Meewella | Fragments

The Life of P

Tag: let the right one in

April via Twitter

Blogging in bed is definitely the way forward. My silence this month has been more due to lack of a good stretch to write as those keeping an eye on my Twitter feed will have seen from the fairly regular stream of updates to which they have been treated. Its succinct 140-character limit also provides a useful basis for summarising what I’ve been up to in the last few weeks. Let’s have a look at the key tweets…

Let The Right One In: beautiful, bleak and very Swedish. Sarah D and I saw this at the Odeon Covent Garden and both loved it. On the back of its critical reception an American remake is already in the works. Capturing the sense of isolation without the curt Swedish dialogue and permanent blanket of crisp white snow will be a challenge. Despite similarities in its setting with 30 Days of Night, this is no horror film, but rather focuses on the relationship between the young Oskar and the strange girl who enters his life. “That was weird,” commented a girl behind us as the film finished. “It was a Swedish vampire film, what did she expect?” Sarah wondered aloud.

Finally making proper use of toptable.com – Sarah and I will be checking out Bloomsbury Bar & Restaurant at 50% off tomorrow eve. Prior to the film we had a pleasant, unhurried dinner at this posh-looking restaurant with its black leather and subtly aloof staff. The food was great if not particularly inventive — it’s very standard “Modern European” fare. At half price and with a good bottle of wine, however, it’s easy to recommend. I am told the toilets are quite a sight too. I’ve been meaning to use toptable for the past year and a half and now it seems like a good way to realise my current resolution to take better advantage of London’s restauranting scene. If you feel like helping, let me know.

Going to one of the Science Museum Lates events this evening – http://bitly.com/1PVkV – it better not be some swingers party for scientists. I hadn’t even heard of this until Rachel N mentioned it, but it’s a great idea: late evening access for adults to the entire museum, with alcohol, without kids, and could even be a rather social experience. I’m certainly keen to go back.

Finally shifted Casablanca from the pile of shame. In fairness, owned it for a while but was prevented from watching by earlier promise. As a film fan this was undoubtedly the biggest title I should have watched but never did. Alissa and I agreed a while back that we would watch it together and since she and Chris found themselves at our house for a barbeque with the other guests MIA, it seemed like a perfect opportunity. The delay arguably built it up into something even more special, and it certainly lived up to our expectations. And on the subject of great films: Some great new subtle film reference t-shirt designs at Last Exit To Nowhere: http://bitly.com/TDsC.

Let The Right Ones In

Several people have asked me whether I plan to see Twilight. Because it “has vampires”. The truth is that Twilight is a vampire film in much the same way that Titanic was a sailing film. Its purpose lies elsewhere. In fact the inclusion of vampires in the Twilight story can be viewed in only two ways: incidental or else an exploitation of a profitable subgenre. I do not intend to indulge its creators, though I am fascinated by the success of its marketing. In the States the books are undeniably popular in a Potter-esque way (by which I mean Harry, not Beatrix), though at least the boy wizard’s adventures were reasonably well written. Here, to my knowledge, they never really took off in the same way. And yet somehow the film’s marketing has convinced the public at large that this film is an event, part of a hugely popular franchise. So successfully, in fact, that it could be self-fulfilling.

Interestingly there is a vampire film I am highly anticipating, and while it too features young protagonists, it could not really be more different. Let The Right One In seems at once chilling and warm, a Swedish film about a fragile, bullied 12-year-old boy named Oskar who meets a pale, peculiar girl named Eli. By the time he discovers she is a vampire, a subtle romance has already blossomed between the pair. The image of an adult trapped within the body of an eternal child has fascinated me ever since Interview with the Vampire’s Claudia, and here both the film’s brooding palette and young actors seem able to convey the disconnection beautifully.

Browse Inside: CoralineThe release of the film adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s delightful children’s story Coraline, directed by stop-motion master Henry Sellick, is now imminent. So to celebrate you can read the entire book online for free. Neil is certainly one of the folk who understand that giving things away for free actually serves to make more money as well as generally making everyone happier, and I suppose Harper Collins make enough out of him that they’re willing to give it a go.

On a related note, the Open Rights Group have put together a short informative video on the suggested European copyright duration extension and exactly why this won’t help artists or consumers. It’s an issue worth considering, discussing, spreading and generally opposing. Particularly in that all the major independent IP bodies who have conducted studies oppose it, and yet the European Commission has mysteriously ignored them.

"Civilization now depends on self-deception. Perhaps it always has."

(CC) BY-NC 2004-2023 Priyan Meewella

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