Hello virtual world. I have hidden from the real world today, on the grounds that it looks really cold and rubbish, and with little prospect of tea. Inside my house are all manner of delights, especially since C went out to forage for biscuits. Was going to go to a church in Bradford tonight, but the snow put us off. Bradford tends to collapse in on itself immediately the snow starts, becoming a huge snowdrift that forbids exit. Maybe next week.
It has been a pleasant enough week, featuring as it did a complete lack of students and rather more than the usual amount of Steven Seagal. Yes, the book Antony thrust upon me and which I said. "What? Why" to, turns out to be very good. And I'm really not sure why. I had never seen any Seagal movies, at all. Not even Under Seige. I have watched three this week and have at least five more on my list, having picked up an amazing box of eight for £15 in York the other day. Eight! So far I have watched three: Under Seige, which was most enjoyable, Under Seige 2, which I actually preferred due to its excessive bonkersness and great villain, and Above the Law, which is surprisingly fun too. Maybe my brain has finally given up, but I'm getting a lot of pleasure out of these films at the moment. It's a world of stuff I've not really bothered with before.
To counteract this rather limited diet, and any fears of cultural stagnation that may accompany it, I have also watched Hunger - the dark and fearful depiction of Bobby Sands's hunger strike by Steve McQueen. No, not that one. The artist. It is not exactly fun, but it is brilliantly made and very evocative: when watching the prison scenes (which make up most of the film) I actually felt quite cold, and could almost smell the dirt and decay. I think I need to watch it again, though probably not for a little while. I think I was a bit caught up in how well it was made and wasn't quite involved in the human story.
In other news... we're trying to give up supermarkets for lent. So, no Asda, Sainburies etc. This seems like a great idea at the moment, but I have a sneaking suspicion that we'll soon run out of something that we have no idea how to resource outside the walls of a big, corporate entity. Where do I get Lapsang Souchong, for example? I'm hoping the effect will be that we are forced to discover the cheapness and moral worth of local shopping. But it's quite possible that I'll just go "Hurrah, it's the end of Lent!" with greater vigour than usual, like that time I foolishly tried not drinking for 40 days.
Er... yeah. So that'll do for now. I've forgotten how blogging works, if I'm honest. Is this even interesting? Just in case it isn't, here's a list. Another thing me and C are doing this year is watching films on an alphabetic basis. So we watch a film beginning with A, then B etc. Not to the point of pain - we're allowed to watch cool stuff outside of this regime if we feel like it. But it is an interesting discipline that leads us towards films we might not otherwise consider. So far we have watched:
About a Boy
Benny and Joon
The Changeling (not the one with Angeline Jolie - a much more mental one)
Dean Spanley
The Emperor's New Groove
The Forgotten
The Green Mile
Hunger
Off now to drink more tea and contemplate the wonder of Seagal's ponytail.
Now that your experiencing the joy that is Steven Segal might I point you in the direction of one Jackie Chan. Not his recent (or should be that decade) of rubbish that has been churned out in Hollywood, but his Hong Kong Classics. If you've not seen them give Police Story, Drunken Master, Rumble in the Bronx and Armour of God a try. Should be sceptical about handing over hard earned cash for said dvd's you're welcome to borrow them.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Geordie
Segalogy is very good; at once a celebration and a piss-take. Vern is right about Out For Justice by the way, the best and baddest-ass of the Segal cannon.
ReplyDeleteRe. Chan: The stunt work in Wheels On Meals is completely incomprehensible (in a good and jaw-dropping way). That and Armour Of God are the twin pinacles of his work. Do it!
For more current affairs, see Tony Jaa in Ong Bak and Warrior King.
@ Andy - Good call on Wheels On Meals! I had completely forgotten about that one (and somehow neglected to add it my collection :S)
ReplyDelete@ Rob - you DEFINITELY need to see Ong Bak and The Warrior King! Both are wonderfully shot with a simple but effective stories designed simply to jump from fight/stunt scene to the next. Wonderful stuff!
Geordie
ps If you're not feeling Kung Fu'd out I heartily recommend Kung Fu Hustle as well! :)
My fave Seagal moment has to be in Hard to Kill when he utters the immortal line, "I'm gonna take you to the bank, Senator Trent. To the blood bank!" Do his films fall into the so bad they're good catagory?
ReplyDeleteHave ordered Mark Kermode's latest book, It's Only a Movie as well as Vern's latest offering about Badass Cinema. (Titled YippeKiyay Moviegoer)
Antony, that line is made all the better, as Vern points out, by the fact that seagal never kills him.
ReplyDeleteMy fave moment would be the liqour store robbery
at the beginning of Hard To Kill "It's still not fair, right? I'll get down on my knees"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OlMpF001kA
Ah, waht wonderous suggestions. Sadly I have had to do a lot of actual work this week (hence no bloggin) but I shall soon resume. I have Kung Fu Hustle - it's tons of fun.
ReplyDelete