6 posts tagged “london”

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I live. I review.

Feb 2, 2008
4 comments

OK, so, B and I went into Astérix aux Jeux Olympiques expecting a complete, utter, unspeakable disaster (thanks, AlloCine forums!) and got a perfectly okay film.

No, it's not as good or as funny as Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre, hell it's not as funny as it could have been (tip to the director: the more famous actors you have, the bigger whip you need to keep the whole thing coherent because it won't build itself spontaneously) but it's not bad or unfunny either: our theatre - and we with it - frequently laughed out loud, and save some bits o' the plot harvested from comics other than the Olympic-themed one which barely made sense here (I can see why they were used, needed even, but they really weren't integrated well) I had no huge complaints. For a light evening's entertainment, this delivers perfectly.

People. People. Clovis Cornillac totally needs a film where he can actually play Astérix in a leading and not just a supporting role (tip to the director: your viewers may be going to see a film because of the name in the title; plz to be making use of said name); he not only looks the part (besides being too tall, but I can live with that, and being hotter than the wee Gaul was ever supposed to, but I can definitely live with that), he really picked up the character's joie de vivre, simmering mania, smugness, and genuine concern for the wellbeing of his friends. Not easy to show in the screen time and focus he was given so a) kudos, b) Astérix as played by CC2 needs to appear more in his own film.

Obélix got more character in here than he was given in the original books, I felt, which is not a bad thing. Comment from B, who had never read the comics so this film was pretty much her entire canon: "Why is everything called Astérix this, Astérix that, when Obélix is three times the man?" Me: "Because Astérix is the man in the books, but Gérard Depardieu is the man among actors." But then I love Depardieu so no complaints on his enhanced presence & character.

Also, Alain Delon is the man. PHWOOAR, I know he's a hundred years old, but PHWOOAR.
Also, Zinedine Zidane is surprisingly funny.
And Jamel Debbouze is still the funniest thing around.

I would watch this again. (Hell, I will. Screw the naysayers.) OH AND I GOT A HUGE POSTER. B noticed people waving them around just before the film started, so I ran out and demanded mine in French, and I got it. I am HAPPY. Oh and had I known of the existence of the French Institute with its own cinema, I'd have so gone before, so hello Persepolis I'm coming to see you next!

Finally, a sample:

More London!

Feb 11, 2007
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st pauls facade - light & dark II

Loads of loveliness in Flickr! Clicky clicky.

Photos. Photos. Photos. And some bitching on airports.

Jan 27, 2007
6 comments

ominous trees II

1 comment

Been to London for two days, where I did a lot of library work and feel very pleased with myself and the amount of information dug up. I am also hellishly tired after a day's travel (it's only two hours of flight, which is great, but add to that two hours to get to the airport, two hours of waiting until the plane is ready to board, two hours to get home from the destination airport, and count in another hour or two of extra annoyances and delays that are bound to come up) so I'll leave you for now with an obscene amount of photos I took along the way (Slovenia, Trieste, some aerial Venice, and a lot of London) here, here and here in chronological order, and bid you all a good night after what I hope was a delightful Saturday evening for you all. Have a good weekend!

Vox Hunt: I Get Around

Dec 10, 2006
2 comments

Tube

Show us your favorite mode of transport.
Submitted by NomDeCocon.

The Tube is not my favourite mode of transport, being stuffy, crowded and late more often than not (I'm looking at you, Northern Line), but Transport for London do run an amazing bus network and I love that I can go on the underground and regular trains within the zones I need, and the buses in all of London on a single pass. You don't get that where I normally live (I'm looking at you, Autotrolej).

Also, TfL have always fascinated me with their keen sense of promotion, and I love encountering new Platform for Art instalments. The poster shown here is by David Booth, created in '86 to point to the Tate Gallery. I keep on being in awe of the brilliance of this: art (paint), modern art (minimalism), and the famous Tube map all in one. And it's a tube of paint bearing the iconic roundel. Design rarely gets better.

A London report in very random drawings

Nov 29, 2006
2 comments

Doc Martens I

Thirteen doodles from London: people, things, thoughts. Including a breakfast at ~~Tiffany's~~ the British Museum, notes from a conference, seat belts, and girls wearing too much who I confess annoy me as much as girls wearing too little. Also, the 'red light drawing' technique is nothing dodgy ;), it's an exercise in how much you can catch while the bus is not moving. No pencils in here, all quick and unedited (some, as before, painfully so) pen work.