I've just finished our Office's induction course & I am on a high. It's an good place to work and there are a lot friendly & interesting people working here. I won't say much here though as it's best not to blog about work but I thought I'd at leats mention that it's a very positive part of my life at present.

Shaftesbury Avenue 21:20 Thursday 26 November 2009
It's 1961 in the suburban London, and Jenny, a bright sixteen year old girl seems to have the world at her feet. In school her teacher exasperatedly tries to elicit answers from her classmates but invariably she is the only one with her hand up. She is blessed with good looks too, but her father is very controlling and pushes her to study all of the time. Then one rainy day a man who is probably getting on about 30 years old, offers her a lift from orchestral practice. Actually he's cannier than that. Smooth talking David offers to take her cello in his car, to keep it dry and she walks alongside the car whilst he flatters her and chats her up. It's a disturbing scenario: today most teenagers are hopefully more aware of predatory behaviour. But this was nearly five decades ago an times were very different. The guy charms the socks off the Jenny's parents and he takes her to a classical concert and for a meal.

The pair contrive a ruse that he's a friend of a famous author and he convinces her parents to let her go away with him for the weekend. It's all too good to be true. There is a problem with how David funds his lavish lifestyle but she doesn't want to let go of the fantastic world she has discovered, despite severe warnings from her school. She tells David that she is saving her virginity for her seventeenth birthday and they arrange a trip to Paris. It's only after they get engaged and she leaves school that she starts to learn some humbling lessons the hard way. I didn't realise it was Peter Saarsgaard who played David until the crdits roled: he did a great job and must have had some good accent training. Carey Mulligan was very good as clever and confident Jenny. I liked the classical music and No Smoke Without Fire sung by Duffy during the closing credits. An enjoyable, interesting story, based on the memoirs of Lynn Barber were told well in this film. 8.5/10

Shaftesbury Avenue Cineworld 20:30 Tuesday 24 November 2009
I was over-awed by the spectacle of CGI used on an epic scale during the first half of this film. California's mini-quakes become large & large & eventually Los Angeles ruptures& slides into the Pacific in a stunning prolonged special effect. It's fun to watch because the observer tags along with John Cusack and his family and you know that however chaotic and treacherous the conditions they are somehow protected and escape the devastation without even a flash wound. Yellowstones likewise explodes in an exquisi The film continues with it's international political drama playing out - huge ships have been built to save those wealthy and powerful enough to get a boarding ticket.

Somehow our ordinary hero and his family make a desparate but successful journey over to China to save themselves. Like Independence Day the final dramas are hard to follow & the film feels slightly drawn out. Still worth watching for the roller-coaster ride in the first act. 7.5/10

Shaftesbury Avenue 18:15 Sunday 22 November 2009
This film is based on the true story of a whistle-blower who informed the FBI about price-fixing scandal within the company he worked in during the 1990s. He helped the FBI investigations by covertly filming deals and collecting information. the film takes some humourous twists and turns as it becomes clear that the informant isn't "totally with it". He got the abilities to succeed in business on the levels that count but he makes some stupid mistakes. One amazing example is when he is wired up and gives a brief description of the roles of the people when he meets and talks to them. I really get the exclamation mark at the end of the film title: this is one incredible case!

It's difficult to say much more without getting into spoiler territory but suffice to say that a tangled web of deceit has been woven and nothing really goes to plan: who is telling the truth it? It descends into a deeper and deeper mess and it's often amusing because of how Mark Whitacre acts and what he says. Matt Damon is great - and I really liked the acting some of the other actors - the expressions pulled on faces as they try to comprehend what is being claimed. It's all fairly subtle compared to the dramas being played out in other multiplex auditoria but it was still enjoyable fun. 8/10

Haymarket 18:15 Sunday 22 November 2009
I realise now that whilst Joel and Ethan Coen make some amusing films their films finish weakly. They don't tend to resolved the issues addressed in their films and I find that frustrating. Towards the end of this film there is a tornado heading towards the Minneapolis school where much of the film is set. I find footage of dramatic weather phenonema like that really impressive - but ultimately I was disappointed when the end credits started to role.

Apart from that it's an enjoyable film: there is lot of observational humour and there is a story. It's about a Jewish man who is struggling with various problems: he is a mathematics teacher and he produces fantastically complex equations on the blackboard. At one stage a pupil tries to bribe him to change his fail mark to a satisfactory mark (it's duly noted that particular issue gets resolved!). There is a lot of family angst as his wife is attracted to another man. There are several rabbis whom our serious man tries to seek advice from. I liked how the different sub-stories connected but there were far too many unfinished strands left in a unsatisfying tangle at the end: I expect that mirrors real life - many things are never resolved: whole lives are often just a relatively minute snapshot in the big picture of human existence. Even so, I think I prefer the trailer with it's rhythmic collection of accumulating repetitive clips to the film itself. 6/10

I went to see three films in the West End today. I've already seen two of the films and, interestingly enough, I enjoyed both 'The Men Who Stare at Goats' and 'Bright Star' more this time time round than when I first saw them. They are both dialogue heavy films and one good thing about a second viewing is that I'm familiar enough with the story-line to be able to concentrate on everything said. I pick up on lots of stuff that I missed first time round.

To continue

I checked my Lapland in a Smart Car earlier and there seems to be a problem. Whilst all of the text is saved on all of the version I posted on LiveJournal none of the photos showed up. There seems to be a problem with Bravenet where I've stored the photos so I have opened a ticket - but I thought I had a back-up on Geocities the place I created my very first blog with this holiday account in July 2003. I signed into Yahoo - not something I do regularly - & when searching for Geocities I came across a notice that Yahoo completely closed down the website on 26 October - less than a month ago. They took over Geocities some years ago: when I used it it existed as its own entity. The problem with takeovers is the host organisation sometimes doesn't give a fig about all that content that all of the membes created and uploaded. They may have sent out warnings about this closure but yahoo is not a site I use often so I missed it all. I was quite gutted until I came across a link from the Yahoo page to the Internet Archive, a group who have been archiving vulnerable websites like geocities. And I found some more intact versions of my geocities pages - not everything was saved but a lot more than I have found elsewhere. The spreadsheet of petrol usage doesn;t seem to have been saved but many of the photos have been saved and I feel quite relieved.

web.archive.org/web/20031217232301/www.geocities.com/kirstysburns/laplandinasmartcar.htm

I need to trawl through my DVD computer file backups - I may have 2003 photos and other files saved but I haven't been organised in stoprage of stuff so it may take some time to find out - most of the stuff I have is from my last two computers - I have got all the stuff from when I got my Windows Media PC 2004 and of course all the stuff since I switched to Mac in 2007 - and nowadays I tend to back up to external hard drives which have much higher capacity than DVDs and CDs. Really I could do with putting all my DVDs & CDs onto extrenal hard drive but that really would be a job & three quarters!

On the fire safety course the tutor mentioned backing up everything that matters onto the web - that is everything from cherished photos to proof of identity stuff which can be stored securely. At some point very soon I will scan my passport and a couple of other identity related stuff - but the crucial thing is deciding where to keep it. It might be better to keep it offline but somewhere other than where I live.

Cineworld Shaftesbury Avenue 21:00 Thursday 19 November 2009
I like wacky films of this ilk: it falls into the same camp as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I Heart Huckabees and has elements of Synecoche, New York thrown in, especially since Emily Watson has a significant role. It's original, it's full of humour but I thought it had a weak ending. Paul Giamiatti plays a character called Paul - well he plays himself, an actor who feels disllusioned with his acting efforts in Checkov's Uncle Vanya. He stumbles upon an article about having your soul extracted and stored and he decides to investigate. Dr Flintstein is persuasive and he agrees to liberate himself of the weighty nature of the soul. The extraction is performed in a bizarre cylindrical machine that looks like a cross between a sun-bed and a CAT scanner. In the meantime a woman is smuggling souls extracted in Russia through Homeland Security: it's a lucrative trade and people who are looking for souls to rent can select them from a variety of professional categories listed in a catalogue.

One day he discovers his locker has been emptied and Giamiatti travels to St Petersberg in pursuit of his missing soul. Unfortunately after this, I thought the humour and narrative somewhat loses it's momentum and I felt the ending was disappointingly inconsequential. Still fairly enjoyable but I'd score it no more than 7.5/10.

AFter a stressful sleepless night I felt increasingly unwell & contacted my line manager to swap my workings days this morning. I felt ill in a similar way to 3 times I wasn't well in late October. When I rang NHS direct back then I was advised to go Casualty where I had an ECG and blood sugar test & after being give nt eh all-clear I was told to inform my doctor here. I called at the Surgery and they advised me that cancellations were arranged at 4pm. I got an appointment at 6pm & explained what happened 4 weeks ago and how it recurred today. The doctor took checked my blood pressures, pusle and arranged a request for chest x-ray (I explained the recent pain I've felt in my right lung).

After staying awake throughout the night I felt very tired & upset. I slept a little during late morning then realised that an absence of food exacerbates the situation. I felt better as the day progressed but still energyless and weak. After visits to the Surgery I tried a 30 minutes meditation at home in the soothing dark. I then called on artandclay for a coffe and chat: she'd bought me a little 'birthday' cake which cheered me up. I'll sign off now for an early night now as tomorrow I need to get in to work early.

Bexleyheath Cineworld 21:30 > 22:30 Friday 13 December 2009
I saw this film an hour after it was meant to be shown because of a fire evacuation. Michael Caine plays an ex-marine who lives fearfully on a trouble estate - and eventually single-handledly takes on the thugs. In some ways it's reminiscent of Gran Torino transplanted to a grim UK setting. It's heavuy going subject considering regular items heard on the news but I liked the gritty realism. Whilst the tower blocks looked like Elephant Castle but the surroundings seemed more like Hendon. 8.5/10

Shaftesbury Avenue 21:20 Thursday 12 November 2009
This has to be the creepiest film I've ever seen. It is rather unsettling to say the least but I much prefer this type of psychological thriller to most vampire or horror-based fare. It is set in October 2000 in the small town of Nome in Alaska. Milla Jovavich introduces the story and explains how real footage is segued into the film. She plays the lead character, Dr Abigail Tyler, who had been widowed two months earlier. Her daughter had lost her sight and a whole series of strange and horrific events take place in the house and in other parts of Nome are documented. I find these sorts of films quite haunting: I had an awful nightmare yesterday morning in which someone kept attempting suicide and eventually hurled themselves through a window: this type of film probably feeds that dark side of my imagination so I'm not keen on seeing stuff like this too often.

Having said that I really liked the way the film was put together - the use of a split-screen to show camcorder footage and the re-enactment of events and the acting was great. Alaska looks such a beautiful place. 8.5/10

Shaftesbury Avenue Cineworld 15:15 Thursday 12 November 2009
I was impressed by this animation from a post-apocalyptic world where human beings have eradicated themselves and a someone has built a few creatures who are now fending for themselves in an devastated war-strewn world. We are  introduced to one of these creatures called "9' first. He wakes up in a room in a crumbling building & after finding he can walk & explore ventures out into the wider world. Before long he encounters another creature like himself but they both have to fight this evil dog- like machine that attacks them. The violence is ferocious which I find surprising for a certificate 12A film: we learn how human beings developed a technology that could replicate itself...and the end of our world comes about when the machine turns against us. Number 9 meets up with other creatures, one of whom, number 1 is so fearful he's dictatorial in the rules he has created for self-preservation.

Wat unfolds is a fascinating morale tale in which the creatures clash with each other on the best way to survive in this awfully hostile world. It's quite a sophisticated look at some of the ideologies and philosophies that us human's muse upon, but in a world after we've all perished. I actually felt quite tearful towards the end: I'm reminded of ideas I read in 'The Sufficient Community' (by Chris Wright) about how institutionalisation of people can result in them thinking like evil, soul-less computers: the machines we create can be wonderful tools that help enhance our lives but there is an underlying threat if we put all our eggs into the technological basket and eschew spirituality. This film explains a similar message in a clerv and thoughtful way. I'm giving "9" a score of 9: it is one of the most thought-provoking animations I've ever seen.

Haymarket  Cineworld 20:30 Wednesday 11 November 2009
I did not enjoy this film as much I was hoping I would. Even so, this romantic drama about the relationship between romantic poet John Keats and Frances Brawn gave me plenty to think about. The London of the early 19th Century was such a different place to how it is now. I happened across the plaque at the site of Keat's home in a Hampstead street back in the nineties and whilst it is very much urban zone 2 the impression is back in the early 1800s it was a rural settlement some distance from London proper.

Keats lead a sadly impoverished life: when I read his plaque I was saddened to find out that he died in his mid-twenties of  consumption (tuberculosis) and his poetic skills weren't recognised until after his death. There were desperately bleak aspects to life in those days: the relationship with Fanny was doomed because of his lack of income: Fanny's mother and John's friend Charles Brown, an arrogant man who regularly clashed with Fanny, attempted to discourage their romance and whilst I thought Fanny came across as an extremely moody drama queen she was very much trapped by her circumstances. Women weren't afforded financial independence and to live a life of worth they needed to find a suitor who could pay the bills. The cinematography was often beautiful, especially when portraying carefree summer days, but some of the more emotive relationship-based dialogue let me cold: perhaps it's my emotional disconnectedness that's the problem: listening to the laughter, much of the audience appeared to like the film a lot. On my blustery walk home along wet and leaf-strewn pavements of Bloomsbury, I listened to Simon & Garfunkle's Sound of Silence and mused on poetry and lyrics of the recent and more distant past. Although it only covered one angle of his life I think this film did give me a greater insight into the life of John Keats and the world he lived in. 7/10.

Shaftesbury Avenue 20:45 Monday 9 November 2009
Set anachronistic in present-day London, Doctor Parnassus is a thousand-year old man who runs a magical stall in various locations around town. His entourage sometimes attracts undesirable disruptive characters: one guy chases a woman through a mirrored entrance which leads into an enchanted imaginary world that seemed a bit like Narnia. The land beyond the mirror isn't always pleasant though: sometimes it's full of hazards and unpleasant imagery: it is all a product of Doctor Parnassus imagination. The London accents seemed a bit quaint to my ear - at times I thought the dialogue was overacted and archaic but it probably represented the clash between the present day and the olde world that Dr P had lived through. Much of the film was set around the City and the Thames, from Tower brdige and Blackfriars down to Battersea Power Station whilst I gather from the credits that the imaginarium scenes were filmed in Vancouver.

I thought the best part of the film was the middle - it seemed the most spectacular in terms of imaginative scenery and creative story-telling. for instance the enormous ladders that lead up to the clouds. Heath Ledger featured throughout the film but his character was played by several other actors too: Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law. There story was very strange though: a bit long and full of controversial themes. 

I'm glad I've seen the film, as it is a tribute to poor Heath Ledger. A few months ago I discovered that he was living just down the road from me when this film was being made in 2007.

Shaftesbury Avenue 21:40 Saturday 7 November 2009
Hmm. Another disappointing film. I went to see it against my better judgement after hearing a positive review on radio: Diablo Cody wrote the script and she was responsible for the witty reparte in Juno (2007) which I really liked. I avoid most horror films these days but a friend also heard good reports about the film and she mentioned that it was largely produced by women. Given that one of the reasons I stopped seeing horror films was many of them seem to feature misogynistic stories I thought I;d give this a chance. But no: horror is still horrible as far as I'm concerned. Jennifer (Megan Fox) is a pretty high school student who courts the attention of a succession of guys (Johnny Simmons & Adam Brody) - but then she turns into a vampire and her jaw drips with blood as she gorges on another victim. Her friend, Needy (Amanda Siegfried - who I recognise from films I've liked: Mean Girls, Alpha Dog) also gets terrorised by Jennifer when in vampire mode. The dialogue was OK but nothing special - a few jokes about 'emo' and where the stake gets plunged. All the biting and scratching and screaming becomes repetitive after a while. It's just not my thing all this gore. 5/10.

Bexleyheath 21:10 Friday 6 November 2009
I found this film difficult to follow, perhaps because I was tired, but probably also because it was esoteric in it's humourous style. It's the story of a journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) who goes to Iran to 'prove himself': he meets up with Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) who claims to be part of a group of psychic warriors. I wasn't in the mood to let my imagine run wild, and accept the daft ideas that are entertained and although I found some of the jokes amusing it felt a long meaningless film. Perhaps I'll feel differently if I see this again when I have more energy but it felt like the film-makers, and possibly the original story-writers, tried too hard, but got disappointingly limited results for their efforts. 6/10

Shaftesbury Avenue Cineworld 21:30 Thursday 5 November 2009
Four & a bit months after Michael Jackson's untimely death this film shows what the preparation for the mammoth run of concerts at London's O2 Centre might have been like. A number of supporting dancers are interviewed and MJ practices and performs his trademark moves. I liek a lot of the songs: I was surprised by how emotive I found 'Earth Song' and it's video: back in 1995 it seemed like tokenism. I've seen several cinema concerts now , and the appeal of them has faded slightly but it seemed like a fitting tribute to a star who many people will miss. It's sad he never got a chance to do any of these final performances. 7.5/10

Wood Green Cineworld 18:50 Wednesday 4 November 2009
This feisty London gangster flick has a topical theme: a US drug baron loan shark (played by 50 Cent) is feeling the effects of the recession and decides to call in his debts. He gives small time London dealer, Nick (Tamer Hassan), 24 hours to pay back the £100k he owes and he arranges for his beloved mother (Brenda Blethyn) to be held under house arrest as insurance. He ropes in his friend Bing (Danny Dyer) to help him multiply the few grand of dosh he can call in. There's some fighting, some raving, and a road trip up to Manchester. I enjoyed the adventure and the outcome was amusing enough. 8.5/10

Haymarket 21:00 Tuesday 3 November 2009
The choice of cinema films to see is between horror and animations: I'm not keen on either. Fantastic Mr Fox is a crafty animal - who promises to his The choice of cinema films to see is between horror and animations: I'm not keen on either but the anthropomorphism is amusing. Fantastic Mr Fox is a crafty animal - who promises to his wife to give up his daring raids on farms. They settled down to family life but Mr Fox is restless, and hatches a series of daring raids on three local farms. His activities and remarkable escapes from the spectacular battles trigger an escalating arms race that the most fearsome farmer, Franklin Bean, delights in, with his cockney-gangster dialogue. 8/10

Shaftesbury Avenue Cineworld 21:00 Monday 2 November 2009
I don't think I can count this as a new film I've seen this year as I actually saw it - at least part of it when I was an LSE fresher student at Passfield Hall in 1985. The toruble is, 24 years ago, I was in a shamefully intoxicated state that would have impressed John Belushi had he still been alive. The denizens of Passfield were big fans of Animal House - it housed a large proportion of American students and someone explained to me early why everyone was excitedly crying out 'toga!' before one of the parties. So - anyway - an all-new digitised version of the film was being screened for one-day only at certain Cineworld cinemas so I took up the opportunity for a sober viewing.

It was fun. Plenty of slapstick and mad-cap humour: I'm reminded strongly of the students I knew at Passfield who modelled themselves on characters from Animal House. The dozen or so in the 2009 cinema audience appeared to enjoy the film: lots of laughter - and a guy sitting a few rows in front remarked at the end that he now knew why his dad raved about the film. Sweet. I can see why National Lampoon hd such a big following in the seventies and eighties, and I'll catch up on some of their other films some time. I might write a bit more about the film in a future entry but I'll score it 8.5/10.

I decided to watch this powerful but sad film as it was a present I bought my sister (on request) for Christmas 2007. We both saw the film back in 1983 in a cinema on a North Sea Ferry but I'd forgotten a lot of the content over the intervening 26 years.

My sister seemed to have been a fan of Frances Farmer ever since then: the actress grew up in Seattle in the 1930s and got a break as an actress in Hollywood. She was naturally rebellious and speaking her mind from her teens onwards generated enemies. There were some sweet romantic scenes as she struck up friendships with local lad Harry York and then a passionate theatre director who embraced non-conformity. Her fall out with the movie machine had major repercussions and they used all their weight to try to force her into line. Her mother, with dreams of her daughter succeeding where she had failed, may have started off well-meaning but her desire to control reminds me of what has recently happened to a well known US singer who found fame when very young but who last year had reportedly become ward of court of her father and lost all rights as an adult. Frances' increasingly desperate and fearsome mother had similarities with the mother in the film 'Virgin Suicides'.

I remembered the last part of the film from the first viewing: it's truly awful what happened to her. She bad accused her mother of wanting to break her spirit but that is exactly what the institution she was taken to eventually succeeded in doing. Jessica Lange, who played Frances conveys the high-spirited, feisty, often angry young woman and her transformation. Harry York meets her years later and discovers how cold, how emotionally blunted she has become. Regardless of her supposed personality disorder the solution taken was utterly brutal. Stanley Kubrick posed a similar question in 'Clockwork Orange', but it was even less morally justified with this poor actress, who simply wanted to escape the system she found herself trapped in.

There is a disclaimer in the credit role in which California's mental health authorities say the deplorable treatment of Ms Farmer in the 1940s is very different from how psychological conditions are dealt with today. This film pre-dates directors commentaries which is a pity as I'd like to find out more about how it was made. It's a damn fine film - it has that olde world feel of America in the early to mid 20th century; it's full of pathos, with wonderful acting by Jessica Lange, Kim Stanley (her mama) and Sam Shepherd (York). It's 'Girl, Interrupted' but set 3 decades earlier. I really like it a lot. 9/10.

This time last week I felt really washed out & energyless but the time I spent visiting my mum & dad, eating healthy food and sleeping long hours really has helped recharge my batteries. I think I need to allow more time for relaxation and I probably need to get myself a new bed as that might be one reason why I don't sleep so much in London,

I've been dreaming a lot the last few days.

Yesterday I had my first dream that featured my sister since she died. It was strangely more comforting than not. I was really relieved to see her and gave her a big hug, saying how glad I was that she was still alive. Then I woke up and was upset as I realised it was just a dream. Howver, it felt cathartic to at least fleetingly imagine that she was alive again.

I've been falling asleep earlier & staying asleep longer whilst here in Wales. I think my bed is more comfortable and it's much quieter than the streets of Inner London. The clocks went back at the weekend & there longer darker evenings probably have an effect too.