Last movie watched...

[Satanist]

Behind the Candelabra - Didnt know what to expect but its very funny with top notch performances all round. I thought it was great.

Man of Steel - Hmm, as a set up for a franchise it nearly works but as a stand alone movie its a bit of a mess. Saying that there were some scenes where I had a massive grin but think that was more that the kids were loving it.

[Radbacker]

Caught Monsters Inc on the telly the other night, haven't seen it since it first came out but another bloody brilliant piece of Pixar film making probably with my favourite end to a movie ever, I get something caught in my eye every time at the look on Sully's face and little Boo's enthusiastic "Kitty" it always makes me tear up (which is weird as I don't have kids).
It's definitely my third favourite Pixar flick, number one would be Wall-E and number two The Incredibles.

CU Radbacker

[TordelBack]

Pompeii Live.  Fascinating ambitious cinema experience this - a live broadcast from the British Museum exhibition on Pompeii and Herculaneum that I haven't been able to get to (yet). Clever format of experts and presenters exploring different aspects of the displays with refreshingly genuine live banter, and the relatively little pre-recorded Volcano porn was very effective (if I had to see yet another CGI Pompeii being buried I'd have been disappointed).

Not nearly enough Mary Beard (you could never have enough), too much John Snow (that man is loud), about the right amount of Bettany Hughes (the Nigella of dust), a smattering of good experts and that annoying sewer man.   I think I'd have had an initial scene-setting pan around the exhibition to orientate the viewer, and I'd have minimised the talking-head shots in favour of showcasing the artefacts while the experts chatted on, but to be honest by the end of 90 minutes I was heading for sensory and even emotional overload so they may actually have got the balance right: the detail and scale that a cinema screen delivers for viewing artefacts and frescoes is really, truly spectacular.

Hughes and Beard seemed to be the only folk who realised they were talking in the 21st century, most of the other pairings delivered moments of gender- and class-based cringe straight out of the Frankie Howerd playbook, laughing about flogging slaves and sounding amazed that women had status, etc., but that's par for the course in public archaeological discourse which is still pulling itself out of the 1970s.

My one real reservation was that nowhere did I pick up on the the fact that this was going to be serious over-18s territory - and nor I imagine did the parents of several primary school kids at our screening.  Discussions of sexual fantasies, erect willies, divine bestiality... all good stuff, but I was thinking of bringing my 6 year old myself, and I'm glad I didn't (worried the death stuff would be too upsetting, and it was - very).

It was no Cave of Forgotten Dreams (what is?), but I tell you, if they do more of these I'll go again: like a really good wonderfully-illustrated lecture.  Highly recommended, if you can catch a repeat recorded showing.

[Colin YNWA]

Bettany Hughes (the Nigella of dust),

I resent that, however accurate it maybe (and of course it is), I love Bettany I do.

[TordelBack]

... I love Bettany I do.

Yeah, she is pretty great.  Her chemistry with Mary Beard in the Pompeii thing was spectacular - I could have watched the two of them laughing about 'the ultimate form of willy waving [accompanied by simultaneous paired gesture of, uh, willy waving]' for hours.  They need to be sent on a Palin-style road trip through the ancient world together.

[Spikes]

Pompeii Live.  Fascinating ambitious cinema experience this - a live broadcast from the British Museum exhibition on Pompeii and Herculaneum that I haven't been able to get to (yet).

Im heading down to the Smoke in a few short weeks for a long weekend, and this is on the to do list - along with the Bowie exhibition. Looking forward to (hopefully) seeing both.

[TordelBack]

Pompeii Live.  Fascinating ambitious cinema experience this - a live broadcast from the British Museum exhibition on Pompeii and Herculaneum that I haven't been able to get to (yet).

Im heading down to the Smoke in a few short weeks for a long weekend, and this is on the to do list - along with the Bowie exhibition. Looking forward to (hopefully) seeing both.

Book your tickets NOW.  I had an opportunity to be in London a while back on some specific dates but couldn't get a booking, and that was a few weeks in advance.

[Spikes]

For the Bowie exhibiton, i dont think you can.
All sold now - and have been for ages, but apparently you stand a chance (fingers, and everything else crossed) of getting tickets on the day, if you turn up first thing.....
Or so their site claims. Sounds like we may be onto a hiding for nowt regarding that one, which as its pretty much the reason were heading down to London in the first place, is a shame.

But the Pompeii one shouldnt be a problem? Or do i need to look into this a bit more?

[TordelBack]

But the Pompeii one shouldnt be a problem? Or do i need to look into this a bit more?

That's the one I meant!  It was an unpleasant surprise for me too, it was supposed to be a wedding anniversary treat for the missus (we visited P&H about 15 years ago, and aside from the raging diarrhea we both had while walking around Pompeii, it was very romantic) and the last thing I thought would be an issue was getting into a museum exhibition.  Scuppered the whole thing - so we did the cinema version instead.

[Spikes]

Cheers Mr T. I shall look into this now, and see about prebooking.
London, eh? 

[Theblazeuk]

Aye, remember to take your flat cap off when you come down too.

[Spikes]

Aye, remember to take your flat cap off when you come down too.

Nivver.

[Recrewt]

Anyone else catch Unstoppable last night?

Great film, Denzel Washington and Chris Pine work well together and its Tony Scott's last ever movie. 

The runaway train came down the track and she blew,
The runaway train came down the track, her whistle wide and her throttle back,
And she blew, blew, blew, blew, blew

[Tiplodocus]

I remember quite liking it. An action movie where the leads spend most of the time sitting down.

[Ghost MacRoth]

its Tony Scott's last ever movie.

And one of his best.  A cracking film, seen it several times, and enjoyed it every watch.