Flaming Zinc

Whilst waiting for Alex to take a break from programming to spend some ‘quality time’ with me, I was channel hopping and paused on My Best Friend’s Wedding. Which got me thinking about films we are willing to sit through because of an interesting or entertaining cameo. So, here is my list of films that I wouldn’t mind owning in a heavily edited format:

• Rupert Everett in the aforementioned MBFW
• Alan Rickman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Dogma, January Man, Die Hard, etc
• Dougray Scott in Mission Impossible 2
• Nigel Hawthorne in Demolition Man or The Object of My Affection
• At a push Jeff Goldblum in Nine Months
• William H. Macy in Mystery Men
• Steve Buscemi in Armageddon

Any suggestions?

A confession, don’t judge as it’s an affliction, I love musicals. The repetitive rifts, soaring crescendos, the catchy lyrics and the dancing. Can’t get enough of that genre, as long as it isn’t Disney related or involving singing animals.

So, of course I had to see The Phantom of the Opera. Not bad for a glossy Hollywood outing. I was routing for PotO, he has so much more going for him than the Raoul. Roomy basement dwelling with own canal, white steed, gondola and an endless supply of candles and frilly white shirts (which is what I assume he spends his haunting allowance on). But, I can understand why Christine was a little scared of him, but hey coming face to face with a mannequin of yourself in a wedding dress could have been worse – PotO could have gone over all Norman Bates. The cast is great, Minnie Driver v funny as the prima donna and I never thought I’d seen Jennifer Ellison as Miranda Richardson’s daughter.

The flip side to all that frothiness is Hotel Rwanda. My hacky writing cannot do it justice – so go see it. A PG-13 telling of the Rwanda genocide, so it has a sanitised portrayal of the slaughter, but it is still a powerful film. At first I was annoyed with the rating, but then I realised that it would get it to a wider audience. Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo are spell binding and truly worthy of all nominations. Paul Rasesabagina is an inspiration, and I left feeling ashamed.

In the same train of thought as “Why can’t mankind learn from its mistakes”, Flight of the Phoenix. When the powers that be remade a classic can’t they avoid the aspects that weakened the original? The James Stewart and Richard Attenborough version suffered from being slightly flabby and housing terrible sterotypes. Guess what the Dennis Quaid one needs to hit the gym , and loosen up on the sterotypes. Doh! Firstly, Dennis Quaid, as much as I love him in DOA, Any Given Sunday, Playing by Heart, etc, he cannot do action movies. I think he panics and channels back to Innerspace – aarrggghhh. The original cast at least looked suitably distressed at their situation and started to go mad in the desert rather the modern crew who look like they have crashed landed straight into a Club 18-30 resort. But, hey there is an upside……Mr Laurie.

Okay, running out of steam. Ocean’s Twelve is lame. Sure they all look pretty enough but where’s the grift?

The days between Christmas and New Year are a bit like no-man’s land. One year is nearly over, but the next is yet to start. Should I busy myself with clearing out my closet and getting all the over due task of ‘04 out of the way? Or focus on filling in my nice shiny new diary and working my way through my Christmas DVDs?

In the UK pretty much everything grinds to a halt till the 2nd, but over here we bravely soldier on. Of course in all my previous incarnations I ended up working those days. Part manning the fort, part lack of judgment since I would always use up all my vacation days before years end. Not that it bothered me that much. The office would be a skeleton crew, I’d sit and read awaiting the crisis that would justify my presence. Until that is we forgotten few would head to the pub.

I dropped the ball with regard to my Christmas Day post. Gifts, meringue making and socialising got in the way of blogging. So here are some of my favorite things about the yule tide period, in no particular order:

1. Excessive use of fairy lights and all things that twinkle
2. Stunted oranges (not chocolate but clemintines, satsumas, etc)
3. Mince Pies
4. Wrapping presents whilst watching While You Were Sleeping (one of my favorite Christmas films)
5. Christmas trees – something very pagan (or should I say German) about having an evergreen along side your DVD collection
6. The coming of Leah – I love that Christmas co-insides with me (and Alex) making it all the more special
7. I will never be too old for chocolate money and all things associated with Santa Socks
8. In the UK Christmas television specials dominate, not so over here where festive episodes air at the start of December – allowing us to catch up on DVDs, Radio 4 specials and games
9. Panicked shoppers emanating merriment and mirth as they push you out of the way on busy streets
10. Skewed gender roles (men in frocks and principle boys who are girls) in the British tradition that is pantomimes

A fitting article from the beeb, I think I fall into the category of a geek widow and I guess that would make Alex a film or narrative junkie widower (it always cuts both ways). Not that I am complaining, there are far worse things that your other half could get up to in the wee hours and I have never seen it as a point of conflict within our relationship. As long as you are honest about it. Of course it could be said that Alex has ‘converted’ me. I can’t imagine sharing a computer (don’t we all need our own one?), I no longer buy a daily paper (save trees read it online) and I have a blog because of him, but I still can’t play video games for toffee.

Why do the main stream think it sad if you stay up late programming, blogging or gaming but if you spent the same amount of time reading something they deem worthy, painting, writing or composing then it’s not an activity to be ashamed of but intellect at work.

I am sat in bed with a mug of tea (that I didn’t make myself) and plate of donuts, listening to the Today program surrounded by empty envelopes.

Someone else made the breakfast refreshments….it must be….. MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!

I have managed to reach the grand age of twenty eight and feeling very comfortable about it to (which is a surprise as I have spent the past five years sticking at twenty three). Whole life ahead of me and valuable mistakes lessons behind me, bring on 2005 I am ready for you!

I look a little grumpy – but I really am smiling inside

What’s more exciting revising macroeconomics or dressing the tree and covering the flat with fairy lights???

A tough call. So it is probably quite understanding that I am now revising in Santa’s grotto, with a Chris Isaak Christmas playing in the background…. I find christmas trees very zen and hypnotic. As a safety measure I always get a real one, as I fear that if I got an artificial one I would never take it down.

Off to see a man about a tree.

Possible might have made it into the top ten commandments if blogging had been around in the days of Moses. This entry was very nearly a full on, no holds bar vent regarding a transatlantic argument I just had with my brother.

I am an adult, turning 28 in ten days time, I take responsibility for my actions which resulted in me getting into a bit of a pickle. But, I did hope that my furthest and dearest might help me out rather than pass the buck (or in this case the pound) since it was a British based problem. At the end of the day it is not a huge disaster but is just magnified by the distance and inertia.

Hey ho.

I end up turning to my nearest and dearest who saved my bacon once again.

It probably doesn’t help my mood that there has been no mail today, so far…. Where, oh where, are my amazon.co.uk packages and of course the oodles of Christmas and birthday cards that should be winging their way to Alex and I (he’s another December baby to). I’ll just go and check the mail box again…….