Viewing

The sun's streaming in our (ever so slightly grubby) windows, heating things up nicely and giving little away about the severe weather warning - an "Arctic blast" is due later today. What fun. It will be a real shock to the system after unseasonably mild temperatures.

The last day things were really cold was the day A. hit some black ice on the scooter and promptly hit the black ice himself - more than a week ago, and the bruise is still a splendid technicolour thing.

We've seen lots of films lately - making the most of our Unlimited cards (£9.99 per month, all the movies you can eat). Girl With a Pearl Earring last night - gorgeous cinematography and Scarlett Johansson, but not too much else going for it. A very thin plot. Much better was the other Johansson pic, Lost In Translation. Not to everyone's taste, but I really enjoyed it - the ultimate evocation of being bored in a hotel room in a strange place. The soundtrack is great, very moody (esp Air's Alone in Kyoto). Now I want to go to Tokyo.

We had to see The Last Samurai, as I have a tenuous professional connection to it (i.e. not a big enough connection to make it onto the credits list!). The film was shot in Taranaki (to replicate Japan) and when the production team was first shopping for locations, Film NZ put together a package recommending that very province. See, tenuous! It was interesting to see, and the action scenes were fantastically choreographed, almost making up for the cringeworthy dialogue. The locations just looked like NZ to me, though (or do they have pungas in Japan?).

We've also been to see Cold Mountain, an enjoyable (apart from the gruesome war scenes) and transporting epic, American Splendour, a film that, while not always totally engaging at the time, is one that I have thought a lot about since - and what incredible casting! And Touching the Void, one of those films that we ended up seeing because what we wanted to see was sold out, and were delighted to have seen. Well worth a look. And that's just this month...

Apologies if my movie-viewing diary is of no interest (although I doubt that you would have made it this far if that was the case!) - I guess it's just symptomatic of this time of year. The nights are long (but gradually getting shorter) and the telly's crap (but getting better - new series of ER & Sex & The City have just started).

Other viewing has been of the theatrical kind. Over a couple of weeks we watched the Slab Boys Trilogy at the Traverse - 3 plays by artist and playwright John Byrne, set in Paisley in the 50's and 60's. I had decided to go and see them as they are held to be "one of Scotland's defining literary works of the twentieth century", and wasn't disappointed.

And of course flat viewing - every Thursday 7-9pm, Sunday 2-4pm...more on that anon...