Film on Friday plus vampires

I am blogging today at the Pink Heart Society about The African Queen which happens to be one of my favourite adventure romances. It is a movie that stands the test of time. I had been going to blog about The Prince and Me but decided on balance to write about a movie that I loved. Emotionally satisfying endings are where it is at.

Yesterday, I finally succumbed and read Bram Stoker. It is a novel told through journals and letters with a high amount of the Gothic. At first it seems like a hard read but it flows very quickly once you get into it. Stoker was writing in the hey day of the Shocker after all.
The one thing I noticed was how well grounded it was in detail. Ian Fleming also used this technique. (He even claimed to have invented it but as with many things, it was probably tried and trusted before Fleming or Stoker even picked up a pen) Get the little things right and the reader is able to suspend disbelief on the large things. It is one of those books that I wish I had read years ago as it is not as gruesome as I thought it would be. But it is a story that really grabs you and won't let you go. A story with bite. ( I could think up more puns but won't)

The wonder that is Mamma Mia

First of all, I was on 100-102 Century Radio this morning on the Scott and Ben's Big Breakfast show. Scott had asked me on because Ben needed some advice. He wants his wife to buy a certain car and giving her all the wrong reasons. The real reason is that he adores his wife and his current relationship with her. Or at least that was the subtext I got. Anyway, it was fun.

Speaking of Fun, Mamma Mia was brilliant. Go see it, if you haven't already.

It has been a long time since I have to a film where there was such a buzz of anticipation in the crowd. People were dressed in smart casual and many were greeting each other. It was more like going to the theatre than the cinema. I saw several neighbours and people that I had not seen for years. There were a few men in the audience, mostly in their fifties and sixties.

When the film started, there was the quiet hush and sounds of enjoyment. The whole atmosphere sparkled. Helped no doubt by the fun and enjoyment that the actors appeared to be having. I was delighted to see various elderly women, clapping and singing along.

Julie Walters held the film together and while I think Colin Firth was wasted, it was feel good entertainment. I am very tempted to see it again and will be getting the dvd. Oh and you have to stay for the credits. The Lycra suits are just not to be missed.

I can now understand why the film is so popular. The current run at the Hexham Forum is completely SOLD OUT and they are talking about bring it back yet again. I heard various plans from people to see it there if it does happen. it is a movie that people want to see again and again.

And the Forum has been completely renovated. They have a lovely coffee bar and the seats are now very comfortable. I plan to try to see more films there rather than driving into Newcastle. BUT I will make sure that I book before I go to avoid disappointment.

Whiff whaff and Mamma Mia

The problem with knowing about how table tenniswas invented was that we had to try.
One opened bottle of cava later to obtain the cork and a decision to use hands instead of cigar boxes, and we were away. No books as I was not sure about the lift.
Conclusions:
It is best if the champagne cork is hit off a bare table rather than one with a cloth.
Champagne corks bounce erratically.
Because my youngest plays table tennis at youth club, he proved to have a good eye and was thus an eventual winner.
It will never replace a conventional table tennis table, paddles and ball, but it can prove to be great impromptu sport, particularly for people stuck inside on account of the mouldy weather.

Mamma Mia is tonight and I happened to speak to a former next door neighbour. She is going as well, having pre-booked with her cousin. Part of the reason they are going is because if the film has had to be brought back three times, it must be good. Also it has given her a chance to play ABBA Gold again. She agreed with me that something like this has not happened in Tyne Valley since Shirley Valentine... Which I suppose is better than saying that something like hasn't happen since the Great Bell Ringing Feud of 1989.

Lakes and movies

My dh took the boys camping to the Lake District for three nights. They arrived back yesterday -- wet and filthy but having had a good time. The photo is my eldest on Thursday when they were climbing in the Ennerdale region.

They stayed at the Sykes family campsite in Buttermere which was very basic but very beautiful. The pub food is good but stodgy -- just what you need after climbing for 10 hours. Apparently to get to the waterfall, you have to go through an uphill bog. And the lake at Buttermere is very cold.

My daughter and I planned to go to see Mamma Mia! at the local cinema on Friday night, but when we got there, it was sold out. It has been on for several weeks, so I was surprised, but now am determined to see it. I think we are going to go on Monday. The last time I can remember this happening was for Shirley Valentine, many years ago -- word of mouth. The man at the movie rental place said that he did not know when it would be released as it was doing so well. We took out Enchanted which we both thoroughly enjoyed. The boys are less fond of chick flicks and so we tend to end up watching thrillers...

We were also excellent and did not watch Francesco or Patrick Leigh Fremor, but taped them. Both were fantastic. Next week is the last two episodes of Francesco. Sigh. In many ways, his television shows echo Fremor's writing -- lots of little interesting asides and bits of history. I certainly hope more travel programmes are planned.

I noticed on Monday at 9 there is a programme about the Real Life on Mars -- policing in the 1970s -- BBC4. It is a much watch.

Too dark for me

Yesterday as part of my youngest's birthday celebrations, we went to see The Dark Knight. Although I have enjoyed Batman for years and liked Batman Begins, I found this latest installment far too dark and gruesome. I really thought that it lacked humanity.
There were parts that I had to close my eyes and wince away from the screen. It is not a children's film or even really a young adult film. The themes are far too mature.
Now I know that Blake Snyder has gone on about it being beat perfect etc etc, but I did not think it was. I found the film dragged, particularly at the end and that there were too many threads. As my dh said -- there was one too many crash bang whallop. In particular, he felt the thread about the Chinese businessman went nowhere as did the thread about the Wayne employee. The film could have been about 45 minutes shorter without losing its punch.
I also had trouble with the love triangle. The Rachel character's motivations were unclear, and I did not really understand why she would choose the man she did. As my dd said -- the wrong person survived and it would have been far more poignant if the ending twist had had to do with her. If she had been the one... (I am trying to avoid spoilers here)
I had no empathy with the Joker as he merely existed to kill and cause anarchy. I know people have spoken about Heath Ledger's last role and there is perhaps an argument that the role contributed to his untimely death as it may have sucked the life out of him. It can not be easy to play that sort of psychopath. But his stakes and motivations in the film are never clear. What does he hope to gain from killing Batman? Why does he need to expose Batman's face when he never exposes his own? Why does he hate Batman? Why are his followers attracted to him as he kills them once their job is finished? With the Jack Nicholson Joker, you could at least see some of the why, even if it was twisted and warped.
Equally with Batman, there should have been more Save the Cat! moments. Yes, everyone knows -- he is a superhero, but he is also supposed to be in love with Rachel. Where were the little touches? The photo? Or symbol? The humanity that Bale brought to Batman Begins is missing from this one. You only get Alfred and Lucius Fox. What is driving him at the moment? Is that he wants to rid the city of crime? And why? If it is so he can hang up his cape and ride off into the sunset with Rachel, where are the hints? Where is the longing? What is at stake for him personally? How does he see his future? Some of this could have been easily shown.
Because the full emotional colour wheel was not employed. the movie just feels dark. It reminded me of what Donald Maass once said about the problem with midlist authors who write this wonderfully troubled hero and say it is the best thing they have ever done, when really they just need to spend some time with a therapist. The hope is gone and that is not a good thing.
Anyway, the film did not work for me and I did not feel emotionally satisfied at the end. It did work for my daughter who loved the Gothic elements. It is a huge blockbuster, but it is not a film that I will be in any hurry to see again.

Iron Will

Last night, I cried for the umpteenth time at the movie, Iron Will. My eldest says that I should be handed a box of tissues before I watch this film. It is one of the family's favourites and was the first live action film that my eldest ever truly watched. He was four when he first watched. He is now 17 like the protagonist. When I suddenly realised it, I choked up.

It is also the perfect film to illustrate the concept of desire, determination, discipline and dedication plus perservance. It is based on a true story. Certainly the 1917 race was run but it was not won by the lead character.

Iron Will is about a 17 year old boy, Will Stoneman whose father wants him to go to college, but WIll isn't sure. His father wants him to follow his dreams. It is set in 1917. In order to raise the money, the father plans to take part in the Winnipeg to St Paul dog sled race, but the father is killed in a sledding accident involving a river, and the family faces financial ruin. Will decides to take his father's place and race. The prospect of racing is the only thing that makes Will feel alive, and despite dire predictions, he is determined to race and to win. It is a gruelling course and he experiences many hard ships along the way, but his integrity and strength of character shines through. Kevin Spacey plays the cyncial reporter who seeks to use Will for his own ends.

It is a Disney and there is a Happy Ending but everytime I watch it, my heart is in my mouth.

Because Christopher Vogler was in charge of Disney films at the time this was made, it also exemplifies the hero's journey. Even though I could dissect this, I was still in tears at parts. I knew the foreshadowing, the threshhold guardians, the trials, the friends, the shadows etc etc, but I still get wrapped in Will's struggle and his determination to win. We will not say how many boxes of tissues I went through...

It is a real feel good, pull at the heart strings adventure movie for all the family. A triumphant of the human spirit against the odds. And it remains a favourite of my family.

I am also blogging today about the Sexual Sequence/Courtship ritual and its uses in writing over at Unusual Historicals.