I indulged myself earlier this week and watched the 1973 British horror movie “Theatre of Blood” again. It’s the first time I’ve seen it since the 1980s, and therefore the first time since watching and reading every Shakespeare play. As the movie’s IMDB page puts it succinctly, “a Shakespearean actor takes poetic revenge on the… Continue reading “Theatre of Blood”
Some time ago we tried to explain to our children the derivation of the phrase “This is where we came in”. As I understand it this comes from how people used to go to the cinema before my lifetime, when they didn’t pay too much attention to start and end times. They would buy their… Continue reading “This is where we came in”
Most of the local cinemas I went to in my childhood are now gone. There were two cinemas on Shepherds Bush Green. The smaller one became a Walkabout (Australian pub) and now stands empty; the larger one became a Bingo Hall, stood empty for many years, and now the building has been modified and turned… Continue reading 10 Meatballs Escape from Alcatraz
Suspension of disbelief is a crucial part of reading fiction and watching movies. You can refuse to believe everything that is portrayed in any work of fiction because it is all, literally, made up. But we suspend disbelief. We get into the story and read on, as if it really happened, or could have happened.… Continue reading “A real Terminator wouldn’t do that”
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“Conflicted” was really my Word of the Year for 2012, the year that “The Iron Lady” was released in the UK. It features Meryl Streep’s Oscar-wining performance as Margaret Thatcher. I am a fan of Meryl Streep but was resolutely not a fan of Margaret Thatcher. I had to see the movie, like every other… Continue reading Word of the week: conflicted
Many years ago, before we had children (when we used to go out at night), my wife and I had dinner with friends who lived on the other side of London. They were discussing their recent experience of “flat-mates from hell” and they described one woman as “like Kathy Bates in Misery”. We smiled and… Continue reading “She’s just like Kathy Bates in Misery”
“The bunny boiler takes it to 11”. That phrase would have made no sense 30 years ago. It might not make much sense to you now. I’m interested in how new words and phrases make it into common usage. “Bunny boiler” has become a shorthand for the kind of person who seeks revenge after a… Continue reading “The bunny boiler takes it to 11”
In his Oscar-winning performance as Truman Capote (in the movie “Capote”) Philip Seymour Hoffman says: “I have 94% recall of all conversation. I tested it myself.” I say, as a joke, but not always inaccurately, that I can go 1% better than that: I have 95% conversation recall. Friends comment on it. It’s not something… Continue reading Conversation Recall: Truman Capote and Oscar Moore
The Compartments 