scaryblog

Continuing my trip up The Guardian's  Top 50 Movies of 2020... #3 :  Clemency Few films this year have been as blunt in their impact as this drama examining the US’s execution system. Alfre Woodard delivers a towering performance as a prison warden deeply troubled by the death row procedures she has to oversee, and whose personal life is increasingly affected by the psychic fallout. Top 3 and I've still not seen any of the films - and seeing as I've already mentioned I've seen two of them on this list, you can probably tell that streak has to end soon.  I both did and didn't want to watch this one - I've heard good things about it, but I can't help but feel the subject matter is going to be pretty dark, so I'd have to be in the mood for it.  But here goes anyway... So the film starts with someone being put to death - which I'm not entirely sure I'd ever be in the mood for.  It's well done with a trip round the various veins to find one that...

Continuing my trip up #album-of-the-day... 21.09.23  : Ringo's Desert -  ZHU  (2018) This was some kind of vague electronic stuff, wasn't it?  My random channel comment certainly seems to suggest so I first this as read "Ringo's Dessert" and found myself imagining Mr Starr eating up his pudding, which I'm not sure was the scene he was trying to set.  I thought it was done well enough, but maybe a bit too Hitchhiker's Guide background music-y at times for my liking.  I can totally see the background music for working thing though - maybe I just need to find some work to accompany it... I've not found any work yet - but it's coming, or so they tell me.  The channel gave it two thumbs up and that was it.  Wikipedia has an entry for the album but all it really says is that the album exists and the critics liked it.  Some quick further research tells us that ZHU is Steven Zhu from the US who's been doing this sort of thing since 2014. "Customer...

Continuing my trip up The Guardian's  Top 50 Movies of 2020... #4 :   Colectiv ( Collective) Enraging documentary from Romania, following a journalist’s investigation into hospital deaths after a 2015 nightclub fire – which revealed pervasive corruption that contributed to scores of fatalities through poorly maintained medical facilities. The highest  film on the list I've not ever heard of, so it probably won't surprise you to hear that I've not watched this Romanian documentary.  I do like a good documentary, although of the eight on the list so far, I think Boys State (at #50) has probably been my favourite although Love Child (#38) runs it close, so I haven't necessarily agreed with the critics.  This was on quite a few "best of 2020" lists though, so I'm looking forward to it. And lordy, it's got a bit of a start to it - four stark sentences on screen explaining that the nightclub fire in question killed 27 people, mostly because there were ...

Continuing my trip up The Guardian's  Top 50 Movies of 2020... #5 :   Portrait De La Jeune Fille En Feu ( Portrait Of A Lady On Fire) Period romance that became a banner for lesbian representation on film, and the apotheosis of the “female gaze”. An artist and her subject – a noblewoman about to get married – develop an intensely erotic connection in a film that discusses art, desire and obsession. So - top 5.  Surely I must have seen this one, right?  Err, well - I've heard of it and I know a lot of people absolutely loved it, but I've not actually seen it - until now.  And do you know what?  I think we might be in line for YET ANOTHER female-lead film.  Outrageous!!  I'm expecting some gorgeous visuals in this - and the apotheosis of the "female gaze", obviously.  Do you think anyone actually uses the word apotheosis in their everyday life?!?  Other than Guardian journalists, that is... Anyways, within the first five minutes of the fil...

Continuing my trip up #album-of-the-day... 21.09.20  : Sleeping With Ghosts -  Placebo  (2003) I seem to recall I quite liked this one, but not as much as their debut (but it's more than possible that familiarity plays some part in this).  My channel comment confirms this I'd forgotten Placebo existed - loved their debut album but had never made it this far down the line.  Nice choice. The channel gave it three cool cats, nine hands up and a lot of nostalgic love for both band and album - I like choices that remind you of people that you've completely forgotten about.  Wikipedia doesn't have an awful lot on the album - the usual deep and meaningful bollocks from Brian Molko and then some recognition that the critics and the public liked it - #11 in the UK, but #1 in France and Belgium, apparently. "Customers also listened to" Editors, Bloc Party and Interpol - three interchangeable bands there, all of whom I don't mind (although Interpol were dreadful when...

Something new - I've not written about summat from telly before Mortimer And Whitehouse: Gone Fishing If there's one pastime I have absolutely no interest in ever even attempting, it's fishing.  So why would a programme about two old men - and they're about ten years older than me  (and it surprised me that Paul is the older of the two) , so they certainly getting on a bit - hold any interest for me? Well, it's obviously because although they may go fishing, it plays a surprisingly small part of the program.  The background to the programme was Bob's rather serious health issues (a triple heart bypass or something similarly minor) which resulted in him somewhat withdrawing from everything and so Paul decided to get him up and about doing something therapeutic but not too physical (that's fishing, in case you hadn't guessed).  I have a slight suspicion that the fact that Paul is good at fishing might also have influenced his choice.  And Bob?  Well, it...

Continuing my trip up #album-of-the-day... 21.09.15  : WORRY -  Jeff Rosenstock  (2016) I don't remember this one at all - until I relisten to the first 5 seconds and go "oh yes - this was the one that sounded like Willy Mason".  And my channel comment was I quite liked this - think it would take a few more listens to decide if I loved it.  I particularly liked the track titles though - nicely quirky.  Musically, it reminded me of Willy Mason - hard to believe "Oxygen" was 17 years ago now. so I wasn't wrong.  And for posterity's sake I feel the need to include some track titles - "I Did Something Weird Last Night", "June 21st" and "Perfect Sound Whatever" are good examples.  The channel gave this three thumbs up, one bellissimo, a couple of positive comments and a new joiner.  Wikipedia has more on the album than I was expecting (which was pretty much nothing) and a lot of it is quite interesting (for a change!).  It tells ...