Posted in Films, TV at Thu 3 Dec 2009 by Stavros
I know how you like lists. Like I do. That’s why we’re friends isn’t it? Isn’t it? Whatever. Just humour me then.
10. errmmm…
9. I must have seen some films this year…
8. still thinking… Oh yeah,
7. Superbad (2007). Average US teen comedy from bloke behind Freaks & Geeks. Nowhere near as good.
6. Carry On Doctor (1967). I think I’d seen it before. It’s the one with Frankie Howerd in it. It was on C4 when I was ill.
5. Y Tu Mamá También (2001). Watched again after being lent DVD by Austin after drunken conversation the night before.
4. In Which We Serve (1942). Watched again one Saturday afternoon in the summer waiting for the rain to stop at Edgbaston.
3. The Best of Youth (2003). Four part Italian family epic on BBC4 while waiting for second series of Spiral to air.
2. La Reine Margot (1994). Watched again, see #4.
1. The Ladykillers (1955). Watched again with Merk as he hadn’t seen it. Watched through the xbox 360, you know for that authentic 50s vibe.
There you have it, conclusive proof that I am now a movie luddite, a filmic has-been, a cinematic cynic. I’d still recommend any of the top five if you’ve never seen them. Or maybe you prefer this shamelessly populist list of the decade’s films here.
In theory there’s still time for the perennial Christmas favourites to find there way in my annual affections, I’ve been hearing good things about The Great Escape (1963), Zulu (1964) and It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)! Remember the finger’s always on the pulse here at blogofstavros baby.
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Posted in Films, TV at Wed 11 Nov 2009 by Stavros
Good day. Welcome. You are currently reading the 1,514th most regularly updated blog in Shropshire. Make yourself comfortable. I hope you are a patient reader.
I often blog about music, obviously that’s in relative terms, but not so much the other arts. Let me change that. I used to watch lots of films when I was a student, and even arranged my course around some excellent Film Studies modules. However I can’t seem to get excited over movies these days. I rarely watch them at all truth be told. When people talk of a must-see film I silently scoff, snobbishly imagining an explosion-heavy high octane prequel of a sequel of a comic. It sometimes is of course. Either that or Barry Magic. But it’s not exactly as if I spend my time consuming the celluloid canons of La Nouvelle Vague or Italian neorealism in my spare time instead. I’m sure I’m missing out on shitloads of flicks, not least I suppose Up and The Bicycle Thief.
The Buggles were wrong. TV killed the Videostar. At least for me. See the everyday domesticity of the violent New Jersey underworld of The Sopranos, the all-immersive crime and corruption of The Wire’s Baltimore, the contradictory almost bipolar 1960s New York in Mad Men. The sheer hours of character and story (and location) development means to me these are worlds that no two-hour film has ever so completely submerged me. The mournfully cancelled Deadwood and brilliant gritty French series Spiral did similar things too.
Never having been a big watcher of television (again hear the snobbish snorts of derision at Eastenders or X-Factor or Gok fucking Wan), I am trying to catch up on drama that may have slipped below my radar - or EPG. In the last couple of weeks I’ve watched the Red Riding trilogy and State of Play, both excellent large scale British dramas. Both sadly and unlike their US equivalents, only a few episodes long.
Strap your good selves in, here comes a point to this rambling
So, I hoped you, yes you, the crowd-sourced mind of a million thoughts, could let me know if there’s any great drama I may have missed over the last ten years or so. Anything British and ambitious, or any imported series the calibre of The Sopranos or as all-emcompassing as The Wire or as fragrant with poetic cussing as Deadwood? Or shameless comment whore that I am, tell me why I’m so wrong about film.
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Posted in Football, TV, Cricket at Fri 12 Jan 2007 by Stavros
Forget Colemanballs, here are just some of the phrases and quotes in the world of sport that bring about fear, anger or nausea.
- “and here’s your match commentator, John Motson”
- “and here’s your match commentator, Clive Tyldesley”
- Brand Beckham
- Peter Kenyon
- Tiger Tim (see also “Come on Tim”, particularly in RP English)
- anything to do with Geoffrey Boycott’s bloody mother, if she’s that good with a bat why isn’t she taking on the Aussies?
- “and here comes Glenn McGrath with the new ball”
- “the match referee is Uriah Rennie/Jeff Winter/Steve Bennett”
- “it’s one-all here at Old Trafford, and the fourth official has indicated there will be a minimum of five minutes stoppage time”
- “Next live on Sky Sports from the Reebok Stadium, it’s Bolton Wanderers versus …”
- “Ricky Ponting raises his bat to the crowds, what a glorious century”
- “open-top bus victory parade” (see also Honours List)
- “Well, this Test match is really on a knife edge here, so it’s over to Kempton for the 3.25/it’s now time for the Shipping Forecast/but here comes the rain”
- absolutely everything uttered by Mark Lawrenson
- “Titus Bramble starts for Newcastle”
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Posted in Beer, TV, Philosophy at Mon 16 Oct 2006 by Stavros
I apologise for this break in transmission. Things will be back to normal as soon as something happens interesting enough to write about. You’ve missed nowt, a few beers, a few badheads, dodgy karaoke, and endless office boredom. I didn’t win the lottery. Meanwhile, here’s another pointless list.
Five things I’d miss if I emigrated:
- Tea
- Branston pickle
- Real pubs
- Lamb Tikka Balti
- Classified scores at full-time on a Saturday afternoon
Five things I wouldn’t miss:
- Ant & Dec (and that brand of Saturday night telly in general)
- The nanny state
- British lager
- Dying High Streets
- The tabloid press (like this)
I think I’ll stay for now. So, what about you lot?
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Posted in TV at Tue 4 Jul 2006 by Stavros
David Walliams, the wank-faced goon, is swimming the Channel. That’s funny because whenever he’s on my screen I get an uncontrollable urge to change the channel.
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