Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Here's looking at you, kid.

For one reason or another, I've got a pile of movies to watch over the next little while. Some new, some old. It's really interesting re-watching movies from years ago and seeing how they compare to my memory of them.

Tonight it's Casablanca, I have seen it before but it was when I was doing a film paper at varsity. Unfortunately myself and another friend didn't attend too many of those lectures, they were possibly either very early in the morning - 8 am (unfathomable!) - which I think was the equivalent of my 5 am today, or they were on a Friday. And, back then, Friday was the first day of the weekend.

For our non-attending sins we ended up doing a 48 hour movie marathon in an effort to cram for our exam, which meant the films sort of ended up colliding into each other. The movie version of a Contiki Tour.

Last night I watched Kramer vs Kramer. The thing that really struck me about that movie was how both of the lead characters (Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep), to begin with, are both really incredibly annoying - stellar performances by both of them - but I didn't like either of their characters.

The night before last was The Godfather and, for me, that still stands up. Tomorrow night is The Godfather II which is three hours long. Pass me the cup of tea, the pop corn and the lie down.

My favourite so far has been Adaptation, the comedy drama written Charlie Kaufman, directed by Spike Jonze and starring Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep. I had seen it when it came out, but I enjoyed it so much more than when I first watched it in 2002.

It's quite interesting how the same actors keep popping up, but it doesn't mean you necessarily still like them. The night after I watched Nicolas Cage in Adaptation I watched him in Leaving Las Vegas, he was really good, but I couldn't stand the film. I put it down to being Nicolas Caged-out but possibly it was just too black for Pollyanna over here.

Anyhou, I won't bang on with an endless list of what I've watched and what I've yet to watch 'cause A) that would be boring and B) I've got a date with Casablanca.

*Goes searching for popcorn*

Monday, March 28, 2011

Things you don't think about.

I was talking to a colleague of mine who spent much of last week in Christchurch working inside the earthquake cordon.She was describing the absolute devastation of it, and then went on to say how much it really stunk, especially on Manchester Street.

She was talking about a fish shop which was right beside a butchery shop.

Can you even begin to imagine the collective smell of month-old shops full of rotting fish and meat?

Urgh, some poor people have got some really rugged jobs ahead of them.

But then I thought, perhaps that could be a fitting job for the looters?


Wednesday, March 23, 2011

How to make the world a scarier place....

..give cats opposable thumbs.
Be very afraid.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Eat your heart out, Goldilocks.

Sometimes I hear stories of people's incompetence and they just fill me with joy.

In this case, it's the story of a Northland teenager, bless her wee cotton socks.

Kerikeri police report that the 17 year old broke into a house, helped herself to some money and 'other bits and pieces', got overwhelmed with a spontaneous attack of narcolepsy and had to have a wee kip on the sofa.

Only to be discovered the following morning by the vaguely bewildered victims of her crime after they woke up.

Police say alcohol had 'almost certainly played a part in her failed burglary'.

If I was her, I would seriously be considering another career, cause it's looking like crime isn't working out for her.



Saturday, March 19, 2011

When you put it like that...

I was reading Newsweek and stumbled upon these words from Simon Winchester.

'In calmer times we invariably forget the most stern and chilling of mantras hold, quite simply, that mankind inhabits this earth subject to geological consent, which can be withdrawn at any time.'

Kind of makes you realise that if there were to be the Humans vs Geology Grand Slam, we would be the underdogs.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The eighties called, they want their shorts back.

Bit flat out like a lizard drinking the moment with work, but thought I just had to share this from Awkward Family Photo, the website that just keeps on giving.I'm picking the family sport is body building and stubbie wearing.

Genius.

Monday, March 14, 2011

A question.

So they're saying that the devastating earthquake in Japan was so powerful that it's moved the earth on its axis.

What I want to know is: how on earth do they measure that ?

I'm picking that it's not with a tape measure.