The Weekend

Got asked why I didn't post at the weekend. 


I lost a poker and was sulking. True story.


OK, only half true. I lost and poker and then had quite a lot of stuff going on around my house.


Not really an excuse I know but I am about to be a Dad.

Going Dark

I like wrestling, in a "I'm not really that fussed bout it but enjoy watching it with my friends" kind of a way. 


I know, it's stupid, but I love the theatre of it. It also highlights why I don't like "real sport" - in reality, the little guy rarely beats Man Utd. But in wrestling it happens regularly.


So, in anticipation of the Royal Rumble (my favourite event of the year), I have had a complete Facebook and Twitter blackout to avoid the result. Thus far, I've been successful, and I'm off to watch it now. 


So yay me.

Whirly Gig

So the gig was pretty awesome. 


My Heroine stole the show (to the point that I felt sorry for the band that followed them). After the girls finished playing, they were met with a chant of "One More Song", which apparently time constraints wouldn't let them answer. The band that followed them pretty much emptied the room (fail), which was primarily because the lead singer was going for a "sexy-mechanic" look (she missed) and she kept berating the crowd for not being into her music enough, which is really only something you can do if you're Johnny Rotten.


A special highlight of the set for me was the fact that they've now acquired their own "Bez", in the form of a woman who danced manically through the entire set. Depressingly, so few people got the reference when I mentioned Bez that I felt very old. But on the plus-side, there's something rather EPIC about the drummer (and one of my bessie mates) giving you a wink and a smile midway through your favourite song. Doesn't suck to know the band...even if I am kinda like a sexless groupie now.


If you're interested in seeing the girls before their international mega-stars, check out their tumblr.


So what else happened? Well, I got to play "wing-man", helping a friend of mine hook up - he got her number so looks like I did a pretty good job. That's right - Tom Cruise eat your heart out. Was Tom Cruise the wing man? Oh, I don't care.


The gig was at the o2 Academy in Islington, but my friend Al went to the o2 Arena first...something that will keep me chuckling for a long time. 


Oh and my good friend Jake revealed to everyone that he enjoys a "leisurely" shower in the morning. And I'm pretty sure "leisurely" IS a euphamism. 


Too. Much. Information. 

Gig-iddy!

Off to see My Heroine gig at the o2 Islington tonight. I've never been to the venue before but it sounds prestigious.


Feedback tomorrow.

The BBQ

I'm sure you're all on tenterhooks about this, but the theme for this year's BBQ is Eighties.


The possibilities are endless...better get started on my costume now though...

Under the Boardwalk

If you've seen the penultimate episode of Boardwalk, you'll know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, you won't.


EEEEEEEUUURRGHHH!


I actually threw up in my mouth a little.

Bit of a problem

The problem with the Game of Thrones books is that I've now started using really outdated language because I've spent so much time reading them over the last few months.

I keep referring to things as a "Mummers Farce".

No-one else gets it.

It's coming

It's early days, but arrangements are already underway for the summer BBQ.

The theme has been picked and so has the date. Is it wrong to be excited now, even if it's six months away?

Wait, only six months? Time to start working on my costume.

The (Sam) Axe is falling

I like Burn Notice. It's fun. Plus it's got Bruce Campbell in.

So imagine my joy at Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe.

All Bruce Campbell films are super cheesy B-Movies and this is no exception. Which is why I liked it. He even got to say "Groovy".

Plus, we found out where the "Chuck Finlay" persona came from.

Win.

I've got a theory

The season 2 finale of Sherlock was pretty epic. If you haven't seen it yet stop reading, as here be spoilers...

The question on everyone's lips is, how did he fake his death? I think it's fairly obvious that Molly had something to do with it (hence the reason he "needed her help"), but it's got to be more complicated than him just nicking a body off of her. Here's my (probably extremely flawed) theory:

- Firstly, Moriarty used a Sherlock Holmes double when he kidnapped the children. This was why the little girl screamed when she saw Sherlock because the person who had been holding her captive looked just like him. With the onset of Sherlock's new found fame, celebrity look-a-likes would be common.

- Secondly, Moriarty is a guy who likes to tie up loose ends (remember him killing off people in previous episodes?) So once he was done with the look-a-like, he had him murdered.

- Thirdly, Sherlock used his homeless network to locate the body. The favour from Molly was for her to arrange for the John Doe to be brought to the hospital so he could use it. Then prior to Moriarty meeting him, he secreted it on the roof in the same clothes that he was wearing.

- Finally, when Watson got knocked by the cyclist (which Sherlock had arranged), he made the switch.

This all hinges on Sherlock thinking ahead of Moriarty, which frankly he needs to have done. Otherwise so many things about their final confrontation show that Moriarty had out-thought Sherlock, which is fairly unsatisfying.

I should point out that I've only watched the episode once, so if there are holes in my guess, please feel free to pick them apart.

Mother Reader

So, I introduced my Mum to the Song of Ice and Fire books (the ones Game of Thrones is based on for the uninitiated) back when I was on Book 3.


She has now not only caught up with me, but overtaken me as I read through book 5.


True, I have a new job and am working hard at it and am no longer commuting for three hours a day, thus reducing my reading time, but still... I feel like a bit of a failure.


Must. Try. Harder.

The texts I like to receive

So, a friend of mine is currently reading my book and is either enjoying it or doing a really good job of faking her enjoyment.


Luckily, I'm not her girlfriend so don't really care if she's faking it. Instead I'm just enjoying the fact that someone is enjoying something I worked so hard on (typos aside).


If you've missed my several posts about the book in question, it's called "A Nightmare at the Movies" and you can download an electronic copy here.


Hope you enjoy it as much as my friend Laura is pretending to.

Weekend of Win

So the missus and I spent the weekend with two of our best friends. We do these weekends maybe once every two months, and the awesome thing about them is that the four of us just get changed into our pajamas, chill out, watch TV and film and eat badly. It's pretty damn perfect.


This weekend included introducing my friend Alex to The Usual Suspects (it stands up) and working our way through pretty much a whole series of True Blood.


They recently bought a new 55" TV, which only enhances the viewing pleasure.


And what did I learn this weekend?


a) I really fancy Jessica from True Blood
b) I really need to eat less chocolate

Sherlocked

Nobody in my office watches Sherlock.


This means i can't talk to anyone about yesterday's epic (and thoroughly awesome) season finale.


Now I know how football fans must feel when they share an office with me.


The difference being that Sherlock isn't boring like football.


Just saying.

Keeping Mum

Due to an unforgivable oversight on my part, I haven't pointed out that my Mum has now joined the blogosphere.


You can find her posts here. 


They're more entertaining than mine and also contain much better spelling and grammar.   

Happy anniversary

So for our anniversary, I took my wife to see two films at the cinema. Sherlock Holmes 2 and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Which effectively breaks down as scenes of homoeroticism and scenes of anal rape.

How romantic.

I touched on SH2 yesterday, so won't cover that again. With regards, to TGWTDT, I'm a big fan of the books and have seen the original Swedish version. How did this compare? Well, for one Fincher is a masterful director. The film is clearly set up to be part of a trilogy, hence he makes more of Berger than the Swedish version did, and she's much more important in later books. It's a long film, but I never once checked my watch, which suggests that I was gripped throughout.

I'm not sure if I would have got as much out of it if I hadn't read the books, but obviously that's difficult for me to judge.

Overall, worth a watch, if you can get past the (frankly harrowing) rape scenes and the weird fetish James Bond-esque credits.  

The Shadow Game

So, "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows".


It's billed as being bigger, better, louder than the first film. It's certainly louder.


Now I'm a big fan of the first Sherlock Holmes not least because:
a) Robert Downey-Jr is brilliant
b) It's the only film where I don't want to punch Jude Law in the face (including films he's not in)
c) It's was a remarkable return to form for Guy Ritchie, who, despite what anyone says, made some good films. "Lock, Stock" is great - it just fell apart when he got to "Revolver". And the less said about "Swept Away" the better


Anyway, SH2 didn't disappoint. I didn't think it was as good as the first, but it did have the welcome addition of Stephen Fry as Mycroft. 


Cons: Lestrad wasn't in it enough. Noomi Rapace was completely underused.
Pros: Jared Harris made an excellent Moriarty. And there was lots of camp banter between Holmes and Watson, which was thoroughly entertaining. The "fight" scene at the end was also very well done. 


All in all, a fun popcorn film and a worthy sequel.

And the winner is...

So film of the year then.


Unsurprisingly, my favourite film of the year was Super 8.


Incredibly heart-wrenching performances in a gripping story as a teenage boy comes to terms with the death of his mother, whilst discovering young love for the first time.


I just thought it was a well-directed, well-acted movie, which I'll be able to watch again and again for years to come. The fact it's a homage to all things Spielberg from my youth just made me like it even more.


In my mind thoroughly deserving of the title "film of the year".


Sorry it took so long to get it all down!


My post-film review can be found here.

And in second place

So, film of the year continues. To those regular readers who remember my earlier praise, it should be no surprise that at two we have "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy".


A genuine British gem with an amazing British cast led more-than-ably by Gary Oldman. Solid performances all around, but Colin Firth, Kathy Burke, Tom Hardy are all good. In fact, scratch that, it's almost unfair to start naming people as everyone involved is excellent.


Thoroughly tense, even when there's very little "action" taking place on the screen. Everything takes place in the minute details, the slightest look can mean everything, a small action tells a whole story.


Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.


My post-film review can be found here.

Film of the year (third place)

Yes, I'm determined to drag this out as long as possible.


So, my third favourite film of the year was...


Harry Potter 7b.


Now, I've never really been a fan of the Potter films. Yes, they're a who's who of British thesps, and yes, Alan Rickman is brilliant throughout, but overall they've always left me cold.


Maybe it's because I'm such a fan of the books (a late convert, I'll admit), but with the exception of "Prisoner of Azkaban" the films have never lived up to the source material in my opinion. 


So huzzah for Deathly Hallows part II. After the first hour it becomes a Siege movie, which makes it even more interesting, but even before that there are some stand out moments. McGonnagle standing up to Snape gave me goosebumps.


Then there's Neville's heroic transformation and the genuinely heartbreaking Snape flashback.


A truly excellent end to a real hit and miss series, this is hands down the best of the eight and if the Potters were ever going to be recognised for awards, this would be the one to do it.  

Bon Anniversaire

No posts over the weekend due to spending a quiet celebratory few days with my wife. We've been together for eight years and have been married for three, and as the two anniversaries are within days of each other we like to stretch out the celebrations as long as possible. 


This weekend we did a cine-double of the super romantic Girl with the Dragon Tattoo followed by Sherlock Holmes 2.


I will review both soon, but first I know I've been keeping people on tenterhooks for my film of 2011 (or at least the two people who care).


You'll have to be patient one more day though...

Post-Christmas Blues

Can't believe it's been nearly two weeks since Christmas.


Sad times.


And yes, I know I still haven't done my top film of 2011. Be patient with me!

Quote of the Week 2012

So the first "Quote of the Week" for 2012. This was from my brother-in-law Rob, during a discussion about the difference between US and UK politics.


When asked about Ed Milliband, Rob responded:


"He looks like Jim has 'fixed it' for him to be the leader of a major political party, and he still can't believe it".


A little bit of politics ladies and gentlemen...

TV show of the Year

So, in all seriousness, my TV Show of the Year (2011). Tough one this as I watch a LOT of TV, so decided to settle on a top three. 


Honourable mentions go to Season 4 of Burn Notice for being great fun, Life's Too Short for being incredibly funny and tragic at the same time, Season 3 of Fringe for being brilliant Sci-Fi and In Treatment for just being brilliant.


So, my top three (in very particular order):


3) Boardwalk Empire. Steve Buscemi is outstanding as Nucky Thompson in this prohibition-era drama. Michael Pitt is also ace and Gretchen Moll is the definition of yummy (and slightly too possessive) mummy. Michael Shannon (soon to be Zod) steals every scene he's in, and Kelly MacDonald provides the heart to this gangster crime drama. What else could you want? Al Capone? Good, as he's in it too.


2) The Walking Dead. A zombie show that isn't really about zombies. Firstly, who knew Andrew Lincoln could do a convincing American accent? Secondly, who knew Frank Darabont would get involved in TV. This was consistently gripping and had me hooked from start to finish. Alternating between gloriously slow character development and intense yet understated horror (does anyone remember the deserted streets of Atlanta?) this would have been number one if not for...


1) Game of Thrones. Yes, I was into the TV show before the books. No, I really didn't see the end of the penultimate episode coming. Truly magnificent television, which captured all the epicness of Lord of the Rings, with the grit and grime of the Sopranos.  Loved watching the Starks and the Lannisters plot against each other, even if you did get the sense that they weren't really the ones playing the titular game. Sean Bean was brilliant although Peter Dinklage as Tyrion quickly became my (and clearly everyone's) favourite character. Well plotted, well scripted, well filmed. Everything about this was television at it's best and has become the new yard-stick for other shows to measure themselves against.

Book of the Year

So, I've decided to tot up my book, film and TV show of the year, if only because everyone else seems to be doing it (or more accurately has already done it) and I'm nothing if not late to the party.


So first is my Book of the Year which goes to...The City and the City. It's a bit of a cop out as it wasn't released this year, but then I don't get to read that many books. So really the award should be "the best book I read this year". Which it is.


I'm sure I'll be more relevant on my TV show of the year (FRIENDS) and my film of the year (Pulp Fiction). 


I am, of course, kidding about those two. Or am I? You'll just have to wait and see...  

Belatedly...

Forgot to say yesterday, Happy New Year! Hope it brings you much joy and happiness.

For me, I'm hoping I make more timely posts.

Drunken Christmas Fail

Christmas was absolutely awesome, as was the New Year. Spent 4 days over Christmas with my parents, came home for a night and am now in the middle of 4 days in Wales with my in-laws.

But I've been drunk a lot, hence I haven't been posting.

Fail.