Since I was droning about Harry Potter earlier… today (er, yesterday), I read the appalling story/rumour that they might use cast-off footage of Richard Harris from the first two movies, combined with his stand-in and computer trickery, to generate an artificial ‘performance’ for the third movie!
I really, really hope this is only a rumour…
Read More »Computer Fakery
Today, being out shopping (for food, not pleasure, alas), I passed a book store and I of course succumbed. Some people buy shoes; some people can’t pass a novelty shop without buying some little cuddly toy; but me, I guess it’s books. It used to be comics more than books, but books are better value for money these days, and comics don’t have many Jack Kirbys out there anymore. (*sigh* I might get nostalgic.)
It was a close one. This store had several copies of Stephen King’s Cycle of the Werewolf, with wonderful illustrations by Bernie Wrightson. I wanted this so much when I heard about it maybe 17 years ago, but amazingly, I have never seen it for sale anywhere. I didn’t even know it was still in print. Anyway, that’s earmarked for purchase v.v. soon. I passed it today.
Read More »Retail Therapy
I got pretty bummed out yesterday, but it was just over general stuff. Nothing major. Mom was in out-patients briefly, to have a couple of skin cancers removed… not serious, just an unfortunate side-effect of the drugs she takes as a transplant patient. (Kidney transplant, 1990.)
Today, we watched the 1956 Moby Dick movie on Channel 4. I generally don’t watch afternoon films, but I’d actually never seen this one. It was directed by John Huston, screenplay by Ray Bradbury. Anyhow, glad I finally saw it. Gregory Peck—who I’ve always had immense admiration for—was typically brilliant as Ahab. And it reminded me that I’d like to see To Kill a Mockingbird again sometime, as I hardly remember anything about it (I saw it a long time ago). Harper Lee’s original novel is excellent, and would probably be in my top ten list if I thought there was any sense in making in such things.
Read More »Christmas Approaches
About the house move situation (see August 18th)… the house wasn’t in very good shape, really, and a lot of things have needed to be done. We still need to get a door fitted to the back of the garage—we bought the door, now we need someone to put it on! Dad did all that stuff, and to be honest, my limit is painting walls. The old door was/is falling to bits, literally. Otherwise, I think the place is just about presentable, although I have some tidying to do on my tip of a bedroom.
Read More »The House Must Go
I finally saw the Spider-Man movie last Saturday. I did intend going to the cinema to see that, but never did. (Last movie seen at cinema: Harry Potter and the PHILOSOPHER’S Stone.) So I just bought the video—no DVD player in this house yet, alas.
I’ve written a few book reviews recently. Here’s one of them:
The Big Sleep (1939)
by Raymond Chandler
This was Raymond Chandler’s first of seven novels, written at the not inconsiderable age of fifty. It introduces the famous PI Philip Marlowe, a character whose virtual twin, Carmady, had appeared previously in a number of Chandler’s short stories.
Chandler has somehow come to embody the genre of hard-boiled detective fiction, although he didn’t (as some people seem to believe) create it. His critical stock, as far as such things are meaningful, has climbed steeply over the years, whereas many of his peers remain in relative obscurity. The Big Sleep is arguably his finest hour, and does much to explain why his work is so highly regarded.
Read More »The Big Sleep (1939)
Yesterday was the day we had an earthquake.
Mom and I sat watching an old John Wayne film on TV. Suddenly, just before 1:00am, the house shook fairly violently, and it sounded/felt like something very heavy (maybe a car) had fell on the roof. It lasted about 30 seconds, by the end of which we were both on our feet and both in extreme panic. Then it faded off. Since mom has angina, the strain on her heart was a bit of a worry, but she was okay after a while. It wasn’t strong enough here to shake any pictures from the wall or break any ornaments, but it was very hairy.
Read More »The Earth Moved
Life update since the death of my father…
Mom has decided to sell this house and move somewhere smaller, so that we have some money in the bank as savings. Dad left no savings at all and had no life insurance. We’ll be staying in this area, though. We might even get a two-bedroom flat, actually. Neither of us are gardeners, so a garden would be a needless burden.
Read More »What’s Up?
On July 7th 2002, in the early hours, our family dog Fred died, following a long illness. We’d been prepared for it for some time, but it was still a blow, as he was only eight years old.
By the early evening of the same day, astonishingly, my father was being rushed to hospital with a massive heart attack. In the early hours of July 8th, after several attempts to revive him, he too passed away. We’d had no warning of this, although the doctor said he had apparently been suffering from a serious, undiagnosed heart condition for a long time. He was 62.
Fred in 1998.
Read More »Loss
I recently bought the new David Bowie album, Heathen. It was okay—actually, it was a bit more than okay. I liked it a lot. The interest is part nostalgia these days, I guess. We all know his prime is long behind him (like probably 22 years behind him), but he’s still Bowie. He sounds the same, and he rather disgustingly looks the same too. Scary thought: he’s 55 now. There’s not much invention or newness in his current work, but… you know, Mick Jagger fans must really have to strain to not be embarrassed by him these days, so I tend to think Bowie’s held up rather well. He’s still a bit on the cool side even if he has nothing new to say. I didn’t expect Ziggy Stardust standard greatness, so I enjoyed it.
Read More »Ziggy Plays Guitar
