Jump to content

What are you reading?


khay
 Share

Recommended Posts

Doing Tess of the D'Urbervilles for A-Level more or less ruined Thomas Hardy for me, unfortunately.

 

Know what you mean.

 

Gemma Arterton revived it for me like. ;)

Never saw that although I've seen 'Tess' (the Polanski fillum with Natasha Kinsky), which is canny.

 

Watched The Tennant last night.

 

 

Sposed to be awesome that, always meant to watch it. What you make of it?

 

It's classic Polanski, his art and wit as a director shines through, also his early obsession with clasutrophobic spaces and distortion, but it also has a streak of humour running through it. I think it was really an expose of his mullings on persona and the slightly detached world of the loner type. He's in it which gives it another dimension. The brush strokes are as half formed ideas which came to fruition later in Chinatown as to characterisation and people who appear to be respectable but are actually petty, bitter and dark. In saying all that I don't think it has aged well and I had to really keep my mind on it. Some of it is painfully overlit with lazy camera positons and he does come across as someone who is perhaps a little too in love with himself and planning to fuck a lot of women.

 

Best watched with Rosemary's Baby or Cul-de-Sac.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doing Tess of the D'Urbervilles for A-Level more or less ruined Thomas Hardy for me, unfortunately.

 

Know what you mean.

 

Gemma Arterton revived it for me like. :nah:

Never saw that although I've seen 'Tess' (the Polanski fillum with Natasha Kinsky), which is canny.

 

Got that on dvd. Filmed in Normandy btw.

Aye, well I knew it was northern France (Normandy or Brittany) from watching it back then. Supposedly because Dorset / Wessex doesn't look like that any more (not much of it does anyway). Probably more to do with money like.

 

Yeah sorry it might have been Brittany perhaps. N France tho as you say. I was gutted when I found out, mainly cos I think of England being so distinct from France.

 

Having said that the weather should probably have given it away cos it was sunny most of the way through the film. :D

I wasn't correcting you btw (if I'm right it'll look like I'm a right sad twat - which I am, tbf - and I've just gone and wiki'ed it ;) ). I just knew it was Northern France. It's a bit like when you know the urban bits in Full Metal Jacket were done in Docklands and you can't get that out of your mind when watching it.

 

what.the.fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck???!!!! :o

 

....cheers for that! Wanker!

Sorry. It's true like. The bits where they're fighting in the rubble / derelict buildings anyway.

Me love you long time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doing Tess of the D'Urbervilles for A-Level more or less ruined Thomas Hardy for me, unfortunately.

 

Know what you mean.

 

Gemma Arterton revived it for me like. :o

Never saw that although I've seen 'Tess' (the Polanski fillum with Natasha Kinsky), which is canny.

 

Watched The Tennant last night.

 

 

Sposed to be awesome that, always meant to watch it. What you make of it?

 

It's classic Polanski, his art and wit as a director shines through, also his early obsession with clasutrophobic spaces and distortion, but it also has a streak of humour running through it. I think it was really an expose of his mullings on persona and the slightly detached world of the loner type. He's in it which gives it another dimension. The brush strokes are as half formed ideas which came to fruition later in Chinatown as to characterisation and people who appear to be respectable but are actually petty, bitter and dark. In saying all that I don't think it has aged well and I had to really keep my mind on it. Some of it is painfully overlit with lazy camera positons and he does come across as someone who is perhaps a little too in love with himself and planning to fuck a lot of women.

 

Best watched with Rosemary's Baby or Cul-de-Sac.

 

 

;) "I love it when a plan comes together."

 

Surprised by the 'lazy camera' charges Parky, though even more inclined to see it now just to see if I recognise what you mean. It'd seem pretty fucking odd for Polanski.

 

Rosemary's Baby is one of my top 3 films of all time btw. :nah:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3/4 through Imperial Bedrooms by Brett Easton-Ellis. Utter class. Cold, observational, funny in a dark way and distant. But enough about me. :D

 

ooooh, didn't know he had a new one out.

 

Cheers Parks!

 

I was an avid reader of all his stuff back in the day but once they started making movies out of them the interest waned.

Is it merely a middle aged Less Than Zero?

 

Now Donna Tartt :D

 

It is. But there is more erasure of persona, it is also cynical, but not obvious cynicism - cynicism that comes as a surprise. It is the novel Baudrillard would have written if he was a novelist. It is the cool LA surfaces and ice cold mineral waters, it is Xanax driven into the darkest canyons of the mind. It is relentlessly stylish and observational in a way that the workds judder up against you and you have to double check your own thougts. I like reading it in the bookshop.

 

The first Donna Tart was excellent (A secrety history) the rest is rubbish.

 

She's only written two novels!!!

But it was more about the hands (from which the words flowed) that were attached to that body, with that head and

:scratchchin:

:D

:nah:

:o

;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Remember when you ended up fancying the wrong Louise Taylor btw? ;) Better than fancying the 'right' one, I suppose.

 

That dog is more attractive than the "right" one.

Louise Taylor I mean not Donna :o Tartt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Finished Ripley ages ago now, tried looking for the next installment (Ripley's Game) in town and had no luck. Particulary enjoyed the writing style, which is very intricate and descriptive.

 

About to complete the second book (Dearly Devoted Dexter) in the Dexter series , which has been enjoyable and provides something different compared to the television show. Especially at the end of the first season, and how the second book differientates from the original in taking a climatic approach to the other minor charcaters.

 

Next on the list, Catch 22.

Edited by Acid
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I read The Naked and the Dead about a week ago. Impressive in some respects especially as Mailer was 24 or so but it's definately over rated as you see it heralded as the best WW2 fiction ever and on lists of 'the greatest ever novels'. I think I'm going to get The Executioner's Song at some point and Armies of the Night or whatever he won the other Pulitzer for.

 

Just started To Kill a Mockingbird, cracking book so far.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I read The Naked and the Dead about a week ago. Impressive in some respects especially as Mailer was 24 or so but it's definately over rated as you see it heralded as the best WW2 fiction ever and on lists of 'the greatest ever novels'. I think I'm going to get The Executioner's Song at some point and Armies of the Night or whatever he won the other Pulitzer for.

 

Just started To Kill a Mockingbird, cracking book so far.

I thought it was brilliant personally. No arguments re: To Kill a Mockingbird though, love that book.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I probably sounded more disparaging than intended, I thought it was brilliant too. Just not as great as is claimed by many.

 

 

I read 1984 a few weeks ago and fancy getting Brave New World. I was listening to an interview with C. Hitchens on Orwell and he mentioned that Huxley briefly taught Orwell French at Eton. Thought 1984 was mega shit-hot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I probably sounded more disparaging than intended, I thought it was brilliant too. Just not as great as is claimed by many.

 

 

I read 1984 a few weeks ago and fancy getting Brave New World. I was listening to an interview with C. Hitchens on Orwell and he mentioned that Huxley briefly taught Orwell French at Eton. Thought 1984 was mega shit-hot.

Brave New World is excellent too. Very quick and easy read as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I probably sounded more disparaging than intended, I thought it was brilliant too. Just not as great as is claimed by many.

 

 

I read 1984 a few weeks ago and fancy getting Brave New World. I was listening to an interview with C. Hitchens on Orwell and he mentioned that Huxley briefly taught Orwell French at Eton. Thought 1984 was mega shit-hot.

 

I read them within days of each other just recently, along with Darkness at Noon. All class.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Every boy's dream. It's about the UK's youth football academies. A real eye opener if you have kid/s in a player development centre or academy. Made me wonder if i'm doing the right thing letting my boy play at his.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.