This past week I sort of took it easy and decided to go to the movies... a lot.
On Saturday I went to see A Serious Man at The Electric. This is probably one of the bleakest films the Coen Brothers have ever done. It is even bleaker than No Country for Old Men and that is one of the most bleakest films in recent memory. However, that is not to say that A Serious Man isn't one of the funniest movies released this year. There was one joke, one of the darkest and disturbing jokes I've ever seen that had me belly laughing so hard that people in the audience actually pointed at me. It just was that funny. It also tackles serious questions about faith and if God even is communicating with us or if life is just merely chaos. I thought it was well done without being on a soapbox. Also, like all good art, it leaves the question open rather than didactic and solvable. Discussion is key and this film feels like it is trying to open up a discussion while also being incredibly funny. It also feels like one of their most personal projects in recent memory.
About three hours after A Serious Man, I saw Me and Orson Welles. This movie was dull. It had some interesting things happening such as Christian McKay's performance as Orson Welles but the movie itself was just... boring. It felt like it was trying to be a classical Hollywood film in the sense that it was really trying for that snappy dialogue that served well in films such as The Thin Man and even Welles' Citizen Kane but it just didn't work overall. I was bored and looking at my wristwatch throughout most of the last act.
However, one of the more interesting experiences I had this past week was just within the last 12 hours of this post. My flat mate Adam and I went to see Avatar in Imax 3D. I'm not a big fan of 3D just because it's always felt gimmicky. However, in this film, it works. It works in subtle ways. It does not try and be flashy with the 3D technology except for at the beginning of the film in the first few scenes. The plot itself is somewhat clunky but hey, so is most of Star Wars plot. Essentially it is like Dances with Wolves but with blue aliens. This is not the film you watch because of the plot but because of the visuals. And my God the visuals are astounding. James Cameron really knows how to create a world and an atmosphere which anyone would want to just live in. Lush jungles and vistas as well as an entirely new culture for the screen. This is the kind of film that brings the kid in me to life. The kid in me who read many crappy science fiction novels and hey, I'm planning on going again in a few hours to see it in Imax. I'm sort of a sucker for event films.
I'm also planning on spending the entire day at The Electric on Saturday. I'm planning on watching It's a Wonderful Life, Citizen Kane and possibly but not definitely The Red Shoes. All on 35 mm.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Last Week of Classes
My last week of classes was pretty uneventful. Although, man do British professors like to give out mince pies or treats of some sort or another.
It's nice. The most interesting treat given was in my Cold War Film course. My professor gave us a champagne orange juice mix. Unlike the horrible, awful, no-good mix given at the social during the winter ball, this one at least had some flavor. It wasn't too bad. It wasn't a home run either but hey, I'm not going to turn down a free drink. Personally, I prefer scotch with a touch of water but you can't always get what you want. Though if you go to the off license then you sure as hell can buy it.
Most of my classes consisted of just wrapping up the year and making sure any immediate questions about the papers were answered sooner rather than later.
The most interesting thing which happened during my lectures happened on Friday before my Theatre and Cultural Politics course. Some members of class met up before hand at a pub down in Selly Oak called the Bristol Pear. It was a decent pub and the food wasn't bad either.
It was also somewhat interesting because I went to class with an energy buzz. The sort of energy buzz which is generated by a pint of Guinness, a double Jack and coke and a Bourbon and water. Discussing Angels and America whilst being moderately intoxicated was quite interesting.
Also it was somewhat funny because the first part of lecture was to list off what are some of the perceived notions about Americans. John Warwick was the lecturer. He's also an American. He said that two of us were excluded from discussing this topic. When they brought up the arrogance of calling it the World Series, I had to get involved. I just offhandedly said that we recruit the best from Japan and foreign baseball teams. Warwick stopped class and said that he thought it was pretty obvious who couldn't speak during this activity. The class laughed but it was worth it. I made a bit of a fool of myself again later on when I was able to list off the years Rambo III and Firefox, both terrible films, were released. I quickly explained that I know way too much about films and had to study them, Rambo specifically, in a previous class.
Now it's off to write papers. I have to write 20,000 words by January 12th or something like that. Either way, it's not a lot of time. I've sort of slacked off until now. Mostly because I don't feel the pressure yet. I will and it will get done. It will get done. As fast as humanly possible but when the pressures on, that's when the writer in me comes out.
It's nice. The most interesting treat given was in my Cold War Film course. My professor gave us a champagne orange juice mix. Unlike the horrible, awful, no-good mix given at the social during the winter ball, this one at least had some flavor. It wasn't too bad. It wasn't a home run either but hey, I'm not going to turn down a free drink. Personally, I prefer scotch with a touch of water but you can't always get what you want. Though if you go to the off license then you sure as hell can buy it.
Most of my classes consisted of just wrapping up the year and making sure any immediate questions about the papers were answered sooner rather than later.
The most interesting thing which happened during my lectures happened on Friday before my Theatre and Cultural Politics course. Some members of class met up before hand at a pub down in Selly Oak called the Bristol Pear. It was a decent pub and the food wasn't bad either.
It was also somewhat interesting because I went to class with an energy buzz. The sort of energy buzz which is generated by a pint of Guinness, a double Jack and coke and a Bourbon and water. Discussing Angels and America whilst being moderately intoxicated was quite interesting.
Also it was somewhat funny because the first part of lecture was to list off what are some of the perceived notions about Americans. John Warwick was the lecturer. He's also an American. He said that two of us were excluded from discussing this topic. When they brought up the arrogance of calling it the World Series, I had to get involved. I just offhandedly said that we recruit the best from Japan and foreign baseball teams. Warwick stopped class and said that he thought it was pretty obvious who couldn't speak during this activity. The class laughed but it was worth it. I made a bit of a fool of myself again later on when I was able to list off the years Rambo III and Firefox, both terrible films, were released. I quickly explained that I know way too much about films and had to study them, Rambo specifically, in a previous class.
Now it's off to write papers. I have to write 20,000 words by January 12th or something like that. Either way, it's not a lot of time. I've sort of slacked off until now. Mostly because I don't feel the pressure yet. I will and it will get done. It will get done. As fast as humanly possible but when the pressures on, that's when the writer in me comes out.
The Winter Ball
Last week on Tuesday night we had our Winter Ball. It was a formal event in which we all dressed in suits and ties to eat a three course meal. The ticket for said event cost £25. Was it worth it? I couldn't really say.
A lot of my friends and flat mates were going. I decided I should go as well. There was a slight problem of not owning a suit but I rectified that situation a few weeks before the ball by going out to Bullring (I went to Suits You) and purchasing a very nice Ted Baker single breasted three button suit with three shirts, three ties, a new belt, two pairs of cuff links and a new pair of black dress shoes. They made such a killing on me, and my God was it an arm and a leg and a thigh, that they threw in a travel bag at practically no extra charge. My rationale behind buying such a nice suit was because well, it will come in handy beyond just tonight. Why buy a cheap suit which will get destroyed when I could buy a nice one which I could get dry cleaned and have it on hand for future formal events as well as job interviews and anything of that nature.
Back to the event at hand. We all got dressed in suits and ties and then we went down to the Social. The ticket said "Free Drinks" at the social. What that "Free Drinks" actually entailed, vague though it may be, was one free drink which was a cheap champagne flavored drink mixed with orange juice. It was a terrible, bland disgusting, flavorless and soulless drink. I rectified that situation by going up to the bar and ordering a Rum and Coke just to wash the sickly flavor from my mouth.
We then went down to the coaches which were going to take us to the Aston Villa Football Grounds. We were to have our meal inside of one of the executive suites. It was like a ballroom. Wood floors. A bar at one end of the room and a jazz band at the other. The jazz band was too close to my friend's table. They said it was annoying. I didn't sit there not because I didn't want to but because it just worked out that way. I sat with Sachin (Magic Man) and his flat mates. Sachin is known as Magic Man because he's so good with magic drinks. He has a whole routine with a deck of cards which ends with the card turning into a glass deck. He's really good at sleight of hand. I always keep my wallet in a safe place around him. He's not going to do anything but... just in case he ever wants to pull any tricks. Nah, he's actually a really good guy.
There were five bottles of wine at the center of the table with streamers, party poppers and a "fun box" with party nick knacks. The five bottles though were cheap, disgusting wines which had more in common with vinegar than wine. Again, I had to rectify this situation by going up to the bar and ordering a double jack and coke on the rocks with a lemon wedge. That cost me an arm and a leg but frankly, I would rather pay out money to get a good drink at an event like this than to dress up and drink terrible wine. It also had the added effect of getting my pallet somewhat numbed so I could stomach the bad stuff. My dad once told me that you drink the good stuff first, then you drink the bad stuff.
The first course was a minestrone soup and a roll. The soup itself was actually pretty good. It was a good warm up round until we got to the main course. Turkey with gravy, stuffing in the center, potatoes, green beans and cranberry sauce. It wasn't the greatest piece of poultry I've ever had, but then again, this was a mass produced meal. I didn't expect much from it. It was better than I thought it was going to be. The final course was a really good cheese cake. It had a layer of chocolate at the bottom. It was lush.
Afterward they had some announcements from people who got elected into office for our living area. It's Residential Advisers. Entertainment office, treasury and things of that nature. Ho hum stuff.
Throughout the meal I was having a pretty good time. I talked with a girl who was a golf management major. Yes, the University of Birmingham offers that as a major. She wants to own a golf course. I thought that was pretty interesting because you don't really meet that everyday.
After the meal is when fun took a nose dive. We went to get photos as a flat and as friends. It didn't go so well. People bum rushed the photographer and people just got agitated, especially amongst my group that we decided to get out of there.
We went downstairs. There were nine of us. We ordered a taxi. They sent us two. the first took home four leaving five. The second arrived but it wouldn't be able to take us all. Mark got angry with the driver. For a second I thought a fight was going to break out. Thankfully, another group of taxis arrived and took us home.
We all broke up and went to bed.
All in all, I think I had a good time but it was jaded at best. Some people made absolute fools of themselves. One guy, the entertainments officer, Ash, showed up at the venue absolutely battered. He was just a fool with streamers encircling and entwining around him. Most people who were civilized were less than impressed. Rod remarked to me later that he has only ever seen Ash whilst he is drunk. I will say this, it was entertaining to watch however I don't think he should be the one in charge of it.
The emotional drama at the end of the night was... well, it was less than impressive. The jazz band they had wasn't the greatest and they were way too loud throughout most of the night. It should have been a function with quiet music in the background not anything more.
I suppose I could nitpick the hell out of it but that's just what I do. I nitpick the hell out of a lot of things. I enjoyed it but if I had a choice I probably would not want to go again. I don't think I'm going to make the summer ball to be perfectly frank.
A lot of my friends and flat mates were going. I decided I should go as well. There was a slight problem of not owning a suit but I rectified that situation a few weeks before the ball by going out to Bullring (I went to Suits You) and purchasing a very nice Ted Baker single breasted three button suit with three shirts, three ties, a new belt, two pairs of cuff links and a new pair of black dress shoes. They made such a killing on me, and my God was it an arm and a leg and a thigh, that they threw in a travel bag at practically no extra charge. My rationale behind buying such a nice suit was because well, it will come in handy beyond just tonight. Why buy a cheap suit which will get destroyed when I could buy a nice one which I could get dry cleaned and have it on hand for future formal events as well as job interviews and anything of that nature.
Back to the event at hand. We all got dressed in suits and ties and then we went down to the Social. The ticket said "Free Drinks" at the social. What that "Free Drinks" actually entailed, vague though it may be, was one free drink which was a cheap champagne flavored drink mixed with orange juice. It was a terrible, bland disgusting, flavorless and soulless drink. I rectified that situation by going up to the bar and ordering a Rum and Coke just to wash the sickly flavor from my mouth.
We then went down to the coaches which were going to take us to the Aston Villa Football Grounds. We were to have our meal inside of one of the executive suites. It was like a ballroom. Wood floors. A bar at one end of the room and a jazz band at the other. The jazz band was too close to my friend's table. They said it was annoying. I didn't sit there not because I didn't want to but because it just worked out that way. I sat with Sachin (Magic Man) and his flat mates. Sachin is known as Magic Man because he's so good with magic drinks. He has a whole routine with a deck of cards which ends with the card turning into a glass deck. He's really good at sleight of hand. I always keep my wallet in a safe place around him. He's not going to do anything but... just in case he ever wants to pull any tricks. Nah, he's actually a really good guy.
There were five bottles of wine at the center of the table with streamers, party poppers and a "fun box" with party nick knacks. The five bottles though were cheap, disgusting wines which had more in common with vinegar than wine. Again, I had to rectify this situation by going up to the bar and ordering a double jack and coke on the rocks with a lemon wedge. That cost me an arm and a leg but frankly, I would rather pay out money to get a good drink at an event like this than to dress up and drink terrible wine. It also had the added effect of getting my pallet somewhat numbed so I could stomach the bad stuff. My dad once told me that you drink the good stuff first, then you drink the bad stuff.
The first course was a minestrone soup and a roll. The soup itself was actually pretty good. It was a good warm up round until we got to the main course. Turkey with gravy, stuffing in the center, potatoes, green beans and cranberry sauce. It wasn't the greatest piece of poultry I've ever had, but then again, this was a mass produced meal. I didn't expect much from it. It was better than I thought it was going to be. The final course was a really good cheese cake. It had a layer of chocolate at the bottom. It was lush.
Afterward they had some announcements from people who got elected into office for our living area. It's Residential Advisers. Entertainment office, treasury and things of that nature. Ho hum stuff.
Throughout the meal I was having a pretty good time. I talked with a girl who was a golf management major. Yes, the University of Birmingham offers that as a major. She wants to own a golf course. I thought that was pretty interesting because you don't really meet that everyday.
After the meal is when fun took a nose dive. We went to get photos as a flat and as friends. It didn't go so well. People bum rushed the photographer and people just got agitated, especially amongst my group that we decided to get out of there.
We went downstairs. There were nine of us. We ordered a taxi. They sent us two. the first took home four leaving five. The second arrived but it wouldn't be able to take us all. Mark got angry with the driver. For a second I thought a fight was going to break out. Thankfully, another group of taxis arrived and took us home.
We all broke up and went to bed.
All in all, I think I had a good time but it was jaded at best. Some people made absolute fools of themselves. One guy, the entertainments officer, Ash, showed up at the venue absolutely battered. He was just a fool with streamers encircling and entwining around him. Most people who were civilized were less than impressed. Rod remarked to me later that he has only ever seen Ash whilst he is drunk. I will say this, it was entertaining to watch however I don't think he should be the one in charge of it.
The emotional drama at the end of the night was... well, it was less than impressive. The jazz band they had wasn't the greatest and they were way too loud throughout most of the night. It should have been a function with quiet music in the background not anything more.
I suppose I could nitpick the hell out of it but that's just what I do. I nitpick the hell out of a lot of things. I enjoyed it but if I had a choice I probably would not want to go again. I don't think I'm going to make the summer ball to be perfectly frank.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Endgame
This past weekend I went down to London to see a play. Endgame by Samuel Beckett. It was a very interesting play but I'll get to that later.
The Friday before I went though was a pretty interesting one. My theatre and cultural politics course was another really interesting one. This time we were discussing the ethics of Hell Houses which are "haunted houses" but they are told from a Christian perspective. So, there would be scenes depicted suicide or abortions or a gay man dying of aids or ravers and afterward they would be dragged down to the fiery pits of Hell by demons. It's all that fire and brimstone crap. The kind of Christianity which is really disgusting. Gandhi once said that "I like your Christ but not your Christians." So true. Another interesting quote came from one of our readings. "Haunted houses are meant to scare the bejesus out of you, while Hell Houses are meant to scare the Jesus into you."
However we were not looking at it from a perspective of good or bad performance. We were actually supposed to be looking at it fairly objectively. We were supposed to be looking at the mechanics of what this sort of theatre was doing. It was a very interesting lecture and the lecturer, John Warwick was another American. He was also asking very tough questions. He told us that all theatre is exclusionary in some form or another. It was hard hitting, blunt and to the point. We were not discussing ethics but mechanics.
Many people in the lecture were a bit thunderstruck by it and sort of either missed the point or tried to make it into an ethical debate. I was on the edge of my seat for most of it. After class, Serafina and I had a pretty lengthy discussion about it. We parted ways because she had to finish work on a project.
Later on that night, my friends from Oakley Court and I grabbed dinner at the pub. Green Man. God, I love that place. I wasn't planning on going but, hey I just can't say no to a good pub meal. I had the grilled lemon chicken with jacket (baked) potatoes and peas. I also had a pint of Guinness with it. I downed the Guinness pretty quickly. That stuff tastes so good. I had another pint. This time it was an ale called Ubu. I do enjoy a good ale. Don't worry, I'm not becoming an alcoholic. I do feel that one can enjoy alcohol responsibly.
The meal was good but I grew weary and headed home. I passed out and woke up that morning pretty early. I had soup for breakfast and killed time before I had to be at the station.
I collected my tickets and I was a little concerned by the way they printed out. I thought I had only purchased a one way ticket. Thankfully I hadn't but still, it was a worry.
The train ride down was uneventful. Although it was sunnier than normal which was a shock. I actually had to put my sunglasses on during the train ride. Once in London I grabbed a tube map and proceeded to head where I needed to go. I got off at Oxford Circus and I went to a Bella Italia for lunch. It's an Italian chain here in the UK. It's sort of like the Olive Garden only it's a lot nicer.
I headed to Embankment station and from there I went across the river Thames via a walkway bridge. I saw the Eye which is a giant sightseeing Ferris wheel. At the base were many street performers as well as a small Christmas market. I walked across another bridge and saw one of the major landmarks of London. Big Ben and Parliament. Big Ben isn't as big as they say. It's a little underwhelming. Old Joe, the clock tower on campus is actually taller than Big Ben.
After exploring around for a little bit, I headed back to try and find where I needed to go for my play. That was a bit trickier. Thankfully I gave myself plenty of time just in case something like this happened. I ended up taking several wrong turns. I broke down and bought a street map. Found where I needed to go and arrived with a 1/2 hour to spare.
Endgame is a play by Samuel Beckett. He is sort of a major figure in the play world. They recently had a showing of Waiting for Godot, his other seminal work which starred Ian McKellen. That play was so successful that they are bringing it back for a limited 10 week run in the spring. Yes, I'm going to buy tickets to see that.
Endgame doesn't really have a plot. It's four characters are living in what is essentially a post-apocalyptic world. Hamm is blind. Clov can barely walk. Nell and Nagg, Hamm's parents, live in waste bins. They more or less looked like demented Oscar the Grouch off of Sesame Street.
I'm fortunate at having seen the play because it was the second to last showing of it. It was a strange play. Intense doesn't even scratch the surface. I was very claustrophobic whilst watching it. I did have killer seats but the Duchess Theatre is a lot smaller than the Old Vic. One of the cooler set ideas was the window curtains, when moved, actually had quite a bit of dust fall from them. The door leading to the unseen kitchen creaked and creaked once open.
It was a one act play lasting only 100 minutes but I felt like I got my money's worth.
After the play, I walked around a bit in the rain and found a nice pub. I had fish and chips which were a lot better this time around as well as a nice good ale. Then I found my way to Euston train station and went home.
All in all it was a pretty good day.
For mementos of my play going experiences I plan on buying the programs of each show I attend.
The Friday before I went though was a pretty interesting one. My theatre and cultural politics course was another really interesting one. This time we were discussing the ethics of Hell Houses which are "haunted houses" but they are told from a Christian perspective. So, there would be scenes depicted suicide or abortions or a gay man dying of aids or ravers and afterward they would be dragged down to the fiery pits of Hell by demons. It's all that fire and brimstone crap. The kind of Christianity which is really disgusting. Gandhi once said that "I like your Christ but not your Christians." So true. Another interesting quote came from one of our readings. "Haunted houses are meant to scare the bejesus out of you, while Hell Houses are meant to scare the Jesus into you."
However we were not looking at it from a perspective of good or bad performance. We were actually supposed to be looking at it fairly objectively. We were supposed to be looking at the mechanics of what this sort of theatre was doing. It was a very interesting lecture and the lecturer, John Warwick was another American. He was also asking very tough questions. He told us that all theatre is exclusionary in some form or another. It was hard hitting, blunt and to the point. We were not discussing ethics but mechanics.
Many people in the lecture were a bit thunderstruck by it and sort of either missed the point or tried to make it into an ethical debate. I was on the edge of my seat for most of it. After class, Serafina and I had a pretty lengthy discussion about it. We parted ways because she had to finish work on a project.
Later on that night, my friends from Oakley Court and I grabbed dinner at the pub. Green Man. God, I love that place. I wasn't planning on going but, hey I just can't say no to a good pub meal. I had the grilled lemon chicken with jacket (baked) potatoes and peas. I also had a pint of Guinness with it. I downed the Guinness pretty quickly. That stuff tastes so good. I had another pint. This time it was an ale called Ubu. I do enjoy a good ale. Don't worry, I'm not becoming an alcoholic. I do feel that one can enjoy alcohol responsibly.
The meal was good but I grew weary and headed home. I passed out and woke up that morning pretty early. I had soup for breakfast and killed time before I had to be at the station.
I collected my tickets and I was a little concerned by the way they printed out. I thought I had only purchased a one way ticket. Thankfully I hadn't but still, it was a worry.
The train ride down was uneventful. Although it was sunnier than normal which was a shock. I actually had to put my sunglasses on during the train ride. Once in London I grabbed a tube map and proceeded to head where I needed to go. I got off at Oxford Circus and I went to a Bella Italia for lunch. It's an Italian chain here in the UK. It's sort of like the Olive Garden only it's a lot nicer.
I headed to Embankment station and from there I went across the river Thames via a walkway bridge. I saw the Eye which is a giant sightseeing Ferris wheel. At the base were many street performers as well as a small Christmas market. I walked across another bridge and saw one of the major landmarks of London. Big Ben and Parliament. Big Ben isn't as big as they say. It's a little underwhelming. Old Joe, the clock tower on campus is actually taller than Big Ben.
After exploring around for a little bit, I headed back to try and find where I needed to go for my play. That was a bit trickier. Thankfully I gave myself plenty of time just in case something like this happened. I ended up taking several wrong turns. I broke down and bought a street map. Found where I needed to go and arrived with a 1/2 hour to spare.
Endgame is a play by Samuel Beckett. He is sort of a major figure in the play world. They recently had a showing of Waiting for Godot, his other seminal work which starred Ian McKellen. That play was so successful that they are bringing it back for a limited 10 week run in the spring. Yes, I'm going to buy tickets to see that.
Endgame doesn't really have a plot. It's four characters are living in what is essentially a post-apocalyptic world. Hamm is blind. Clov can barely walk. Nell and Nagg, Hamm's parents, live in waste bins. They more or less looked like demented Oscar the Grouch off of Sesame Street.
I'm fortunate at having seen the play because it was the second to last showing of it. It was a strange play. Intense doesn't even scratch the surface. I was very claustrophobic whilst watching it. I did have killer seats but the Duchess Theatre is a lot smaller than the Old Vic. One of the cooler set ideas was the window curtains, when moved, actually had quite a bit of dust fall from them. The door leading to the unseen kitchen creaked and creaked once open.
It was a one act play lasting only 100 minutes but I felt like I got my money's worth.
After the play, I walked around a bit in the rain and found a nice pub. I had fish and chips which were a lot better this time around as well as a nice good ale. Then I found my way to Euston train station and went home.
All in all it was a pretty good day.
For mementos of my play going experiences I plan on buying the programs of each show I attend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
