There's not a lot else to do on a changeable double BH weekend with nowt on telly.
Friday evening found the intrepid filmsters in the heart of London's Leicester Square. J. was allowed to choose the film without a G. veto. (Think Blue Moons, Preston Guilds, Oberemmagau Passion Plays).
The film chosen was Open Range. I resolutely adopted an open mind, and felt that if it was truly awful, I could at least listen to Micahel Gambon's voice. Or daydream. Or fall asleep.
Actually, I enjoyed it. I'm not going to go on about greatness, Oscar nommies or whatever, but it was a good old-fashioned Western, the sort my Grandad would have thoroughly enjoyed. There was some fabulous Albertan scenery, some reasonably good acting, and one or two Western cliches, and it finished with a humdinger of a shoot-out, although quite why they couldn't have lit the aromatherapy candles and sat down over a cup of camomile tea with a trained mediator is beyond me.
Once at home we watched Godfather 2. Either you love or hate the Godfather films. Me, I'm indifferent. I recognise them as good stories, excellent acting, all that, but get me in a General Knowledge Quiz and I would star blank-faced at you. To my eternal shame, I always get Al Pacino and Robert de Niro mixed up.
Saturday afternoon was Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Damn fine adventure movie. But more than adventure - actually, if you switch on the brain, it is also intellectually stimulating. And great scenery.
Then we had Carmen. Great music, great singing, great acting, great scenery, and opening with a gloriously gory bullfight.
So, two great films and watching Jonny Wilkinson on Parkinson combined to make Saturday afternoon/evening a veritable festival of Beautiful Men.
We also watched Parsifal The Search for the Grail
I drank large quantities of Port and also managed to send a glass of same flying all across the floor. Fortunately, I have 'wipe-clean' laminate floor and not a pale-coloured carpet. And my very own Beautiful Man wiped it up for me.
This afternoon/evening we are going to choose between some or all of Cabaret, Belle du Jour or Oklahoma. Or maybe something completely different.
