vodkafan

The Quick And The Dead. Quirky western with Sharon Stone directed by Sam Raimi. Seen it before. It's kind of a style over substance film you have to suspend disbelief but it's fun.

I am also waiting with bated breath for Jonathan Strange...(What exactly does that mean? What is bated?). I think it's going to be part of the Christmas seasonal programs..not long now edit: I looked up bated. If anybody is interested it is merely a shortened form of "abated" meaning interrupted or stopped or held short for a time. It is not to be confused with "baited" which has a totally different meaning and would make no sense when attached to "breath."

Still watching Little Dorrit. Andy Serkis is so over the top as the French murderer Blandois. He must have had a lot of fun playing him. Alun Armstrong is great as the twin Flintwinch brothers. Matthew Macfayden floats well in his part that holds it all together . He conveys many emotions with just his eye movements. As the old prisoner Tom Courtney flicks from frightened melancholy to indignant rage without warning and is totally convincing. It's like you can see his mind gradually going.

Pirates - the Aardman animation. Quite amusing.

There was nothing I wanted to watch for ages and now like buses a few have come at once. Before I Go To Sleep, Fury, Lucy and The Equalizer.

I am watching the BBC adaptation of Little Dorrit on DVD. 3 episodes in. So far it is great, every bit as good as Bleak House. Forget Shakespeare, Charles Dickens is my hero

Two from my stash: Tropic Thunder and Coach Carter.

I am 6 years late with noticing this thread! Clare the scene I like best is when Daisy is trying to buckle down and do some writing and it seems like she has been wracking her brain for hours concentrating then we see the clock and it's only been five minutes....I laughed so hard at that bit.

http://www.lostateminor.com/2014/09/24/reaction-rescued-lion-seeing-former-carer-touching/?utm_source=LAEM&utm_medium=footer&utm_campaign=grid No reason, just thought people might like to see this

Hello welcome back Dtr. Glad you have time to again

No Country For Old Men. Excellent villain and I loved the way the southern people talked. Not a feel good film though.

I have only ever watched him in this and some crappy Batman thing. I did like him much more in this. Don't ever show him your fake business card! In case yours is better than his!

American Psycho. So weird! Funny and disturbing at the same time.

Lurulu 3/5 Jack Vance Thoughtful Daughter bought me this book for Christmas 2 years ago but I didn't read it straight away for a few reasons; the main one being that it was one of the very few Jack Vance books I had not read and so I wanted to save it. The story concerns Myson Tany, a young man who's stolid parents want him to study and take a career as a financial consultant; but he dreams of being a spaceman and roaming the Gaean Reach. You can probably guess which way the story goes. Comparing this to other Vance stories, Lurulu is in my opinion a bit of a "lazy" effort. It is nothing much more than a set of linked episodes with Myson and his spaceman companions visting planets and getting into situations which are just excuses for Vance's beautiful descriptions of strange people, planetary vistas ,food and clothes.* It is entertaining, but there is no sense of great purpose or urgent danger as in the great sweeping tales of Planet Of Adventure or Araminta Station or the Alastor Cluster stories. So 3/5 is the very best rating I could give it. *it was not till I started writing myself, and started looking at and dissecting different writer's work, that I realised how Vance ALWAYS describes what people are wearing and eating.

The Warwickshire Scandal 4/5 Elizabeth Hamilton This was a non-fiction "research" book but it soon became quite gripping. In 1861 the teenage beauty Harriett Moncrieffe married Sir Charles Mordaunt. Both of these families were ancient titled landed gentry. It was considered a good match. Before she agreed to the marriage, the young Harriett, who had been brought up in a social whirl of balls and dances, laid a stipulation on Sir Charles that she must still be allowed to see her social circle of male friends. The indulgent Sir Charles agreed to this. The couple seemed to get on well and certainly loved each other. The problem arose that when Sir Charles was absent the new young Lady Mordaunt didn't seem to see any wrong in seeing lots of other male admirers too, which included HRH the Prince of Wales (Queen Victoria's son) and his fast set of cronies. The facts are presented, pieced together from servant diaries, statements and private letters. Reading between the lines, Harriet Mordaunt seems to have had titled gentlemen (including the POW) practicaly queueing up to take turns having sex with her. It seems incredible that in that day and age she seemed oblivious that she was doing any wrong. She comes across as rather a dizzy silly person with no sense of responsibility. On the other hand Sir Charles was rather inattentive; he spent most of his time off shooting and fishing, so perhaps he asked for it. Eventually in 1867 she became pregnant . When her daughter Violet was born Harriet seemed to suffer a huge pang of conscience and confessed to her husband that she had slept with at least five men including one who she knew had a venereal disease, but she wasn't sorry because everybody did it; her only regret was that she feared that Violet had been born with the disease and was going blind. The book then relates the two families separating into two camps; Sir Charles, who wanted a divorce, and the Moncrieffes, who tried to have their daughter certified as a lunatic in order that Sir Charles would not be allowed to divorce . It was also undesirable from the point of view of the Queen that the Prince should be implicated in this scandal so they too wanted her committed. In the middle of this the unfortunate Lady Harriet was locked away under guard of servants and doctors. Was she pretending to be mad under orders from her father? Or was she driven mad in reality from being locked away? Did she realise the danger she was in? The author presents all the facts and lets the reader make up their own mind. The court case was awesome! More gripping than any novel. This case rocked the boat of the upper classes and washed their dirty linen in public. Were the lawyers and the judge just and fair? Or were they the agents of the monarchy and the establishment?

It's the way it's written in Scottish accents that takes a little getting used to.

The book is a quick read anyway. The movie is EXCELLENT. Robert Carlyle as Begbie is totally frightening in his violence.

While I was ill I watched: Ghost Ship The Grudge (American version same Japanese director as original) All four episodes of North And South

That series of books looks quite interesting Kate!

In the last few days: Dredd. Last Of The Mohicans. Total Recall (Arnie version) I am watching all my old favourites. I want to watch something new but there is just nothing new that appeals to me.

Jack Vance. And The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer . He was a 16 year old boy when he joined up and was sent to the Russian front. It is an incredible book.

Watched Fight Club with Big Daughter. She really liked it. She had never watched it because she thought it was a martial arts movie.

Thanks Athena! I am reading a little bit more this last couple of weeks because I haven't wrote anything for 10 days. Nothing serious, just figuring out what my characters are going to do next.

Don't think anybody has mentioned What Dreams May Come yet? I really liked that one, also Awakenings, Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting. Although his character in the last one probably breaks every rule for practioners of psychotherapy!

I watched about half hour of a strange film called Palindromes. Supposed to be a comedy but I just found it weird and vaguely disturbing so I switched it off. Watched Dredd again. You know where you are with good old action and violence.