GDT

Is there nothing this man cannot do?

I will review The Strain which I have read and loved.

I will continue to look forward to The Hobbit.

I will rhapsodise about the greatness of this Mexican maestro in a future blog.

An afternoon with Benjamin

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Now there is a film.

Visually stunning. It has to rank as one of the best films I have seen in the way it evokes a sense of time and place. It is very well acted. The camera work and shot choices are exquisite and there is an intelligence at work amongst the whimsy. It has it's detractors, but I think it is one of the best films of the year. (Certainly a far, far better film than the one that won the Best Picture at every award ceremony going.) The film, although emotional, never went for cheap and manipulative choices and sped by in a whirl of beauty and grace.

I have been a huge fan of David Fincher and he just seems to get better and better as a director.

This should have won Best Picture and Best Director. Fact.

Mumbles about there being no justice or common sense or logic or...

Slumdogging

Slumdog Millionaire has had many outstanding reviews and has won bucketloads of awards. Everyone I have spoken to who has seen the film has praised it.

So, why did I not think much of it? It was okay. Oscar worthy; BAFTA worthy. Um. It was the political choice and the hype machine rolled along very nicely. But it isn't a great film. I appreciate that it was low budget, but visually there was nothing notable about it. And the sudden segues into slow motion were just bizarre in a drama. They were the kind of slow mo shots you would see in an art film or an action film. The acting was okay, but nothing special. The social issues didn't tug at my heartstrings or make me particularly care about what was going on. It was a passable way to spend a couple of hours, but no great shakes. The script was predictable and the split narrative apart didn't do anything worthwhile. The attempted manipulation of emotions was visible a mile off. I suppose it was a comfortable and safe depiction of events in India without having any content that would offend the masses.

For a gritty look at deprivation and similar issues you only have to watch City of God to see how average Slumdog was.

After Mamma Mia was the biggest grossing film in the UK in 2008 and now this being the most lauded one has to wonder what actually constitutes quality these days?

The Last Flight of Galactica

I have finally seen the final ten episodes of Battlestar Galactica and am feeling a little sad that it is all over. I know that the conclusion has elicited mixed reactions. My conclusion- I enjoyed it. The build up to the finale was more of a slow build up than a slam bang in your face finish. At times somes of the story strands seemed rushed in order to up everything before the final episodes.

Nearly all the characters had their storylines resolved well. Helo and Athena were possibly most short changed. The resolution for their arc was good, but they were on the periphery. I suppose it wasn't going to be possible to give every character an in depth send off. Roslin seemed out of character. I couldn't decide if it was the way in which the role was written or if Mary McDonnell's acting wasn't up to scratch. At times the performance just seemed slightly off for some reason. I can't put my finger on it. Roslin is great when involved in showing scenes and moments of strength and determination. Pathetic when emotional. It will be interesting when I rewatch from the mini series onwards whether this is the case all the way through or just in the final stretch.

Michael Hogan deserves great credit for all his work as Tigh. A consistently strong and effective character played by a very underrated actor. As for Katee Sackoff, well she has essayed one of the great female performances in TV for a very long time. I hope she ends up with a long and varied career and not just being the go to action, SF girl.

The final double episode ended on a sombre and thoughtful note. The Baltar and Six visions/angels/watchers/whatever linked well into the spiritual and religious themes that have been evident from the mini series.

Regardless of the very occasional bits that haven't worked, this has been one of the most consistent, challenging, thought provoking and downright awesome pieces of television for many years.

The Galactica and the fleet heading into the sun to the original theme tune was a final send off worthy of the old girl. And she was definitely a character in her own right. Mind you the moments I found most sad were when the Galactica was being bombed and attacked by the Cylons and was almost a fireball. Then when the FTL jump took her away and she crumpled and buckled I did feel a tangible sense of loss and a momentary tear in my eye.

Farewell, Galactica, but I will be back to rewatch all of your fine voyages again.