’s preferred toothpaste brands. At least, and thank goodness, people on the southern end of the Northern line use toothpaste in the mornings!
Well, things were fine if tightly packed ‘till Stockwell, where I changed to the Victoria line. I then unwittingly stood in the personal and private space of someone else on this packed platform (he had followed me closely all the way from the Northern line platform, huffing and puffing). When the train came in this gentleman elbowed me roughly in the ribs in order to get into the carriage first, then deliberately blocked me off from getting a seat (unsuccessfully). He glowered threateningly at me. I glowered as fiercely as I could back, and thankfully before things escalated the carriage became packed and we were separated.
So – beware of Mr Angry on the Northern line: a middle-aged gent with a few wispy ginger curls clinging nostalgically to his bald pate. Doesn’t look like a yob but is a total psycho. Hope he gets seized by the authorities and forced to watch Ken’s “courtesy on public transport’ video back-to-back all weekend.
From previous experience, I thought this would be early enough to at least be able to squeeze into a carriage at Clapham Common station, if not actually get a seat. However, we were packed so tight I was able to identify people’s preferred toothpaste brands. At least, and thank goodness, people on the southern end of the Northern line use toothpaste in the mornings!
Well, things were fine if tightly packed ‘till Stockwell, where I changed to the Victoria line. I then unwittingly stood in the personal and private space of someone else on this packed platform (he had followed me closely all the way from the Northern line platform, huffing and puffing). When the train came in this gentleman elbowed me roughly in the ribs in order to get into the carriage first, then deliberately blocked me off from getting a seat (unsuccessfully). He glowered threateningly at me. I glowered as fiercely as I could back, and thankfully before things escalated the carriage became packed and we were separated.
So – beware of Mr Angry on the Northern line: a middle-aged gent with a few wispy ginger curls clinging nostalgically to his bald pate. Doesn’t look like a yob but is a total psycho. Hope he gets seized by the authorities and forced to watch Ken’s “courtesy on public transport’ video back-to-back all weekend.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Stalker Alert
A google search hit according to statcounter.com:
One hopes this is a desperate attempt by his mother, who has just mislaid her address book. Conceivable. Just about. Hopefully.
One hopes this is a desperate attempt by his mother, who has just mislaid her address book. Conceivable. Just about. Hopefully.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Divinity
Advertising – how does it work? While I did quite like the M&S food ads before they got irritating and people started sending them up, I can’t say any one of these highly seductive and beautifully shot exercises in food porn really made me buy anything.Last Friday Jonathan Ross ate (noisily and messily and very fast) an M&S chocolate pain-au-chocolat-and-butter pudding. The sight was gross, and Jonathan was careful to tell us this pudding was more dangerous to our health than anything Pete Doherty has recently ingested could be. So I rushed out the next day and bought my own Simply Divine Bread and Butter pudding. Not the pain au chocolat version, the ordinary one – I’ve made my own pain au chocolat pudding and definitely prefer a more classic approach.
I specially didn’t read the nutritional info on the pack until the next day. But it is fantastically bad – so bad M&S only gives the info “per half pack” – basically, if you eat the whole pudding (as Jonathan and I did, and you will if you get your mitts on one), the calorie count is just short of 1400. About 100g of fat and 100g of sugar.
Simply divine, though! – totally gets my award for the best bread and butter pudding ever.
Friday, January 25, 2008
The End is Nigh, Part 1
Alex Renton wrote a really interesting article about food price inflation in The Observer last Sunday, speculating that the post WWII era of cheap food in the Western World is ending, due largely to 4 factors – market instability, the growing demand of the ethanol industry for crops previously grown as food, climate change resulting in floods, droughts, etc damaging crop yields, and the growing wealth of Chinese and Indian populations creating a larger demand for meat, which is wildly inefficient to produce in terms of resources.
The one thing we can change quite quickly is the ethanol factor, which is clearly a dead-end. Renton claims that faith in ethanol’s ecological credentials is “largely misplaced” - “Its increasingly voluble critics claim that growing grain and then transforming it into ethanol requires more energy from fossil fuels than ethanol generates.”
Furthermore, “the maize to fill a tank for a 'Chelsea tractor' would feed a family of four for three months. In October the United Nations' spokesman on famine, Jean Ziegler, called the biofuel boom 'a crime against humanity'.”
Ditch ethanol now!
This is clearly a watershed moment, where we are seeing the first effects of global warming on our food supply, mixed up with a clearly mistaken strategy to combat climate change. The imperative is to think cleverer.
The one thing we can change quite quickly is the ethanol factor, which is clearly a dead-end. Renton claims that faith in ethanol’s ecological credentials is “largely misplaced” - “Its increasingly voluble critics claim that growing grain and then transforming it into ethanol requires more energy from fossil fuels than ethanol generates.”
Furthermore, “the maize to fill a tank for a 'Chelsea tractor' would feed a family of four for three months. In October the United Nations' spokesman on famine, Jean Ziegler, called the biofuel boom 'a crime against humanity'.”
Ditch ethanol now!
This is clearly a watershed moment, where we are seeing the first effects of global warming on our food supply, mixed up with a clearly mistaken strategy to combat climate change. The imperative is to think cleverer.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
2007 Review
I did this at the end of 2006 so it’s good to continue for 2007:
What was you favourite movie in 2007?
I was going to say Pan’s Labyrinth, but checking back I nominated this for 2006 so I’m going to go with Atonement.
What was your favourite book in 2007?
2007 was not a reading year for me. My book of the year is Patrick O’Brian’s The Nutmeg of Consolation (1991). I’m a fan of his Aubrey and Maturin books and this is the 14th in the series.
What was your favourite song in 2007?
Anything from Arcade Fire’s first two albums, Funeral and Neon Bible will do. However, for the sake of variety and in admiration of their wit I’ll nominate LCD Soundsystem’s North American Scum.
What was your favourite album in 2007?
Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible, no question.
Are you richer or poorer?
A fascinating question, depends on how you look at it.
In 2006 I was unemployed but my flat was rocketing in value – it went up almost 53% in just over a year, so far more than my annual salary would have been.
In 2007 I started a new job, which pays a salary that allows me to service the enormous amounts of debt racked up while unemployed. However, my flat’s value is now in freefall. So who’s to say if I’m richer or poorer?
I suppose the bailiffs aren’t exactly beating my door down yet, so I’m ok.
Thinner or fatter?
Again, rather debatable. I reckon I’m fatter and could choose to tone up and lose some excess belly.
What kept you sane in 2007?
Employment is really good for mental health, strangely! – plus my blog keeps me happy ☺
Which personal accomplishment in 2007 are you most pleased with?
Becoming employed again!
Keeping my little blog going while computer-less!
What was the happiest moment of 2007?
Friends from South Africa visiting.
What was your saddest moment of 2007?
The death of my father at the end of April.
Being burgled end May.
What resolutions have you made for 2008?
I’m increasing my posting average to 12 a month, with a consistency level of between 9 to 15 posts a month.
I will cycle to work.
I will work to continue the improving trend in my finances.
I will replace all the stolen equipment without increasing my levels of debt.
Which bad habit are you most motivated to break?
No procrastination! See it, do it; blog it!
What are you looking forward to in 2008?
Hoo. At the moment, the summer. Let’s hope it’s less wet than last year.
What was you favourite movie in 2007?
I was going to say Pan’s Labyrinth, but checking back I nominated this for 2006 so I’m going to go with Atonement.
What was your favourite book in 2007?
2007 was not a reading year for me. My book of the year is Patrick O’Brian’s The Nutmeg of Consolation (1991). I’m a fan of his Aubrey and Maturin books and this is the 14th in the series.
What was your favourite song in 2007?
Anything from Arcade Fire’s first two albums, Funeral and Neon Bible will do. However, for the sake of variety and in admiration of their wit I’ll nominate LCD Soundsystem’s North American Scum.
What was your favourite album in 2007?
Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible, no question.
Are you richer or poorer?
A fascinating question, depends on how you look at it.
In 2006 I was unemployed but my flat was rocketing in value – it went up almost 53% in just over a year, so far more than my annual salary would have been.
In 2007 I started a new job, which pays a salary that allows me to service the enormous amounts of debt racked up while unemployed. However, my flat’s value is now in freefall. So who’s to say if I’m richer or poorer?
I suppose the bailiffs aren’t exactly beating my door down yet, so I’m ok.
Thinner or fatter?
Again, rather debatable. I reckon I’m fatter and could choose to tone up and lose some excess belly.
What kept you sane in 2007?
Employment is really good for mental health, strangely! – plus my blog keeps me happy ☺
Which personal accomplishment in 2007 are you most pleased with?
Becoming employed again!
Keeping my little blog going while computer-less!
What was the happiest moment of 2007?
Friends from South Africa visiting.
What was your saddest moment of 2007?
The death of my father at the end of April.
Being burgled end May.
What resolutions have you made for 2008?
I’m increasing my posting average to 12 a month, with a consistency level of between 9 to 15 posts a month.
I will cycle to work.
I will work to continue the improving trend in my finances.
I will replace all the stolen equipment without increasing my levels of debt.
Which bad habit are you most motivated to break?
No procrastination! See it, do it; blog it!
What are you looking forward to in 2008?
Hoo. At the moment, the summer. Let’s hope it’s less wet than last year.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Stats
A few months ago when I last checked my stats, people were curious about Dalek cakes at Marks and Spencer’s. At the time, I didn’t know M&S did Dalek cakes, but now I can confirm a sighting of a chocolate Dalek cake in the Clapham Junction branch. Woo! Very exciting, although I would have preferred a standy-uppy Dalek rather than a lying-down Dalek. Exterminate! Exterminate! Anyways, a possible contender for my very own upcoming birthday.
The fickle public has moved on and now the googling masses can’t get enough of bombs in Balham in WWII. You may remember the Balham tube bomb disaster features in the movie Atonement, and it is indeed based on a true incident, when a bomb damaged a water main and flooded Balham Tube station, where locals were sheltering from the air raid. They all drowned.
Celebrity-wise, my most hits are still on Her Grace the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire (rather mysteriously), although the wonderful Keira Knightley is zooming up the hit rate chart.
Which brings me to this pic:
I papped the filming of Atonement on location in central London! From this distance, can’t tell you which one is Keira and/or James McAvoy.
The fickle public has moved on and now the googling masses can’t get enough of bombs in Balham in WWII. You may remember the Balham tube bomb disaster features in the movie Atonement, and it is indeed based on a true incident, when a bomb damaged a water main and flooded Balham Tube station, where locals were sheltering from the air raid. They all drowned.
Celebrity-wise, my most hits are still on Her Grace the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire (rather mysteriously), although the wonderful Keira Knightley is zooming up the hit rate chart.
Which brings me to this pic:
I papped the filming of Atonement on location in central London! From this distance, can’t tell you which one is Keira and/or James McAvoy.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Clapham Junction
Commuting again through Clapham Junction brings home just how awful this station – the busiest in Britain and apparently Europe – actually is. It was constructed as a joint venture between competing train companies in 1863 and their conflicting requirements (and joint enthusiasm for cutting costs) must have informed the appalling design of the station – for something this busy, space for passenger orientation is simply inadequate.
Access to all 16 working platforms is through a leaky underpass barely 15 feet wide, with not a single lift or escalator anywhere. Imagine what it is like in rush hour, with people beginning their journeys to work or changing trains. Not to mention, Clapham Junction is a major hub for people making their way to Gatwick Airport.
So I’m pretty thrilled to hear that there are plans to upgrade this station – it’s desperately needed. Hopefully these will go ahead – however, a major plank of the funding is going to be two tower blocks of luxury flats built up over the station. One wonders how commercial these will turn out to be – would you like living over a station with a through-put of 119 trains per hour off-peak? That is, of course, if complaints from locals don’t scupper the development at the planning stage. Also, it has to be said, in this post sub-prime economic apocalypse, it would be a very brave developer who actually went ahead with this!
From the drawings released, the development doesn’t look architecturally distinguished – not anywhere near the standard of the Waterloo or St Pancras Eurostar terminals or the stations on the Jubilee Line extension. However, I suppose this is sarf London and we must be grateful for what we can get!
Access to all 16 working platforms is through a leaky underpass barely 15 feet wide, with not a single lift or escalator anywhere. Imagine what it is like in rush hour, with people beginning their journeys to work or changing trains. Not to mention, Clapham Junction is a major hub for people making their way to Gatwick Airport.
So I’m pretty thrilled to hear that there are plans to upgrade this station – it’s desperately needed. Hopefully these will go ahead – however, a major plank of the funding is going to be two tower blocks of luxury flats built up over the station. One wonders how commercial these will turn out to be – would you like living over a station with a through-put of 119 trains per hour off-peak? That is, of course, if complaints from locals don’t scupper the development at the planning stage. Also, it has to be said, in this post sub-prime economic apocalypse, it would be a very brave developer who actually went ahead with this!
From the drawings released, the development doesn’t look architecturally distinguished – not anywhere near the standard of the Waterloo or St Pancras Eurostar terminals or the stations on the Jubilee Line extension. However, I suppose this is sarf London and we must be grateful for what we can get!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Tamara Drewe
Joanathan Cape, 2007
This graphic novel was originally serialized in The Guardian from September 2005 to December 2006 – I hardly missed an issue; I loved it. However, it was only when I bought the book (published Oct 2007) that I realized the plot was an updated version of Thomas Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd.
Quite embarrassing as (a) the novel was one of my set texts at school and (b) Posy Simmonds doesn’t exactly disguise her intentions in any way! – “Far from the Madding Crowd” are the first words of her book - the headline of an advert for a writer’s retreat where the action is about to take place.
It goes to show though that one can enjoy Tamara Drewe on its own merits, without any knowledge of Hardy’s original text. But equally, it’s great fun to follow Simmond’s exceptionally imaginative and intelligent recreation of the novel’s plot, characters and even themes.
I particularly like the way she borrows and repeats the novel’s motifs and incidents in a reframed way – for example instead of the cheeky Valentine’s card inflaming Farmer Boldwood, Nicholas Hardiman gets an email (cc’d to Tamara’s two other suitors from her computer by a mischevious village teenager). But for me the most satisfying reuse of a motif is the mad dog herding livestock to destruction – to completely different ends.
While fairly dramatic, it is clear Simmonds restrains Hardy’s wild melodrama somewhat. Ben Sergeant isn’t nearly as wicked a character as Sergeant Troy, although his sulky sexiness does cause trouble for the female characters.
I have to quote Wikipedia’s marvelous line from their plot summary:
“Her [i.e. Bathsheba’s] initial dislike turns to infatuation after he excites her with a private display of expert swordsmanship.”
Quite so.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
All About Eve
All About Eve
“Miss Casswell is an actress, a graduate of the Copacabana School of Dramatic Art.” - George Sanders as Addison Dewitt, a critic, introducing Marilyn Monroe as Claudia Casswell. My favourite line from this movie, which is composed entirely of fantastic lines.
I have wanted to see this movie for ages, and took the opportunity to see it at the Curzon in Mayfair when it came out on re-release just before Christmas. The thought of seeing this remastered old classic (1950) on the silver screen was exciting; slightly disappointing therefore that the Curzon Screen 2 is just about the size of an overgrown domestic plasma screen!
The film richly deserves its classic status, with a wonderful script by Joseph L Mankiewicz and great performances.
I was very struck however by the gender politics on view.
Actresses complain about the lack of good roles for women today; this movie contains 3 totally central female roles. It is the message these roles convey which is odd. The women are the protagonists of the story, with the men virtually oblivious adjuncts to a female cat-fight. In terms of the power structures in the story’s theatre world, however, the men dominate: as playwright; director; producer and critic. The only power available to women in this world is as the star – Bette Davis as Margo Channing is the archetypal diva-bitch.
Margo’s foregoing of a plum role in favour of her relationship with her man is seen as her salvation as a woman. The movie contrasts this with Anne Bancroft’s Eve, whose ruthless ambition is depicted as completely without limits.
Resolutions for 2008
1) If at all possible, I really really really want to replace all the stuff that was stolen last year – my mac powerbook, iPod and camera. But NOT on credit.
2) Last year I resolved to try and post at least 9 times a month. In 2007 I made 113 posts – a monthly average of 9.416. Well done to me, I hit my target! Yippee! BUT – my monthly numbers ranged from zero (August) to 22 (March). So, for 2008, I’m aiming to for a monthly average of 12 posts, with never less than 9 or more than 15 to improve consistency.
3) Finances finances finances – please may 2008 see a turnaround in this area!
2) Last year I resolved to try and post at least 9 times a month. In 2007 I made 113 posts – a monthly average of 9.416. Well done to me, I hit my target! Yippee! BUT – my monthly numbers ranged from zero (August) to 22 (March). So, for 2008, I’m aiming to for a monthly average of 12 posts, with never less than 9 or more than 15 to improve consistency.
3) Finances finances finances – please may 2008 see a turnaround in this area!
In Rainbows
Speaking as someone who parted ways with Radiohead around the time of Kid A (OK Computer being a hot contender for my best album of all time), In Rainbows is absolutely genius. My expectations were not high, but encouraged by the hype over their choice of distribution channels, as well as reviews suggesting this was their most commercial attempt for quite a while, I took a punt on the CD. I’ve played it back to back all week. I’m sure my neighbours are going completely crazy. Ah well, at least it’s a change from my previous obsession with Arcade Fire!
As I didn’t download this last year due to an ongoing computer absence, and as the cheap CD version was only released at the beginning of January, this is definitely my album of the year (2008). It will really take a lot to beat this.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Quote London
Rosie Boycott, in ES Magazine, 4/1/08:
“Cities use up 75 per cent of the world’s resources and London alone uses the environmental resources of an area 120 times its size – equivalent to all the productive land in Britain. Londoners spend £11 billion on food a year and 80 per cent of it is imported from abroad.”
“Cities use up 75 per cent of the world’s resources and London alone uses the environmental resources of an area 120 times its size – equivalent to all the productive land in Britain. Londoners spend £11 billion on food a year and 80 per cent of it is imported from abroad.”
Belated
Happy New Year!
I’m feeling a bit perkier this morning. Hopefully my chronic cold is finally on the way out (had it since 20 December). At any rate, my bio-active Echinacea tincture made with live kombucha culture arrived today, so here’s hoping!
The cold was grim and depressing – it keeps coming back and spreading around; I’ve had it everywhere – chest, throat, nose, ears. Eyes, etc etc etc.
Back at work, we’ve had major server problems so between the coled and server issues I’ve not done any blogging.
Into 2008 . . .
I’m feeling a bit perkier this morning. Hopefully my chronic cold is finally on the way out (had it since 20 December). At any rate, my bio-active Echinacea tincture made with live kombucha culture arrived today, so here’s hoping!
The cold was grim and depressing – it keeps coming back and spreading around; I’ve had it everywhere – chest, throat, nose, ears. Eyes, etc etc etc.
Back at work, we’ve had major server problems so between the coled and server issues I’ve not done any blogging.
Into 2008 . . .
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