James Destroys Literature

hello

on Sunday morning, i innocently went to go and get breakfast. when i returned, i was presented with some pictures of James as "evidence", some examples above.

whereas the lad has not quite got the hang of crawling (getting there) or walking (he glides in his walking ring), James is the King of Climbing. here he is climbing over our coffee table, destroying magazines at random.

nice one son!!!

They Call Me Bruce? (1982 version)

hi there

i am delighted to report that i have got my hands on this classic of cinema. classic? well, maybe not, but it was quite a nostalgia weekend for me, since i purchased this and no less than four 80's cd compilations.

i have several fond memories of watching The Call Me Bruce when we were all kids, and my brother is most excited about the fact that he will soon be able to watch it again. Mr Michael Llewellyn, if you wish to see it, please send on your postal address and then sit back and wait in anticipation.

what 80's classic is next for my collection? no idea. i don't have the Cannonball Run films..............


be excellent to each other!!

when excellent soundtracks happen to outstanding films

a consequence of playing a fair amount of Derek Bowie in the car has meant hearing his other outstanding musical achievement from the 1980's, This Is Not America. for the other outstanding achievement, refer to my Cat People post.

This Is Not America is the theme from The Falcon And The Snowman, one of the most accomplished, impressive films of the 80's, or any decade really. if you are not aware of the ture events depicted, fear not, no spoilers here!

Sean Penn delivers, arguably, the greatest performance of his career. sure, there are a number of films which can claim to contain his best (At Close Range, Mystic River, Carlito's Way all spring to mind), but this is the one which gets my vote. and, on the basis of this film, you can never, ever understand how or why Timothy Hutton more or less fell off the face of mainstream acting.

it tells of a time when America was seen as the bastion of freedom, the reliable, honest policeman of the world. it unveils the cracks in the foundations, what is really at the heart of the land as we know it now. this and perhaps Blue Velvet were, in retrospect, rather erudite in revealing the America which the world would see in years to come.

it is pretty easy to find this film on DVD. i suggest you do so immediatley.

James at 38 weeks - bath time!

hey everyone

here are the weekly pics of James, and for a pleasant change he is quite awake in them!!

for James, nothing beats smacking some ducks around in the bath and then throwing them around!!

Spiros, you may be pleased to learn that i have put his name things on his bedroom door at last! unlike you, they are quite straight :)

otherwise, all is pretty muck OK. it has been a miserable week at verk, but such is life i suppose.

still listening to quite a bit of Derek Bowie in the car!!

be excellent to each other!!

a disappointing read....

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ABOUT CERTAIN NOVELS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

i really do not like being negative or down about novels or any form of writing. as an aspiring writer, i know how difficult it is. but if your name is Raymond Khoury and you have displayed some astonishing talent as a screenwriter, you should be expected to come up with better than The Last Templar.

there are the obvious (sigh) Da Vinci Code comparisons. it takes a different angle from that one, but if you were into the whole "conspiracy theory" of that one, this one should get you all excited. on that comparison, the novel is not quite as condescending or aloof as, say, The Rule Of Four was to the reader.

a contrived, rushed and pious ending closes a book filled with preposterous plot twists and narrative devices. SPOILER if you thought the "ice berg surfing" incident in Dan Brown's Deception Point was farcical, wait until you get a load of what goes down in this one, as it were. END OF SPOILER.

as for this whole business of deconstructing faiths, the Christian and Catholic churches in particular, i am dubious as to just how far it is going in the world of literature, and have to ask why. by no means am i religious myself, but do hold a high level of respect for those who pursue a more spiritual existance, just as i respect those who believe in whatever they chose to believe in.

please could someone write just a good, old fashioned novel again. one not featuring codes, hidden messages from the past or just blatant Dan Brown bandwagoning. if it carries on like this, i may be compelled to stop being so lazy and write something myself. horror. shock.

LAST POSSIBLE SPOILERthe papal quote prominent on the cover of The Last Templar does not seem to actually feature in the novel, and nor is it that relevant, as things turn out. SPOILERS OVER!!

the book has sold enough already, so i suppose my review will mean nothing. read if you wish, but i am there at your shoulder to say i told you so.......

be excellent to each other!!

James at 37 weeks (asleep)

hi everyone

check out those rosy red teething cheeks!! James now has about 7 teeth, but probably more as i type this!

he is doing well, still healthy and happy!

be excellent to each other!!

that resignation speech........

this looks like it could be the real thing!!

The if..... Online Petition

i see there is a campaign underway to get this on DVD!

if you are inclined to do so, please click on this link and sign the petition!

quality cinema

could anyone reading this shed any light as to why exactly one of the greatest films of all time, if..., is not available on DVD?

the amount of rubbish that finds itself on a digital versatile disc and distributed to the masses is shocking.

who do we have to complain to in order to have a nice shiny disc of this? one of the reasons i still have a VHS machine is because i may one day need to play this film again!

when excellent soundtracks happen to bad films

hey everyone

i was getting rather bored with the music in my car, and happened to discover a couple of David "Derek" Bowie comps i had made years ago. i threw them in the shuttle, and have been listening to them on repeat.

it occured to me that Derek's original recording of the theme for the film Cat People is a considerably better artistic achievement than the film itself. i am curious to find out other examples of this. Derek's other soundtrack work has normally been for very, very excellent filmns, such as This Is Not America for the soundtrack of one of my all time top films of all time, The Falcon And The Snowman. i suppose Absolute Beginners was a decent song for an average film, and i try not to comment on Labyrinth when possible.

if you are curious, please do not listen to the version of Cat People featured on the celebrated Let's Dance album. it features a "re-imagining" of the tune, with a lot of clumsy, wah-wah synth pop. seek the original, awesome drum driven version.

a most excellent picture of James

hey everyone

here's a fantastic picture of James, taken by his Grandma Ricketts. nice one!!

alas, i still have no proper, reliable internet access at home, and for some reason those happy people at my verk have taken the time, trouble, effort and imagination to block the login section for blogger! oh well, updates are now going to be more sporadic until at least the end of September.

i shall do my best to post regular James pics!!

be excellent to each other!!

Department of Tourism, Middlesbrough

as i was clearing out some of our packing (only 3 or so month after we had moved) i found this advert from Viz stuck in a box with some books.

well, i am proud of where i come from, and Michele has enjoyed both holidays that she has had in Middlesbrough!

at that price, a visit there would be a bargain!

a decent film released in 2006 at last??

i have no idea if this film will be any good as i have not seen it, but all the signs for The Prestige being one of the best of the year, if not the best, are there to see.

it's made by Christopher Nolan, which is a very good sign - Memento, Insomnia and Batman Begins are his masterpieces to date. and if the cast listed on the poster are not enough to cause enthusiasm, it also features David "Derek" Bowie, who tends to have more good acting roles than bad.

i am trying to find the novel by Christopher Priest, but alas no luck locating it as of yet.

what is the film about? magic. sort of. it seems.

counting down to the proposed release in October......

Open Eyed James Pictures!!

hello again

well, here are some pictures that show that James sometimes does stay awake when i take some pictures of him!

he's very healthy and happy!!

be excellent to each other!

James asleep at 36 weeks

hello again

well, i did mention in my last post that he tends to be asleep when i take a weekly pic of him!

let me see if i can find some of him wide awake!!

James at 35 weeks at last!!

hey everyone

well, we still take the weekly picture of James at the same time he was born. the problem, however, is that he tends to be fast asleep when we take them!

all is well here - sorry for the lack of updates of late, still no reliable internet at home so it is tricky to upload!!

be excellent to each other!!

Holiday Pics!!!

Hey Everyone


just a few pictures from our Holiday in Sun City. had an ace time!!

i am sure i have more to say, but knackered from the long drive!!

be excellent to each other!!!

James and the Class New Car Seat

hey everyone


well, we are getting ready to hit the road and head off to Sun City for a couple of days. one of the main things we needed to get for the holiday was a new car seat or two, as young Napoleon has very much outgrown his old one already!

he seems to like the new style seats, especially as he can see forward now!

check the teeth in some of these pics!!

be excellent to each other!!!!

James at 33 weeks.........Holiday!!

hey everyone

here is the young one, as usual fast asleep, at 33 weeks. i stuck "teddy" on top of him for these pics, as it makes a change to see him not throwing him on the floor!!

we are off on holiday for the week, Sun City beckons us. we are celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary, and it is the first time we have taken James away!

be excellent to each other!!!!

quick update

hey everyone

sorry, really busy at verk at the moment, and getting ready to go on holiday next week!

here's some pics of James and I from the weekend. yes, yes, i will get the beard trimmed soon!

be excellent to each other!!