uppy birthday da dada

wow, i hit 35 today!! quite a few people appeared to have forgotten this little nugget of information, but never mind, those that did recall made it a rather special day indeed!

highlight of the day was easily when i got home. it had been a particularly lousy day at verk followed by an hour or so in traffic, so it was with great delight that i saw Michele in the doorway holding a plate with three cup cakes with candles in them, and James stood, quasi-choir boy like, singing "uppy birthday da dada" with all his heart.


that, quite frankly, was gift enough, but Michele had selected some awesome presents, and James did an equally awesome job of opening them all up for me!! what did i get??

the deluxe, "uber" special edition of This Is Elvis was a very pleasant surprise. not only is it an almost perfect film about The King (they for some reason seem to suggest he is dead in it?), but it was perfect when James opened it up for me and started singing and dancing, shouting "Yaaaaaay! Elvis!". at last, it seems, James has truly accepted the magnificence of The King!!

i am not sure when i will get the time to sit down and watch the whole of the double disc set, in particular as i still have the Elvis - That's The Way It is "uber" set to watch, but with James' new found love of The King, i am optimistic about a screening of a least some of it at the weekend!!


now for me, Angel Heart is an astonishing masterpiece. very few seem to agree. i recall watching a retrospective on the director, Alan Parker, some 6 - 7 years after it was made, and the film didn't even get a mention in passing. i think it was that poncy tripe The South Bank Show, but that is no excuse.

if you have not seen this masterpiece, you should consider seeing it as soon as possible. but be warned, it is rather dark and pretty much without rival to this day in regards of graphic content. it's rather difficult to give much of a reason for watching it without giving the plot, and to give the plot could well spoil the experience. the best i can offer is that it is probably the closest anything in the 80's came to being like The Usual Suspects, although considerably darker and more disturbing.

De Niro still appeared to care about "acting" in this one, and it is easily the best work Mickey Rourke has done. and, for the tabloid loving scandal types, i seem to recall that this was the film that got Lisa Bonet sacked from the rather family orientated Cosby Show!!


Star Trek II The Wrath Of Khan does that same trick that The Empire Strikes Back did - a second film in a sci-fi series that easily surpassed the standard and quality of the first, and then in no way did the series ever get this good again.

Star Trek II is an actual, proper film - strange as it is a "sequel" to one of the TV series episodes, but it somehow pulls it off, even if you have never seen an episode from the 60's. it's loaded with drama, suspense, actions, thrills and yes, effects - they still look good today. dear me, if memory serves correct, William Shatner, that's William Shatner, is rather impressive here in the role that made him who he is. as indicated, the remainder of the Star Trek films had to live under the shadow of this masterpiece - there was no way they could compete, and it was not long until they stopped even trying to. which is why i look forward to watching this one again!!



i have no idea when exactly i will find the time to sit and watch these, or the whole of Seinfeld which i now own (nice one Michele, thanks xxx). i shall, as it were, find the time somewhere. it's not like i need to sleep at weekends, i guess!!

thank you to all of you who sent on birthday wishes!!!!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!