There are 2 very good things about bringing your colleagues a big bag of typical Dutch (black) liquorice:
1. They think you are a really nice person.
2. You get to eat the big bag all by yourself, because they really don’t like it. How unfortunate …
The Girl in the Cafe in Australia
Yes, Laurie liked the film too…
The Girl in the Caf? – A review by Laurie Cranston
A quirky film which brings together the idea that a simple concept can sometimes be bogged down in the detail.
Read More
Back in London
Holland was nice. There were family visits, Sinterklaas, a meeting with friends from way back (and the wonder that laughing with them always seems to be so easy, no matter how long we haven’t seen each other), and I got reunited with my little Norwegian friend here.
But it was a very weird and sad day today. Right in front of our office an older woman got hit by a car. It was raining and she was just laying very still on the middle of the street, her legs pulled up a little, and her grey hair spraid on the black asphalt . A man was holding an umbrella over her while other people called an ambulance. The ambulance arrived in 2 minutes. All the time we were waiting for her to move, but she didn’t. The ambulance people did not even attempt to revive her, she had died on the spot. She has been wandering around in my head since.
May she rest in peace.
The Girl on tour
And that is me this time. When the plane made a perfect circle over London I was surprised how big the city was. It looked huge from the air. It doesn’t feel huge when I walk around in it, probably because it feels familiar and like home. I’ll be back in London on Sunday. I don’t expect anything much to happen here until then.
Enjoy your weekend.
The Girl postcard – Last chance!
Just a little reminder that it is your very last chance to get hold of an exclusive limited edition The Girl postcard (without spelling errors!).
Go here : I want yours, do you want mine?
Update : sold out :-) !
The Girl on Tour – Hawaii would be nice
What is that man doing here you wonder? I think we have looked at Will Ferrell and Daniel Craig long enough now haven’t we. And we are in the middle of a small update on The Girl In The Cafe on tour project, so it is completely legitimate.
Things are going a bit slower here around the Christmas time. One DVD is currently in Holland but those people seem to have gone on holiday, her twin sister has just arrived at soyouthinkican‘s house in the States. To make things a little bit more exotic for the Girl, Hawaii has just been added to the list of planned destinations. She likes that I can tell you. I might jump in the envelope with her when she is going there, I mean, Hawaii! I envy her a bit, she is going places I have never been.
If you want to be added to the list, please read here and join. If you want to know where she is going or has been check here.
Paul in Spain saw the film, loved it, and wrote a wonderful review. A big thank you for that! Read More
CP becomes D
The Window Watcher
He was old, he was tired, and he didn’t want to come to New York with me. That was the message I got last week, about 3 weeks before departure. Great timing.
The Girl – unplugged
A true story …
And in the train on my way home I saw it, this annoying spelling error ! Grrrr.
Stranger than fiction – review (9/10)
And then the Americans : Stranger than Fiction (imdb)
An otherwise average film year certainly is shaping up here in the last 2 months. It seems like they stuffed all the good films in the end of the year.
There is no way you get me into a cinema to watch a film like Talladega Nights. That kind of humour just isn’t me, and I thought Will Ferrell wasn’t really me either. But I admit to be absolutely positively surprised by Will Ferrell’s performance in Stranger than Fiction. What a great actor he is, when not playing a goofy character. He nearly reminded me, dare I say this, of Bill Nighy. His underplaying of the character, his laid back way of acting, his lanky body, he was fantastic.
The story is very original and interesting, it is funny, it is romantic, and it is entertaining until the end. It also has a well playing (as always) Emma Thompson and Dustin Hofman in it.
This might be the Christmas Rom Com you were waiting for, as I can’t see any other ones coming even close to this one this year.
Highly recommended.
London to Brighton – review (9/10)
First the Brits.
London To Brighton (imdb) has been called one of the best British films of this year, and that’s not completely undeserved. It’s a thriller and it will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first until the very last minute. This film really does show the darkest sites of London, and the dark sites of life. It is incredible well acted and it blew me away. Don’t expect any pink coloured happy endings here, you will be disappointed. Though there might be a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel, but only a little bit.
Very recommended, but not for the faint hearted.
[rating:4.5/5]
Mind the doors
I walked to Waterloo station after the theatre to get the Northern Line. I walked just behind 4 crazy (the good way) English guys who were already in a weekend mood. As they were a few steps ahead of me they could just about wrestle themselves into the train, using arms and legs to keep the already closing doors open. One of those brave boys sacrificed his arm to try to press the door open for me too, but the train doors were too strong for him. He had to give up, the doors were now closed. 4 faces were looking at me as to apologise for not getting me in.
I pulled up my shoulders, bowed for them as a thank you and waved to them. They waved back.
I was about to turn and wait for the next tube when the train driver, who probably had seen all this and who must have been in an excellent mood, decided to make an exception. An exception to the rule that once the doors are closed, the doors stay closed and the train leaves.
He opened the doors for me.
I stepped in. The cheer that welcomed me made me feel like someone who had just scored a goal for the English football team in the final against France in the Worldcup. It was hilarious, those crazy guys.
I know that life in London is not always a fairy tale, the city has a dark side too, I pass it every day. But on days like this London is great.
British men, you got to love them. Ooh la.
Love and Money – Young Vic – review
While Kevin was giving a Spacey performance in the Old Vic, I went to it’s younger brother, the Young Vic, a bit further down on The Cut. Recently reopened and kicking off with a season of fresh new plays. Love and Money was very different from Love Song, a nearly naked stage, and quite a different view on the whole Love thing. Was it any good? Yes it was any good, excellent acting, interesting story. Recommended, if you like something different.
But honestly, the best theatre related thing today was reading all this. I told you he was good.
Love Song – New Ambassadors theatre – review
Love Song with Cillian Murphy,Neve Campbell, Kristen Johnston, Michael McKean
When is a play good?
In my world? When it still hurts when I leave the theatre.
This was a good play.
You can leave your hat on
Not only does Sainbury’s have the nicest cassiers (they really do, they are always friendly), they are also the most considerate supermarket in London. They really do take care of their products.
(Sorry for the blurry picture, I still have to get used to the autofocus feature on my mobile.)
Stones and other missiles and something that rhymes
Stress and deadlines
Writers block
My blood pressure too high
There’s only one thing saving me …
– Oh come on, “saving me” don’t overdo it, it’s pukey.
5 things about Michael Palin
1. I wondered how he would be. Would he be just as funny as on tv? Oh yes he was, he was hilarious, he has a very silly sense of humour and made everybody laugh a lot.
2. Charming, oh so charming and down to earth.
3. Little chance Michael Palin will do film again, waiting in a trailer for hours a day, he just doesn’t fancy it that much anymore. He left the door open for more unusual and compact film projects though. But he loves travelling too much to give up on those programs (and having nearly free hands from the BBC is worth a lot too there) and would love to do radio. A bit of a shame though about not doing any filmwork anymore.
4. L-o-v-e-l-y voice. (I know, I have a voice fettish)
5. John Cleese was there too!
6. Oh that wasn’t about Michael Palin. Well here then : he doesn’t want to be a politician because he hates meetings!
7. Evenings like this make London a good place to be.
8. His Diaries : The Python Years are now available in an internetshop near you, and there is a fair chance I am going to buy it.
9. Did I mention he was charming? How do they do it, those British men?
Flushed Away – review (9/10)
So yes it was a part of the NFT youth program, but they had the preview, and I couldn’t wait to see Flushed Away (imdb) longer than absolutely necessary. It will be released this weekend, and it is safe to say that this is a film suitable for the whole family. Children (and the young at heart) can enjoy the story about pet posh mouse Roddy St. James (Hugh Jackman) from Kensington being flushed into the sewers of London. And adults can enjoy all the jokes and references to other films that are thrown at you along the way. It’s Aardman, so the characters do resemble the likes of Wallace & Grommit, but they are done through CGI. If you loved W&G you are going to love this.
There is a highly enjoyable voice cast with Ian McKellen (as the Toad), and Bill Nighy and Andy Serkis (Gollum) (as his henchmen) as the absolute highlights. And you’ll never look at slugs the same way again after this film. The soundtrack is rocking, the story entertaining and original. Take your family and go see it, it’s fun.
For me the whole reason to mingle into this youth program was of course Whitey, the big, not too bright, albino rat, brain damaged by all the shampoo tests they have done on him. “When I went in I was grey” is one of his remarks about this testlab, which he luckily seemed to have escaped to now work for The Toad, a big fat green monster, ruling it all in downtown London. Whitey is supposed to be the tough guy, he is much bigger than the others and wears lots of bling bling (think stereotype mafia bodyguard type). But he surely has his softspots, embarrassing his mate Spike by wearing pink woolen gloves with red hearts on it (it’s all Love Actually). And ending the story with “Oh I love a happy ending”. Absolutely Billiant.
Let’s see if they can keep the Penguins from snapping the Oscar for Best Animation Film this year. Highly recommended.
If you don’t believe me, check out the slugs : Everybody Dance Now!
[rating:4.5/5]
Odd
Hence the gap.
He is tall, somewhere in his 20’s I think and he is here with his little sister (which is about 12) to see Flushed Away, in the NFT’s Movie Magic program, a program with film for younger audiences. Let’s not get into what a 40 year old was doing there.
I like him instantly, it’s the way he takes care of his sister.
“What do you want to be, odd or even?” he asks his sister holding the tickets.
“What do you mean?” she looks at him.
“Well seat 16 or 17, odd or even?”
She choses even, seat 16 on row G.
“That means I am the odd one then” he says to her, giving her 16, keeping 17 himself.
“Which is very appropriate” he mumbled after that. She didn’t hear him, but I did.
“Oh and you are a square too, 16, 4×4.” He started laughing and so did I.
I loved this guy, he was odd but very funny, and he had exactly the witty sense of humour I like.
I check my own ticket.
Row D. Seat 17. So odd.
(More about Flushed Away soon, the quote is from Jennifer Unlimited)
I am wordless
But I have an Eye on The London Eye.
(The words in red are from Peter Gabriel)
Don’t hurry the journey at all
OK, so I left work at 5pm, because I thought 2 hours and 15 minutes would be enough to travel to the end of the world. Or the end of the tube map rather, I needed to go to Uxbridge which is the end of the Piccadilly Line, there were the trains drive of the map and disappear in the land beyond. From there the Tardis would be waiting for me, and I would be flown to Pinewood Studios where I would attend the TV recordings of the Weakest Link. the Dr. Who special. With David (The Doctor) Tennant.
That was my plan.