The Gatekeepers (film review)

First film of the New Year. Maybe I should have started off with something a bit more cheerful than a documentary about Israeli intelligence in fighting the war against terrorism. Six ex-former heads of Shin Bet (Israeli's security agency) are interviewed for the first time ever and give their accounts of, and opinions on, the tragic hostilities between Israel and Palestine. The documentary is generally very balanced and objective, with director Dror Moreh showing video clips of atrocities committed by both sides and not being afraid to ask the former heads of Shin Bet difficult questions. The six different perspectives work really well in building up a picture of what it is like to be in the middle of such an extremely complex and disturbing conflict. Hopefully this thought provoking film will help in some small way in moving the peace process along. 8/10

The Best of 2013!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Top Ten DVD's (that I watched in 2013)



1. Magnolia

2. Scent Of A Woman 


3. Howard's End                                      

4. Searching For Sugar Man

5. Senna

6. The Fall

7. Untouchable

8. Silver Linings Playbook

9. Take Shelter

10. Detachment





Top Ten Books (that I read in 2013)

1. Dubliners by James Joyce
2. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
3. Saturday by Ian McEwan
4. The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson
5. A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man by James Joyce
6. The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson
7. James Joyce: A Biography by Gordon Bowker
8. The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney
9. Our Lady Of The Forest by David Guterson
10. The Grass Is Singing by Doris Lessing







 Top Ten Albums (that I bought in 2013)

1. 1. Symphonies Nos 35 - 41 by Mozart                             
2. One Breath by Anna Calvi
3. Aventine by Agnes Obel
4. The Best Of John Renbourn
5. Anna Calvi by Anna Calvi
6. Big Time by Tom Waits
7. The Velvet Underground & Nico
8. If  You Leave by Daughter
9. Once I Was An Eagle by Laura Marling
10. High Violet by The National

Top Ten Films of 2013

1. Les Miserables

2. Rush

3. Gravity

4. Lincoln

5. Life Of Pi

6. Prisoners

7. Star Trek: Into Darkness

8. Behind The Candelabra

9. Cloud Atlas

10. Trance

Top Ten Babes of 2013

 

1.       Melanie Laurent (pictured)                                              

       2.       Kerry Washington
       3.       Kirsten Dunst
       4.     Jennifer Aniston
       5.       Rosario Dawson
       6.       Emma Stone
       7.       Halle Berry
       8.       Nadine Velazquez

9.    Mia Wasikowska
10.  Zooey Deschanel

Sideways (film review)

Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church embark on a road trip through southern California, in search of good wine and one last carnal embrace before Church's character gets married. The wine tasting scenes and discussions are great, so much that I paused the DVD and poured myself a glass. Both characters are somewhat chalk and cheese friends, a bit like the mismatched cop films, but it works wonderfully well in Sideways. Bit surprised, and miffed, that Church was nominated for an Oscar and not Giamatti. A smart, funny and poignant film that is best watched with a good bottle of wine. 8/10

The Christmas Candle (film review)

It's refreshing to have a Christian film that is not afraid to wear its heart on its sleeves. There are not many about in this secular age. The Christmas Candle is a period drama that deals with the nature of faith, tradition, hope and miracles in an intelligent and mature way but without getting too bogged down in theology or trite piety. The performances are all very good, although Susan Boyle does not seem comfortable in her acting role. Hans Matheson and Samantha Barks are the stand outs, giving the film a much needed presence and chemistry. Britain seems to be the master of period dramas, and although The Christmas Candle does not quite excel in this area it is still a nice and uplifting film.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (film review)

Jim Carrey. Comic genius or annoying twat? For some people the jury is definitely out. Regardless of this, in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind he shows that he is well capable of delivering a performance that is both sensitive and understated and Carrey fits into this sci-fi romantic drama with disarming ease. The premise of the story is immediately engaging; following their bitter breakup, Kate Winslet decides to take advantage of some ground breaking technology and have Jim Carrey’s character removed from her memory. It’s a great idea for a film, given that memory is such a powerful and important part of our personality and existence. The different characters find out it can be both a blessing and a curse, like the wheat and chaff growing together. The screenplay does a great job in exploring these themes, while the direction is inventive and finds a nice balance of drama and romance. Original, touching, and compelling film making. 9/10

Abortion debate on YouTube

In this YouTube video, Stephen Fry talks about the role of language in dehumanizing the Jews during the Nazi reign in Germany. I feel that the same thing is done with regards to the abortion of babies. I made this point in the comments section and was criticised for it. Here is one of the debates I had.

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MrCuddlyable3                                                    No Michael James, you have learned nothing positive from Fry, only that language can be used to dehumanize selected people. Your anti-abortion agenda is to dehumanize those women who take abortion and their doctors as guilty murderers. A foetus is, despite your complaint, a "bundle of cells" during prenatal development. It is certainly not yet a human baby, and may never be. Stopping an unlucky process to save a person's future is different from the antisemitic murders of the Nazi holocaust. Michael James                                                                My agenda is to save the lives of innocent babies, not dehumanise women who have had an abortion or the doctors, so please don't put words into my mouth. What I am emphasising is that culture, through the use of language, dehumanises the life that is growing in the mother's womb to make abortion easier to do. If you respected human life from conception then maybe you would see those "bundle of cells" in a different light. That a pregnancy might be 'unlucky' is not valid ground for an abortion. MrCuddlyable3                                                    Michael you pretend to defend a baby where there is none. You are obviously a man who thinks abortion is easy, a zealot who wants to incite a culture split between innocence and murder-guilt. Your attempt to hijack the comment space to push your divisive agenda only exposes your inability to give compassion to a real woman. Your self-serving cant is opposed not by the vague "culture" that you accuse of disrespecting life but by those who want to help people living with painful choices Michael James                                                     You assume far too much of me. I am against abortion but it does not mean that I lack compassion for women who have abortions - it is wrong of you to jump to conclusions and label me as a uncompassionate zealot. I realise that many women are afraid and vulnerable when faced with an unwanted pregnancy and should not be judged if they choose abortion. What am I defending? Human life, something real. You call it 'a bundle of cells'. In that case you and I are a bundle of cells   -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------     There were a few other comments made by others but for certain reasons I cannot post them here.   Is abortion really the best we can offer women?

Pitch Black (film review)

Something of a sleeper hit when it was released in cinemas, Pitch Black is an above average sci-fi thriller about a group of humans crash landed on a desert planet inhabited by killer aliens that only come out to hunt at night. Matters are somewhat complicated with the presence of Riddick, a convict in the shackles of a bounty hunter. They are an interesting duo; a bad goodie pitted against a good baddie. Who do you trust more? Vin Diesel plays Riddick very well - as sociopathic killers go he's pretty cool. There are a few other interesting characters among the survivors, like the female member of the crashed spaceship intent on redemption. And then there are others who have 'cannon fodder' written across their foreheads. Just don't kill the good looking girl off too early. Apart from that, the plot is pretty straight forward: get off the planet without being torn limb from limb, and as a thriller it is satisfying and taut. 7.5/10