A Trip to the Moon

I managed to get out sharp today, which made a nice change. It used to be that you could leave work pretty much when you wanted, but these days if you get the rare chance to leave early you have to take it.

I went to the supermarket on the way home to get my groceries for next week.

I saw the 1902 movie A Trip to the Moon on DVD. It's the earliest narrative film and the first known science-fiction film. It's about a group of guys who travel to the moon by being shot out of a giant cannon. When they are there, they are attacked by strange alien creatures, which fortunately enough, explode if you give them a light push or tap. It's one of the most important films ever made, and the famous image of the Man in the Moon with the space capsule in his eye, is legendary. It is slightly dated now, and special effects have advanced a little in 114 years, but it is worth watching

Telephone

It was a long day at work. At least after today I am off work for a week. I'm really looking forward to it.

On my way home I stopped and got some groceries and, when I got home, I realised my landline phone wasn't working. It said it was something to do with the phone line, and I've checked the connections and they seem fine. It's not a huge problem though, because I've got my cellphone.

Invisibilia

Last night I was watching an episode of Stranger Things. 

It was a pretty long day at work. I listened to Invisibilia which was discussing the concept of "fake it till you make it", how if you pretend to be something (say confident or whatever) you can sometimes become that, Answer Me This, Ron's Amazing Stories presenting a story about an astronaut stuck on Pluto for years who starts hallucinating due to loneliness, and Mystery Theater about a woman who wants to stop doctors performing a life-saving operation on her evil son-in-law.

On my way home I stopped off for groceries for the coming week. I also got a copy of Empire magazine, the main feature was about Suicide Squad, the story behind the movie Aliens and a list of the Best Movie Villains.

Book Shambles

It was a pretty long day at work. I listened to Robin and Josie's Book Shambles podcast, a show about books hosted by comedians Robin Ince and Josie Long, this week doing a horror special from the Latitude festival. It featured Reece Shearsmith discussing a horror story he had written, comedian Rufus Hound reading "The Outsider" by H. P. Lovecraft, and a piece on the cursed occult library of horror writer Dennis Wheatley. Dennis Wheatley was a massively popular writer back in the 1960s and 70s with books such as The Devil Rides Out and To the Devil... A Daughter (both of which were filmed by Hammer) and many others. He also wrote a series of non-fiction books about occultism and Satanism, and the person who owns his extensive reference library is claiming that they are cursed.

On my way home I stopped off at the supermarket to get my groceries for the week.

Work and Podcasts

Last night I watched another episode of Game of Thrones on Blu-ray. 

It was another busy day at work, but it wasn't as bad as it was yesterday. Friday's tend to be a little more relaxed because everyone is looking forward to the weekend and most people leave early. Also it had been someone's birthday yesterday so there were a lot of cookies around. I listened to Answer Me This which is an often very funny podcast where the hosts answer often very bizarre questions from listeners, but it often has some interesting facts there as well. I also heard The Magnus Archives which is a horror series that purports to be recordings of people telling stories of supernatural experiences, and Drama of the Week which was a detective story set in Communist era Hungary. On my way home I was listening to The Empire Podcast which was doing a special episode to celebrate fifty years of Star Trek.

On my way home I stopped off and got my groceries for next week.

Comics Reviewed

Last night was pretty quiet. I was reading some more of my new comic-books (which are reviewed over at Permanently Weird) and watching TV. I got into work for shortly after seven. There was a baguette run today and I had a panini with roast beef, crispy bacon, brie, mozarella, jalapeno peppers, onion and English mustard. I left work shortly after one and went into the city centre. I got a birthday card for my brother along with a couple of scented candles for home, and then I went along and bought a book called The Rough Guide to the Universe by John Scalzi for my brother's birthday present. On my way home I stopped for some groceries for the next week.

Work Drinks

Last night was pretty quiet. I got to bed relatively early, by my standards, and went to work, arriving for about ten past seven. It was a really dull morning, but I was only in for six hours. I left and got some groceries for the coming week. I was home for about an hour, before I headed up to a bar for a few drinks with some people from work. I was only there for a short time and had two drinks. The bar was really crowded and noisy and I didn't really know anyone so I made my excuses and left.

The Human Centipede

Last night I was watching an episode of Spaced on TV, which I really enjoyed. Later on I watched a frankly bizarre 2010 Dutch horror movie on TV called The Human Centipede (First Sequence), directed by Tom Six. It's basically about two American tourists in Germany who find themselves at the house of a demented surgeon who plans to surgically attach three people together to form a "human centipede". Despite the horrific premise, it really isn't a particularly gruesome movie. Pretty much all of the horror is in the concept and the resulting creation, and it all loses it's impact long before the movie is over. Although there are some pretty good suspenseful and scary scenes. It's reviewed over at Permanently Weird.

I got to bed at about half past five last night and was awake at eleven this morning. The gas bill came today, and it was a lot, so that was pretty annoying. I went along to get my groceries for the coming week, which were four microwave ready meals, some bread, some potato chips, some flavoured milk, some chocolate and a bottle of wine, along with a TV listings magazine.

Back home I had some lunch and watched a couple of episode of The Big Bang Theory.

Ordered Book

Last night I ordered a graphic novel called EmiTown by Emi Lenox, which is like an autobiographical comic-book (a bit like American Splendor).

Today I went out and got my groceries for the week. I decided to spend the rest of the day at home reading and watching TV.

Season of the Witch

Last night I was watching a few of the extra features on the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World DVD set. I also watched an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents on DVD, which was a pretty good episode.

There was a lot of snow on the ground again today. I went along to get my groceries for the coming week. Then I went up to the movies to see Season of the Witch, directed by Dominic Sena. The movie is set in the 14th century and tells the story of two knights (played by Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman) who return from the Crusades to find their home ravaged by the Black Death. Arriving in a town, they are ordered to help transport a young woman (Claire Foy) accused of witchcraft, who is believed to have brought down the plague by sorcery, to a remote monestary. Mostly it was a pretty bad movie, but it did have it's moments. It will probably become a cult film in the future. It's reviewed over at Permanently Weird.

A Life Unmasked

Last night I watched the latest episode of Peep Show, which was very funny, and a documentary called John le Carre: A Life Unmasked, about the acclaimed British author of spy thrillers. The show was basically a long interview with le Carre, who is famously quite reclusive and claimed that this would probably be his last interview.

Today I went out to the stores and got a couple of PlayStation 3 games in the sales, namely Assassin's Creed II and Bayonetta. I also got a couple of audio CDs of the radio adaptations of The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People. Both of them are based on John le Carre novels.

On my way home I got my groceries for the week.

Yes Man

Last night I was playing my new games, and they both look really good. Uncharted 2 is a kind of action-adventure game very similar to the Tomb Raider series which involves a lot of scaling up walls, fighting enemies and running and jumping over obstacles in the search for ancient treasure. Red Dead Redemption is a Western game, where you play a gunslinger trying to track down a violent gang. They both seem really fun and they both have really spectacular sound and graphics.

Today I went out to get my groceries for the week. When I got home I was watching the movie Yes Man, a 2008 film directed by Peyton Reed, about a withdrawn and depressed banker (played by Jim Carrey) who, after attending a self-help seminar, decides to commit himself to saying "yes" to any opportunity that presents itself, which results in various comic consequences. I quite liked the movie. I thought it was pretty funny.

The Variable Man

Last night was fairly quiet. I watched a couple of episodes of The Ricky Gervais Show which were really funny, and saw a show called Top of the Pops 2: Country Jukebox which was an hour of country music which I really liked.

I went along to my parent's house today, instead of the usual Sunday, because they are both busy tomorrow. It was good, we managed to get some groceries for the week. We had some sushi for lunch and in the afternoon sat in the garden, because the weather was so good. I read a Philip K. Dick story from 1953 called "The Variable Man" which was set in the future where Earth is at war with aliens but, due to the fact that humans are using computers to predict the statistical likelihood of victory before they attack, there have been no shots fired. However, when the scientists develop a new type of advanced bomb which tips the statistics in favour of humanity. However a new element is added when a time travel experiment accidentally brings forward a man from the early 20th century which adds an unforeseen variable into the equation and rendering the machines unable to calculate the statistics.

This evening I saw a really good episode of Doctor Who in which the Doctor (Matt Smith) and Amy (Karen Gillan) encounter an invisible alien stalking Vincent Van Gogh (Tony Curran). I really like Van Gogh and I went to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and saw the "Starry Night" exhibition while it was there.

I was re-reading some of my old diaries and journals last night, including one from 1993 which kind of felt strange to read. I was 14 in 1993 and, to be honest, despite the fact that I got to work instead of school, not much has really changed.

The Last House on the Left

Last night I was watching the 2008 film of The Last House on the Left, directed by Dennis Illiadis, and a remake of the controversial 1972 Wes Craven film. The film basically involves a wealthy family who go on their holidays to their remote lakeside summer house. the family's seventeen year old daughter goes to hang out with her friend, however the two girls end up being brutally attacked by a gang led by a psychotic escaped convict. The criminals, seeking refuge from a storm wind up at the family's summerhouse. The movie is still pretty violent but is not as raw or shocking as the 1972 version. I have noticed that the recent glut of horror remakes tend to smooth over the rough edges of the seventies and eighties originals. Incidentally, the 1972 film was inspired by a 1960 Ingmar Bergman movie called The Virgin Spring, which was itself based on a 14th century Swedish ballad.

Today I went out to meet my Mum in the morning. We stopped off for breakfast and I had some pancakes with maple syrup and bacon. Then we went off to go to the building society. Then I went and got some books: 1980 and 1983 by David Peace (the third and fourth books in the "Red Riding" series) and Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.

On my way home I stopped off for my groceries for the coming week.

Clash of the Titans

Last night I was watching the movie Theorem on DVD. It's an Italian film from 1968, directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, and basically involves a wealthy family in Milan who are visited by a mysterious stranger (played by Terence Stamp) who proceeds to seduce every member of the household one by one, and then abruptly leaves, resulting in each member of the family reacting in bizarre and extreme ways. It's a pretty interesting, and very strange film, which is very much a product of it's time, but still pretty watchable.

Following that I watched Three... Extremes on DVD. It's basically an anthology film of three short horror films from three of Asia's most celbrated horror film directors. From Hong Kong comes "Dumplings", directed by Fruit Chan, about an ageing actress who is happy to pay anything for some of Aunt Mei's youth-restoring dumplings, which do however have a shocking secret ingredient. From Korea there's "Cut", directed by Park Chan-wook, in which a successful film director and his painist wife are imprisoned by an insane movie extra and forced to play a gruesome and sadistic game. From Japan comes "Box", directed by Takashi Miike, about a successful young novelist who is haunted by dreams and visions concerning the death of her sister. It's a fun movie and there is plenty to entertain fans of Asian horror. They are all very impressive in their own right, especially "Box" which is actually quite a beautiful film with amazing images.

Today I went out and bought my groceries for the week. After that I went up to the cinema and saw Clash of the Titans in 3D. The film is a remake of the 1981 movie based on Greek Mythology. In Ancient Greece, Perseus (played by Sam Worthington) has to embark on a dangerous journey in order to save the city of Argos from the revenge of the Gods and their pet monster, the fearsome Kraken. It's an entertaining enough movie with some impressive monsters, even if at times it's more like going from one battle scene to another, and it never really takes advantage of being in 3D (which apparently was a last-minute decision imposed on the production after the success of Avatar). Also the computer generated monsters lack the charm of the Ray Harryhausen model creatures from the 1981 version. However, it does lack the annoying robot owl from the original, and it has Gemma Arterton who is cute.

Crazy Heart

Last night I was watching a bunch of back to back episodes of Twin Peaks. I've finished watching the first season and have started watching the second, which is the one that I have never seen before.

This morning I went along to get my groceries for the week, and then I went out to the Filmhouse cinema to meet my Mum. Then we went in to see the movie Crazy Heart, directed by Scott Cooper. The film tells the story of Bad Blake (played by Jeff Bridges), a once successful country music singer-songwriter who now makes a living playing in bowling alleys and small town bars. He also has a severe drinking problem. One night he meets a young journalist (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who wants to interview him and the two eventually begin a relationship, however his personal problems threaten to ruin Blake's career and life. The movie won Academy Awards for Best Actor (Jeff Bridges) and Best Original Song ("The Weary Kind" by Ryan Bingham). It was a really good movie with some great music in it.

Start of a Quiet Weekend

Last night was really quiet again, and I spent most of the time watching TV and reading my books.

Today I went out to get my groceries and that was really about it.

A Short Night Out

Last night I had an unexpected call from my friend Joe. Joe used to work in the same building as me, but last May he was moved to a different area and I've not seen him since then. Also, he's been busy with other stuff, so there hasn't really been much of a chance to hang out recently. So I went along to the Omni Centre and met up with Joe and another friend of his. We only had a couple of drinks and I was only out for about two and a half hours. It was still a nice change though.

Today has been quiet. I've only gone out once and that was to get my groceries for the coming week. Otherwise I've just been at home, reading.

Decorating

Last night I watched the final two episodes of Pennies from Heaven, which were really good. The mini-series was made into a movie in 1981 in which the setting was transferred to 1930s America and starring Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters and Christopher Walken (much to the annoyance of Bob Hoskins and Cheryl Campbell who starred in the TV series). I've never seen the movie but it didn't do very well at all. To be honest, the TV series lasts eight hours altogether, which is a lot to compress into a two hour movie. The show itself was really good, if not Dennis Potter's best work (which is probably The Singing Detective).

Today my Mum collected me early and we went to get some groceries for me for the week, and then went back to my parent's house. I had some sushi for lunch wihich was really nice. Afterwards I helped my Mum decorate the family Christmas tree. It did look really great when it was all finished. I'll be putting up my Christmas tree probably next weekend.

Karaoke

Last night I got to 48,130 words in my NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) novel Vampire City. The total has to be at least 50,00 words by Monday. I am hoping that it will be finished today. I was also watching an interesting documentary about the concerts that Johnny Cash gave in Folsom Prison. Later on I watched the sixth and final epsiode of The Singing Detective. Later on I watched the first couple of episodes of a TV serial from 1996 called Karaoke. Along with the show's companion serial Cold Lazarus, it was the final seires written by Dennis Potter before his death in 1994. The series revolves around a seriously ill screenwriter, played by Albert Finney, who notices that random people he sees on the street are reciting lines from his scripts and appear to be living out the plot from his latest play, a gangster thriller called "Karaoke". I haven't seen it since it was first on in Summer 1996, and yet I could still remember it really well.

Today I just went out to get my groceries for the week.