Books, Films, Gigs, and My Life!

I’ve seen three Shakespeare plays this year so far, two of which were amazing, but the most recent one was quite disappointing really – although something on the same evening kind of made up for it! I admit that one of the appealing things about going to see these plays is who has been in them – although I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, as getting famous people to play these parts introduces people who would never have usually gone to the theatre to seeing plays and then hopefully they’ll go on and see other things without famous people in them. I have quite a lack of knowledge of Shakespeare, which I feel quite bad about – as far as I can remember we only studied two plays at school (Macbeth in year 7 and Twelfth Night in year 11) so I don’t know the details of many plays beyond these. However I have seen more plays recently, both at the theatre and on TV, which I’ve mainly enjoyed, so I will keep looking out for more. In the theatre I’ve seen The Taming of the Shrew (years ago, because I love the film 10 Things I Hate About You, which is based on the play), Macbeth (at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1999 – it was a bit scary!), Richard III (with Kevin Spacey – amazing!), Much Ado About Nothing (with David Tennant and Catherine Tate, they were great!) and The Tempest.
 
Now, I think out of those The Tempest is the most “fantasy” one, and its also the one which I didn’t like. It had Ralph Fiennes and Nicholas Lyndhurst in it, and I thought Ralph Fiennes would be just as good as Kevin Spacey was, but he really wasn’t. I didn’t really feel that he had any “presence” on the stage, and didn’t really bring anything more to the role than any other actor would. I suppose I tend to think that film actors are somehow “better” than “just” stage actors, but that’s not necessarily true. After all, film actors can do each scene 20 times, whereas stage actors have to get it right straight away! With regards to the Tempest, I found the story quite confusing, and it really dragged at the end. None of the characters really caught my attention (like, for example, Kevin Spacey as Richard III did), and I didn’t really like the fantasy type bits. Also it seemed to have songs in it, which I didn’t realise, haha, and the person singing them couldn’t sing…I don’t know if that was the point, but it wasn’t very nice. In contrast, I also didn’t really know the story of Much Ado About Nothing, but the characters were engaging and kept your attention. David Tennant and Catherine Tate have a really great chemistry between them, and so you could really believe that they were the characters they were, and that they secretly loved each other and were tricked into admitting it!! That was great, and so funny. Kevin Spacey in Richard III was just such an imposing presence on the stage, and the whole play was really put together very well with some very striking parts, for example the use of drums by the whole cast at one point was great.
 
Actually, I think I’ve also seen Hamlet and Macbeth on TV, both with quite minimalist sets and with good actors in them – David Tennant in Hamlet and Patrick Stewart in Macbeth – so I think it must have been more the structure and story of the Tempest which I didn’t like, rather than Shakespeare as a whole, which is good! I really need to read up on more of his work though, and go to see more, as whenever I go I feel really uncultured, haha!

ooooooooooohh........and I also forget to say what made the night we went to see the Tempest amazing.......we following Vivienne Westwood down the street for about 500 metres :D :D I first saw her crossing the road near to Trafalgar Square, at first I was drawn to her hair (which is bright orange!) and then I realised who it was...i think I went a bit star struck!! It was so amazing to see her, just walking down the street like a normal person, I mean I know she's a normal person, but I would have thought that she would have had people looking at her or something, but it didn't look like anyone had noticed. Apart from me and my friend anyway! It was so great. I'm kind of glad I didn't get into any situation where I had to speak to her though, as I think I might have been a bit speechless!! :)

Wow I’m getting awful at keeping up with this….

( Books from 24th July to 12th September )

( Chalet School Books I have purchased and read recently! )

Lots and lots of books for sale, and a few dvds. Books £3 each (unless stated), with discounts if you want more than one, dvds £2. I accept paypal. I will be posting on Saturday. If you'd like a picture let me know and I will take one (although it will be later today as I'm at work at the moment!) :)

All books are in good condition, some only read once, some are ex-library and some a bit aged (the pages are yellowed a bit, but are in otherwise good condition).

Some classics, crime, books like the Female Eunuch etc. Fiction and Non-Fiction.

Will trade for Chalet School books, an Opeth tshirt (large) or a maglite torch :)

Cross posted to some other places.

( The Books! )

I also have many other books, lots of "classics", popular fiction and historical fiction mainly, so if you're looking for anything let me know and I will see if I have it :)

( DVDs )

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The Lives of Others (german) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/

Amelie (french) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/

The Edukators (german) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408777/

My Neighbour Totoro (japanese) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096283/

They're the ones that immediately spring to mind, probably quite obvious choices, but they are really brilliant films. I don't think any of them should be remade (although I'm disgusted to see a IMDB page for The Lives of Others with a 2013 date on it which I hope isn't a remake...). The Lives of Others is about something which is specifically german and related to Germany, the secret police and their activities, it just wouldn't be as good in English. Amelie I think works really well with subtitles, as a lot of what is said is in her mind anyway, so it is like you're reading her thoughts, which is great. The Edukators shouldn't be remade as they will probably dumb it down for an american audience and that would just be rubbish. For Totoro, I've watched it dubbed and the english children's voices were incredibly annoying...so it shouldn't be made again in English! It would just lose its charm if it became americanised.

I don't understand why people are so eager to remake films which are in a language other than their own. People should broaden their minds and take the chance of watching something outside of their comfort zone.

( Books from 9th June to 7th July 2011 )

I haven’t really read that many great books recently, apart from the Chalet School ones, which is a shame. Everything has been a bit disappointing really! But at least I have them out of the way, and my pile of books for the car boot sale is growing! I’m currently reading a book which I have seen to be quite badly reviewed previously, but its ok so far…and next I’m going to try Midnight’s Children, which I’m looking forward to. Just in time for my parents to come back from India with all their photos as well! I haven’t done too well with reading books from the 1001 books to read before you die recently, so that will be a start again. I think I might just concentrate more on reading the books I have that I haven’t read, and then go back to the library to get more books in September.

As for general life things…I’ve started the next OU course I’ve signed up for, its just psychology this time, and its been interesting so far. Just waiting for the mark from my first essay now! The next one isn’t due until September, although I want to get it done before Bloodstock in August really. And talking of Bloodstock I’ve met a few more metallers recently, so I’m getting increasingly excited about that, (Bloodstock I mean, not the metallers, though they are cool, haha!) even though I keep forgetting what bands are playing! I know when I go I’ll find loads to go and see though. It’ll be great :D I don’t have any more gigs to go to until September apart from that, which is a bit of a shame!

I hope everyone reading this has been well and been doing fun things! :)

I haven't done a question thing for ages, so....( here you go! )

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I don't think I can say my favourite - they are all good for different reasons! In terms of acting, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Benny and Joon are really excellent - I didn't even know it was him in Fear and Loathing at first! In terms of the character he plays, Edward Scissorhands and of course Pirates of the Caribbean are really good. For the worst, but also best, haha, accent, watch From Hell. For proof that when he has short hair his films are less good - watch Donnie Brasco and Public Enemies! Public Enemies especially - with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale starring, this film should have been amazing, but it just was quite disappointing. Oh, and how could I forget Chocolat - which is just a lovely film! :) Thats one of my films that I watch when I'm having a bad day - its just so nice and gentle :)

I'm just looking at IMDB and his list of films - theres loads I keep forgetting about! Totally forgot about The Libertine, might have to watch that again soon. And Finding Neverland. He's done such interesting characters over the years - one of the only "normal" type people he's played was recently in the Tourist, which most people seemed to dislike, but I quite liked it. The last scene was just fantastic, haha :)

But anyway, better stop thinking about Johnny Depp and get back to work!! :)

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The longest book I've ever read is probably A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. I've also read Pillars of the Earth and Fall of Giants by Ken Follett, both of which are very long. I've also got 1/3 of the way through War and Peace, which I am quite pleased about...but then the "war" bits just got too boring so I stopped! I am definitely going to try again though, hopefully this year.

As for the shortest - I really don't know. I suppose it would be a children's picture book, well that would be the book with the least words anyway! In which case I will say either the Hungry Catepillar (colouring in version!!), or a book about a slug trying to find a shell...can't remember what that was called though!

Book 92 - In Their Footsteps by Tess Gerritsen - an extremely average crime thriller - I was surprised it wasn't better, as her medical crime books are really excellent. Not recommended.

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"style" over substance.

and to expand slightly: In 50 years, will people remember her songs? Or just what she used wears? Or neither?

to expand even more (and defeat the point of the question!!) :

i was listening to the Beatles the other day, and it just makes me think, they were just four ordinary boys from liverpool, and they changed the course of music, really. Is there anyone around today who is having the same effect and changing history like they did? I suppose you can only tell from a distance, and maybe we're not far enough away from it, but from the 90s / 00s there hasn't really been any big, amazing musicial movement which is liked by the majority and has changed the face of music. I know I am looking at it from the perspective of "alternative" music, but if you consider the main genres that are popular in the mainstream at the moment - pop is just forgettable, indie even more so, and RnB / rap doesn't really seem to be doing anything different. The majority of the "alternative" genres that I like are old genres anyway (e.g. goth), so it kind of makes it seem like, to me at least, there are not really any bands / genres which are that good now. When I say things like this and people recommend bands for me to listen to, I usually can't really hear in them what makes them so different and so memorable. But even when you listen to the Beatles now, after all this time, you can still hear what it was in them which made them so different, both then and now.