riddikulus

So I went to see the latest Harry Potter installment tonight. Mostly because I'm a fan of Alfonso Cuarón and partly 'cause I've seen the others and just can't leave things unfinished unless the series is beyond hope. I sort of enjoyed the books but the movies were a bit of a snore so I was hoping against hope that this one wasn't a disappointment.

Well, I wasn't totally let down. It was considerably better than the first two and a lot darker (bloody scary for a kids movie) And the CGI was superb, as well as the kids acting with the CGI (never an easy thing). Still too damn long and the acting isn't what you'd call fantastic from Daniel Radcliffe. And could Gary Oldman chew the scenery more?! Still it had Timothy Spall as a rat so it wasn't all bad. Emma Watson is still the best find of the young actors though.

So. To sum up - I wasn't appalled, there were only a few moments where I'd wished I'd brought a book and I didn't come away wanting to steal one of the seats to get my $12.50's worth.

Still you've probably all seen it long ago so this won't be of any interest. And if you haven't then you're not planning to and more power to ya. If you're at all interested, read this absolutely hilarious review. Far more entertaining than the actual movie.

Quote of the day:

"The mediocre movie explains everything twice and always means exactly what it says. It waves its sincerity aloft like a truce flag. It leaves no questions unanswered. It tells you exactly where you should stand in relation to its characters and its subject matter. It is frequently soothing because it tells you that you are right. Then, too, it can be like an unrelenting host who holds you captive until you finish every last morsel on the plate. But it tends not to stick in the memory because there's nothing there to wonder about."
- Vincent Canby -

listfulness

Just to ease myself back into blogging here's one of those interminable lists that you find scudding about the interweb. I've always wanted to do them but had been afraid that once I start the compunction to keep doing them would take over and I'd never blog anything else again. Oh well, here goes...

30. Favourite Movie(s)? The Princess Bride, Bladerunner, The Exorcist, American Splendour, Ghostbusters (just a small selection).
29. Favourite Colour: Green. Or red. Sorry to the colourblind.
28. Favourite Food? Potato salad. Or cannelloni.
27. Pet(s): Cat (estranged).
26. I would nominate as a holiday destination: Place I've been to: Golden Bay, NZ. Place I'd like to go: Cairo.
25. What talent do you wish you had? Any musical ability.
24. 3 most precious possessions? My cds, my books, my cat.
23. Favourite Artist(s): Antonio Gaudi, William Hogarth, Picasso.
22. Favourite Song(s): Currently: "Fuzzy" - Grant Lee Buffalo,"Turn It Around" - The Black Seeds, "Obstacle 1" - Interpol, "Mighty Little Man" - Steve Burns, "Set You Free" - The Black Keys
21. Embarrassing moment: The twice yearly turning up to work an hour early/late because of daylight savings. Every time. Without fail.
20. Perfect Job: Hermit. With internet of course.
19. If you were to be stuck on an Island 3 famous people you would choose? Meh. Famous shmamous. But my loins lead me to venture with Christina Ricci, Jennifer Connelly, Janeane Garofalo
18. What were you in a former life? A totem pole.
17. Three words to describe your dress sense? What IS that?!
16. Favourite part of your body? My hands.
15. Favourite Smell? Coffee.
14. Whose poster did you have on the wall growing up? I had dozens but none of people as far as I remember.
13. Favourite Memory? As a child: 7 yrs (ish), midsummer, lying in long grass in the sun watching bugs just going about their daily business.
12. Your Fear? Deep water (go figure!), heights.
11. All-time favourite TV Show The Simpsons.
10. If you can be one animal, which one would you be and why? A bear. Eat salmon and berries then sleep all winter. Ahhhh.
9. Most adventurous thing you have done? Modesty and legality force me to pass on that one...
8. If your apartment/house of fire what 3 things would you take? I don't have much in this city but: my cds, my jeans, Rupert's ashes.
7. First famous crush? Debbie Harry.
6. Favourite Book: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
5. Favorite Fruit? Tomato. Yes it is a fruit.
4. Favourite Drink? Coffee, gin & tonic, beer.
3. Where were you born? Vancouver, Canada.
2. Three words to use by others to describe you? Amorevolous, erudite, verbose.
1. Favorite desert? The Sahara.

(via Michelle, blame her)

return of the fishy

*opens door, pushing aside mountain of junk mail*

*brushes off seat and settles himself*

*clears throat*

Hi everybody!

*resounding silence*

Umm, sorry I'm late. Traffic was a bitch.

*frowns*

Hello?

*taps microphone*

This thing on?

Oh well, I'll be around more regularly now if anyone pops over. Better do some cleaning, those cobwebs are a disgrace - my mother would be mortified.

*rummages around desk*

Hey, where are all my pens?

doom gloom despondency and despair

That's my general mood these days.

As should be pretty obvious to anyone who's dropped by this site in the past, I'm taking a wee break. Don't know how long for. Perhaps just till I've got something I want to share, perhaps permanently. We'll see. Just can't do this at the moment.

Sorry to all those who've emailed & I haven't responded, I just can't write. Same with the texts (I also have no credit so can't reply). But thanks for the contact - it means a lot to me.

byeeeee

[this space left intentionally blank]

Sorry about the lack of content here of late. If anyone had wondered - I'm not dead or had my fingers removed. Normal bloggage will resume at some point. Probably.

aqua teen hunger force?

So am I that out of the loop that everyone knows about this show? I mean I thought Spongebob was pretty out there but this?

Reality is weirder than I think I can cope with at the moment...

But in any case:


You're Master Shake! You're manipulative,
self-absorbed, materialistic, rude, lazy, and
easily distracted. Despite all that, you still
think you're the shit.


Aqua Teen Hunger Force - which character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Frighteningly accurate...

(from Michelle *foodge*)

night people are evil! and other stories

Yes as a night person I seem to be destined for the lake of fire:
Night people, we learn here, are associated with darkness, sleep and drunkenness.
Sounds sounds alright to me. Make mine a Guinness.

Pet Metal. The cutting edge of heavy metal:
Hatebeak is an extreme metal act with ear-crushing guitars and head-pounding drums. The difference is the "singer" is a parrot called Waldo.
To show this is not an isolated example, this is Caninus. A band whose lead singer (growler? oo-er!) is a pitbull.

In related music news, there's a naked Judas Priest tribute band called Nudist Priest. You just couldn't make this stuff up...
(both via Popbitch)

For those who've seen Deliverance (squeal, city boy!) or remember The Dukes of Hazzard (man was that an offensive show or what?), this one's for you. Love that penguin.

Ever wondered what's in a magic 8-ball? No me neither, but you can find out here anyway.

An very interesting eBay item. I've had girlfriends like that...
[Edit: Warning about the images, not for the squeamish]

And this is a work of pure genius! I'll be humming it all day (badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, mushroom, mushroom...). Almost eclipses the Laibach kittens as my favourite.

So there you are, that's in lieu of having to actually think of anything interesting to say. If you want intelligent/witty/interesting writing then please browse my blogroll.

yay!

Congrats to Claire for finishing the thesis! Well done babe, I'm impressed and proud of ya :)

Next task: Save the world.

If you get it done quickly you can take the weekend off. Cheers luv.

won't someone think of the children!

Pet peeve for the day: censors.

Initially they pissed me off when the little fuckers gave my beloved Simpsons the unkindest cut (well, you know how that show is just so immoral & evil...), but then last night the wankers got snippy with Frasier! I mean OMGWTF! w00t! r0x0r!

Sorry 'bout that, been reading too many LiveJournal bloggers in a desperate attempt to feel better about my posts. I've really no idea what those "words" mean.

But honestly, do they really think that some (scintillatingly witty) repartee between Niles, Frasier & Roz about Niles getting jiggy with his wife was beyond the pale for 7pm on a weeknight? Any children who watch the show and understand it are either a) preternaturally advanced for their age and should be given copies of a la recherche du temps perdu and told to go laugh themselves silly; b) 45 year-old midgets infiltrating cozy family homes for the milk & cookies; or c) pod people from the planet Mars and should be impaled on pitchforks immediately. Actually that goes for most children. But I digress.

I mean, fuck, I don't even get some of the references. Me, who aspires to being nearly as pompous and verbose as Frasier (though admittedly with less hair & more piercings), although I'm not as well read in the egghead classics genre. And don't really care that much about wine as long as it gets me pissed. I don't really give a monkey's about good dining either. Or play the piano. Ok, so I'm really nothing like him but if I was to be reincarnated as a pompous windbag that'd be the type I'd like to be.

Though when it comes to choosing which fictional tv character I'd most like to be I'd prefer to be Bernard from Black Books. I'd even take up smoking so that I could abuse people so foully and surreally in my own scruffy bookstore.

But where was I. Oh yes, fucking censors. No, I wasn't fucking censors. Perverts. I know what you were thinking.

The nannying little sods can go put trousers on the monkeys at the zoo, I mean they're naked! Anyone could see their unmentionable bits!

*seethe*

a nasal buzzsaw

The Aussie accent eh? A melodious brogue it sure aint. Not that we Kiwis can sneer really ("cun yoo spuk Unglush un Nu Zuld?"). Well, no, I guess we can coz no matter how gutteral the worst of our phonetic excesses are they're nothing compared the flaying of the eardrums you can get from listening to an Aussie DJ on the radio...

I've gotten (relatively) used to it but occasionally one pops up whose nasal twang makes me want to scoop out my eardrums with a spoon. But I wisely opt for turning the radio off instead.

The only thing I've found that's worse is Australian rap.

Oh. My. God.

I hate to brag too much about NZ music... hang on, no, that should be that I love to brag about it. And the reason for that is that it compares soooo well to most of the stuff (read: 'dross') you get here in Oz.

But about their rap and hiphop... Well, good on them for trying, eh? I mean they're givin' it a go, eh? (*attempts Mike King impersonation but gives up in disgust at the thought of Mike King* *shudder*).

No, I'm sorry, no. Just stop. Please. I beg of you.

It's not just that their stuff seems to rely heavily on 10 - 15 yr old influences (Snap and C&C Music factory were good but things have moved on a little) but that they rap in strong Aussie accents. I'm afraid that's probably something that only their mothers could love. And considering the content of much of the 'rap' their mums probably aren't too happy either.

Anyway, that's my daily whinge. Now I must away to watch the tennis - Federer vs Hewitt. Hopefully Lleyton's gonna get a good Rogering.

I know, I know, I'll get me coat...