Spent the weekend in the countryside visiting ye olde parents as my Dad had his operation on Thursday. Finally found out that it was properly called HIFU and seems like an amazing operation which requires no real nasty cutting, no prolonged stay in hospital or anything too grim. He will keep banging on about his portable wine box but that’s because he’s icky and no, I’m not going to explain, you’ll just have to work it out.
May 14, 2007
May 13, 2007
Bugger
Sometimes it’s really annoying being a football fan.
Apparently we played well but it’s no good unless the results are with you. I will be very nervous on Tuesday.
May 9, 2007
28 Weeks Later
28 Weeks Later is a surprisingly good film. Actually it’s a damn good film and I was lucky enough to see it last night, ahead of its release on Friday.
Although there are notable exceptions, sequels are rarely as good as the original and quite a few people thought 28 Days Later lost the plot half way through (I mostly enjoyed it but found the alternate endings really annoying). However, there was a point to this film beyond extending the franchise which is well summed up by Mark Kermode in the Observer (although the latter part of this review is dear Mark getting overly up himself as per usual):
“Blending thought-provoking moments with heart-stopping scares, the film is both terrifying and thrilling: a worthy successor to 28 Days Later.”
The Observer, 6th May 2007
28 Weeks operates on a number of levels and left me feeling exhausted, terrified and disturbed (this is a good thing). There were echoes of Iraq, Vietnam and the liquidation of the ghettoes - made all the more terrifying by the backdrop of the familiar landmarks and deserted streets of London.
(Although the London thing is also the cause of my only real gripe about this film and that’s its total inaccuracy about the geography of the place - picky I know but I do find those sorts of things really irritating).
I will avoid spoilers but here’s the basic premise of the plot: 28 weeks after the Rage virus has annihilated Britain, the reconstruction of the country is begining in the Isle of Dogs under the watchful eye of the US army. A family is reunited and pesky kids endanger all and sundry by breaking out of the safe zone. Needless to say their actions lead to a rather devastating chain of events which results in the virus being unleashed on London yet again. From then on in it gets really gory and really scary and I won’t give anything else away.
It is one of those films though where you come out of the cinema and talk about the ending as if it’s happening - well I did and for me that’s a sign that it’s pretty shit hot. So, if you can stand the sight of blood and like being scared witless, then go and see this film.
May 6, 2007
Toujours le Francais
Why do the French depresessingly conform to type and expectation? Although apparently we’re meant to be thrilled because Monsieur Sarkozy is not a francais francais. Well whoopy do, he’s not Monsieur Le Pen. Je suis d’accord Petite Anglaise.
Oh when the Saints…
We’re in the play offs. SO excited.
Unfortunately have to face Derby so a bit fucked in that department. I am keeping eveything crossed though and hope to have Wembley in our sights soon.
Obviously step child has been rather scuppered which is disappointing. Not so much that Chelsea didn’t win the premiership but that the league is wrapped up already. A shame really as I would have loved Wednesday’s match to have been a nail-biting climax.
May 5, 2007
Strange allegiances
It’s the weird time in the football calendar when you start rooting for teams you normally don’t like/couldn’t give a stuff about. On this note: please, please, please can QPR win tomorrow (and if we can beat Southend that would be handy too). I will also use this opportunity to say (as I say every single year with boring repetition), the promotion system is totally screwy. I think (and therefore this is the way it should be) that only the top team should get automatic promotion and then the next four teams should play for two promotion places. Obviously that would complicate things further in this instance because I would want Leicester and Barnsley to win as well. But that’s not the way it is because football is largely run by idiots.
Come on you Saints, let’s at least get to the play offs this year (promotion would be nice too but I’m a Southampton fan so have learnt through bitter experience not to get my hopes up).
Dallas
They’re showing reruns of Dallas (UKTV Gold or some equally embarrassing channel) and I’ve forgotten how rather fabulous it was. I can’t think that I ever watched it in the beginning because my parents were rather strict on the television front (Grange Hill was even banned when I was young) but I definitely watched it round the whole ‘who shot JR?’ saga. Of course it’s totally unbelievable but that’s half the appeal. Although it did really lose all credibility in series 9 - yes the ‘it was all a dream’ revelation. Long dream unless Patrick Duffy was reprising his role in The Man From Atlantis and had spent 30 weeks in the shower. Don’t think I watched it much after that (possibly more to do with actually getting a social life at around the same point).
Revelation this week though was that Jenna Wade was originally played by Morgan Fairchild. To me she was the epitome of the ’80s - all shoulder pads, glamour and hair. She was also in a film, The Initiation of Sarah, which I haven’t seen for years and is probably quite crap but I loved it at the time. It also starred Morgan Brittany - another ’80s superbitch type of actress person who also appeared in Dallas.
Okay, tour of ’80s TV over (and - I’ve just realised - my rather worrying knowledge). It’s one of those guilty pleasures that I know I can only enjoy for a short period of time - well until I get a slightly more taxing job: soon hopefully PLEASE! Rather like Deal or No Deal and best not get me started how completely addictive that is. Takes about two or three episodes to work out what the bobbins is going on and then you are totally sucked into it.
Actually… before I leave the ’80s completely, Tales of the Unexpected is being rerun on one of the ITV channels on Friday nights. As I have very little in the way of a Friday night social life any more (yes, get out those violins), it’s a rather marvellous way to round off an evening.
I’ve put loads of links in as - rather sadly - I realise there are sentient, taxpaying adults out there who probably never watched Dallas or Tales of the Unexpected as they were born in the 1980s (this a terrifying concept).
May 3, 2007
Alan Ball
Alan Ball was much-loved by all in football but he had a special place in the hearts of us Saints fans.
