So I left on a jet plane on the 23rd and got in Christmas morning around midnight... In flight movies were a sorry lot- a truly terrible piece 'Cheri' whose only saving grace was the presence of Michelle Pfieffer. Then I watched HP6 twice - the first time because there was nothing else- the second time because I was looking for the Snape teaching Dark Arts scene... only to discover that they had indeed cut that from the movie... and that's another 5 hours of my life wasted. The thing is like an addiction.
I liked '500 days of Summer' a lot though. Zooey Daschanel usually annoys me... and she did annoy me a bit in this movie too... with her almost 1950's type feminity. It was primarily her dresses and hairstyle and whole aesthetic through the movie, I think... don't get me wrong- I loved the old-fashioned gingham and the pretty skirts and tops and what not... and frankly they were very 'me'... but hallo? Who dresses like that on a daily basis any more? What happened to jeans and a T anyway? And don't get me started on the annoyingly perfect hair- half the time she looked like a school girl.
Still, I totallysympathized with her character. And at the same time with the poor guy she dumped (eventually). It was a lovely telling of how a relationship grows, stagnates and breaks down. And sometimes there are no really good reasons why things work out with some people and not with others. So, yeah, for a change- not a love story.
Now in Madras is the music season. Attended an amazing concert of Ranjini-Gayathri today- sort of tottered there half asleep thanks to jet-lag, but was wide awake and spell bound through out. They had a lot of really good accompanists, I must say... will probably see a couple of other concerts before this thing is done...
Sigh... not getting through with Bill Bryson... I think, like my cousin says, the problem with this travel-book type of thing is the lack of plot- much as I enjoy his writing, its not really going anywhere... it just sort of meanders like the author's journey. Gone through Norway, Amsterdam and Germany (more or less). Was much amused by Bryson's comment on how the Danes once ruled all of Scandinavia and now have no monuments to show for it- only a little mermaid...
In other news... Schumi's back ! I have to go to Montreal this year at least...
Showing posts with label concerts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label concerts. Show all posts
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Concert and more summer reading....
On a sudden whim I took and (expensive) fancy to go to the Elton John-Billy Joel Concert in Philly on Saturday, the 1st of August. The most exciting part, I have to admit, was selling my spare ticket off, at about the third the price I paid for it, to the scalpers outside the stadium. About half an hour after I went inside, the gentleman who had the misfortune of buying this ticket at about twice the price I paid for it, showed up, and we spent the half an hour or so, commiserating with each other about the concert.
The concert itself, was very good, even if Elton John's accent made him half-un-understandable, half the time; if I hadn't already deciphered the lyrics of his songs on the radio, I would have not understood a word. Billy Joel came out, and did ridiculous things with the mike. He is more of the showman of the two (or maybe just without the British reserve?), and he had some really good accompanists.
Got lost on my way back post-concert (its a given... when have I ever reached anywhere without getting lost first?) and got back home at a horrendous 1 o'clock at night (no, not a party animal).
Next day went to NY which was rainy and horrible (The first time I've said such a thing about that city), this summer has been an absolute wash out.
I bought a book to read at the concert which also proved to be an absolute wash out. Its A Little History of the World" by E.H.Gombrich. I was expecting something like Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything"... but this is decidedly a book for pre-teens only. Anyone know any pre-teens with an interest in History?Yeah, me neither.
Also read Jefferey Archer's "Paths of Glory" and I find, that while his books are still readable, his characterizations annoy me more and more. Why are his heroes flawless paragons of virue, while thier foils are inevitable fatally flawed (or at least not well-born - with Archer the sins are virtually the same) . Besides which, I'm growing tired of his plots- which are increasingly similar. Kane and Abel was amazing the first time I read it, but having found that formula, all his books follow the same path, more or less...
Then, I read "Brokeback Mountain". I'd seen the movie (and wept copiously), and approached the slim volume, that really didn't look like it would make much material for a movie, somewhat dubiously. At first read, I admit, I didn't care for it. But it got me thinking. I realized that the movie was just a love story- replace one guy with a girl and you get same old, same old. That doesn't happen with the book. Its really clear, they're both men, and you can't replace one and get the same story. Also- that size is perfect for a movie- most movies take an enormous book and condense it, whereas what they should be doing is taking a small sized book and just doing it as it is. So much of what's in a movie is visual, a fat book that contains all those scenes which in words just take up a few chapters, can take an hour in a movie.
The concert itself, was very good, even if Elton John's accent made him half-un-understandable, half the time; if I hadn't already deciphered the lyrics of his songs on the radio, I would have not understood a word. Billy Joel came out, and did ridiculous things with the mike. He is more of the showman of the two (or maybe just without the British reserve?), and he had some really good accompanists.
Got lost on my way back post-concert (its a given... when have I ever reached anywhere without getting lost first?) and got back home at a horrendous 1 o'clock at night (no, not a party animal).
Next day went to NY which was rainy and horrible (The first time I've said such a thing about that city), this summer has been an absolute wash out.
I bought a book to read at the concert which also proved to be an absolute wash out. Its A Little History of the World" by E.H.Gombrich. I was expecting something like Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything"... but this is decidedly a book for pre-teens only. Anyone know any pre-teens with an interest in History?Yeah, me neither.
Also read Jefferey Archer's "Paths of Glory" and I find, that while his books are still readable, his characterizations annoy me more and more. Why are his heroes flawless paragons of virue, while thier foils are inevitable fatally flawed (or at least not well-born - with Archer the sins are virtually the same) . Besides which, I'm growing tired of his plots- which are increasingly similar. Kane and Abel was amazing the first time I read it, but having found that formula, all his books follow the same path, more or less...
Then, I read "Brokeback Mountain". I'd seen the movie (and wept copiously), and approached the slim volume, that really didn't look like it would make much material for a movie, somewhat dubiously. At first read, I admit, I didn't care for it. But it got me thinking. I realized that the movie was just a love story- replace one guy with a girl and you get same old, same old. That doesn't happen with the book. Its really clear, they're both men, and you can't replace one and get the same story. Also- that size is perfect for a movie- most movies take an enormous book and condense it, whereas what they should be doing is taking a small sized book and just doing it as it is. So much of what's in a movie is visual, a fat book that contains all those scenes which in words just take up a few chapters, can take an hour in a movie.
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