I was delighted to see the BAFTAs reward "The Hurt Locker" as the superior film by awarding it as Best Film and giving Kathryn Bigelow the Best Director award and Mark Boal best original screen play and a hatful of technical awards as well.
I was sorry that Jeremy Renner did not win Best Actor award but was not surprised to see Colin Firth do so instead. After all these are the British awards. However I would hope to see the situation reversed at the Oscars with American Renner's perfformance being rightly aclaimed. I still think his greatest rival is Jeff Bridges, who won the Golden Globe.
I was pleased that Carey Mulligan won best actress as it ws well deserved but figure the American Oscar vote will go to Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious". I suspect Monique will again be the strong contender for best supporting actress but hope Vera farmiga will pip her at the post at the Oscars.
I love the Award season. Coming up next is a review of "Someone Who'll Watch Over Me" by the Bench Theatre.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The first 26 km
The first day's walk in the Great France Walk starts at the Riva Bella Plage, with a symbolic paddle in the Channel. The beach was known as Sword Beach in the D-Day Landings in June 1944 and one of the first landmarks is an icon of those landings.
Leaving the beach I head directly south to find the way-markers at the start of GR36. The Grande Randonnee runs alongside the Caen canal to the Pegasus Bridge.It crosses the canal there and then crosses the River Orne to the east bank to continue south. It forms part of the Pays Tour du Bessin, while heading south west towards Caen.
In order to make its way through Caen, although clinging to the canal bank throughout, the GR36 recrosses to the west bank. Directly south of Caen as the city is left behind, the footpath follows the east bank of the River Orne to Fleury sur Orne. It ignores the bend to Louvigny but cuts across country to St Andre sur Orne. Finally a little further south it comes to the resting place of May sur Orne, which is the end of the first day's walk.
Hopefully as part of the walk I will be able to sketch, take photographs and on occasion film particular stretches in order to supplement my diary and blog postings as a record of the walk. It begins to take a definite shape and a plan is growing.
Leaving the beach I head directly south to find the way-markers at the start of GR36. The Grande Randonnee runs alongside the Caen canal to the Pegasus Bridge.It crosses the canal there and then crosses the River Orne to the east bank to continue south. It forms part of the Pays Tour du Bessin, while heading south west towards Caen.
In order to make its way through Caen, although clinging to the canal bank throughout, the GR36 recrosses to the west bank. Directly south of Caen as the city is left behind, the footpath follows the east bank of the River Orne to Fleury sur Orne. It ignores the bend to Louvigny but cuts across country to St Andre sur Orne. Finally a little further south it comes to the resting place of May sur Orne, which is the end of the first day's walk.
Hopefully as part of the walk I will be able to sketch, take photographs and on occasion film particular stretches in order to supplement my diary and blog postings as a record of the walk. It begins to take a definite shape and a plan is growing.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Great France Walk starts to take shape
As the spring approaches so my attention turns to how to turn the Great France Walk into an actual event.
For a start I now have an actual map of the first day's walk. I ended up buying map 1612OT direct from the IGN of France. I will have to include a visit to the wonderful map shop near the Lamb and Flag on my infrequent visits to the capital. Anyway what this map clearly shows is that I have to be able to cover 26 kilometres in the day.
That is therefore my target for the Spring and Summer as I raise the distances I can travel in one day to the 25-30 km mark. I intend doing this by doing first one and then two circular walks of the required length in a day.
I will have to look carefully at my clothing and then at my equipment. I want to be able to be self sufficient on these journeys so will need a proper rucksack to carry my clothes and camping equipment on my back. This again will necessitate practice carrying.
The second day's walk ends at Thury Harcourt, which possesses a camping site, where we have been before and which is in our Michelin guide. The first day's walk ends at May sur Orne, which doesn't have a campsite. I am not planning to sleep rough so as part of our June in France holiday we shall visit this village and see what accommodation is available. At the moment it looks like the first instalment of the Great France Walk could be this autumn.
Those who know me will not be surprised to find I have discovered a gadget which may or may not prove to be useful. It is a GPS IGN Evadeo X55. This is a device similar to the SATnav which can be used with walking, cycling and driving if you use the appropriate maps. I can hear you say but what is wrong with the maps. Nothing is the answer and of course each walk will be planned using the maps. However the GPS device gets you out of those tricky moments of decision when following waymarked signs when the wrong choice can add many km to the walk and delay your arrival at the day's destination. Let's just say I am tempted.
I have also started to think about the security arrangements needed to travel cross country this way. Where does one store the GPS, the cash and the credit card needed to use in an ATM for more cash, and the mobile phone?
I am about to enter a brief period of theatrical endeavour in which I resurrect three productions from last year and start to learn a new one. The resurrection of productions is a new one to me as normally I learn lines for a production, maintain them until the final performance and then erase them from my memory. I have found difficulty in the past remembering even memorable lines from plays that I have been in so my new task is daunting. I have to relearn the lines rapidly as I haven't the luxury of spending weeks in rehearsal. The first of these productions has a rehearsal tonight and then two performances on Friday and Saturday. I start a second revival next week with a rehearsal on Monday. My grey brain cells are in for a hard time!
For a start I now have an actual map of the first day's walk. I ended up buying map 1612OT direct from the IGN of France. I will have to include a visit to the wonderful map shop near the Lamb and Flag on my infrequent visits to the capital. Anyway what this map clearly shows is that I have to be able to cover 26 kilometres in the day.
That is therefore my target for the Spring and Summer as I raise the distances I can travel in one day to the 25-30 km mark. I intend doing this by doing first one and then two circular walks of the required length in a day.
I will have to look carefully at my clothing and then at my equipment. I want to be able to be self sufficient on these journeys so will need a proper rucksack to carry my clothes and camping equipment on my back. This again will necessitate practice carrying.
The second day's walk ends at Thury Harcourt, which possesses a camping site, where we have been before and which is in our Michelin guide. The first day's walk ends at May sur Orne, which doesn't have a campsite. I am not planning to sleep rough so as part of our June in France holiday we shall visit this village and see what accommodation is available. At the moment it looks like the first instalment of the Great France Walk could be this autumn.
Those who know me will not be surprised to find I have discovered a gadget which may or may not prove to be useful. It is a GPS IGN Evadeo X55. This is a device similar to the SATnav which can be used with walking, cycling and driving if you use the appropriate maps. I can hear you say but what is wrong with the maps. Nothing is the answer and of course each walk will be planned using the maps. However the GPS device gets you out of those tricky moments of decision when following waymarked signs when the wrong choice can add many km to the walk and delay your arrival at the day's destination. Let's just say I am tempted.
I have also started to think about the security arrangements needed to travel cross country this way. Where does one store the GPS, the cash and the credit card needed to use in an ATM for more cash, and the mobile phone?
I am about to enter a brief period of theatrical endeavour in which I resurrect three productions from last year and start to learn a new one. The resurrection of productions is a new one to me as normally I learn lines for a production, maintain them until the final performance and then erase them from my memory. I have found difficulty in the past remembering even memorable lines from plays that I have been in so my new task is daunting. I have to relearn the lines rapidly as I haven't the luxury of spending weeks in rehearsal. The first of these productions has a rehearsal tonight and then two performances on Friday and Saturday. I start a second revival next week with a rehearsal on Monday. My grey brain cells are in for a hard time!
Saturday, February 06, 2010
The Hurt Locker
The Oscar Nominations are out. As usual it is slightly frustrating that the UK distribution of films is slightly out of step with that of the USA. Some of the films nominated and sometimes the winners themselves appear in our cinemas just before the award ceremony or even just after. There are nine films nominated for Best Film: I have reviewed "Avatar", "Up in the Air" and "An Education". I have seen "Inglorious Basterds", and "Up" (which I trust will win the animated feature Oscar),leaving "The Hurt Locker" which I review below and three others (http://oscar.go.com/nominations/nominees)
Alice hates me reviewing films she hasn't yet seen because she is worried I will give away too much of the plot as I have on occasion in the past. However I try to review in abstract terms rather than involve plot spoilers. The film is set in Iraq where an elite Army bomb disposal squad is seen at work in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a potential bomb. The chaos of war is magnificently created and there is a true cat and mouse element to the film and the plot. I finished my viewing of the film with a tension headache. I was that immersed with the activities of the bomb squad and with their characters, I was there as they work their way through their tour of duty. The three men of the bomb squad became real to me and I deeply cared about all three of them. They are wonderfully contrasted people, deeply complex and all trying to survive in an insane world. Anthony Mackie (Sergeant Sanborn) and Brian Geraghty (Specialist Owen Eldridge) are as different from each other and as different again from the third member of the squad, Sergeant First Class William James. If the tensions out on the streets of Baghdad are not enough, the tensions within the unit are as palpable and as dangerous. I believed in both Mackie and Geraghty as characters and as people. I cannot believe neither of them has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Nominated for Best actor is Jeremy Renner as Will James. He is up against George Clooney (whose performance I rated highly in my review of "Up in the Air" - see below) and Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart, for which he won the Golden Globe.
Jeremy Renner wasn't acting. He was Will James. I totally believed in this not exactly likeable character. His complexes and his complexity made him feel as dangerous as the explosive objects he was working with.
The screenplay by Mark Boal is brilliant and the cinematography by Barry Ackroyd matched to the editing by Bob Murawski and Chris Innis all add to the incredible achievement that is this film and to our knowledge of the insanity of war.
The major credit must go to Kathryn Bigelow as director. I liked what Jason Reitman did with "Up in the Air", James Cameron with "Avatar" and Tarantino with "Inglourious Basterds" direct with the panache and flair expected of such well renowned film-makers. I hope the Oscar goes to Kathryn for what I felt was a moving experience in the cinema.
Alice hates me reviewing films she hasn't yet seen because she is worried I will give away too much of the plot as I have on occasion in the past. However I try to review in abstract terms rather than involve plot spoilers. The film is set in Iraq where an elite Army bomb disposal squad is seen at work in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a potential bomb. The chaos of war is magnificently created and there is a true cat and mouse element to the film and the plot. I finished my viewing of the film with a tension headache. I was that immersed with the activities of the bomb squad and with their characters, I was there as they work their way through their tour of duty. The three men of the bomb squad became real to me and I deeply cared about all three of them. They are wonderfully contrasted people, deeply complex and all trying to survive in an insane world. Anthony Mackie (Sergeant Sanborn) and Brian Geraghty (Specialist Owen Eldridge) are as different from each other and as different again from the third member of the squad, Sergeant First Class William James. If the tensions out on the streets of Baghdad are not enough, the tensions within the unit are as palpable and as dangerous. I believed in both Mackie and Geraghty as characters and as people. I cannot believe neither of them has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Nominated for Best actor is Jeremy Renner as Will James. He is up against George Clooney (whose performance I rated highly in my review of "Up in the Air" - see below) and Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart, for which he won the Golden Globe.
Jeremy Renner wasn't acting. He was Will James. I totally believed in this not exactly likeable character. His complexes and his complexity made him feel as dangerous as the explosive objects he was working with.
The screenplay by Mark Boal is brilliant and the cinematography by Barry Ackroyd matched to the editing by Bob Murawski and Chris Innis all add to the incredible achievement that is this film and to our knowledge of the insanity of war.
The major credit must go to Kathryn Bigelow as director. I liked what Jason Reitman did with "Up in the Air", James Cameron with "Avatar" and Tarantino with "Inglourious Basterds" direct with the panache and flair expected of such well renowned film-makers. I hope the Oscar goes to Kathryn for what I felt was a moving experience in the cinema.
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