Friday 13 May 2011

Water for Elephants and Getting my Back Back.

Huzzah for Friday, blogger is back up and running and I am repleat with fishfingers and chips and ice cream.
I am feeling back in the land of the living thanks to Sue my wonderful Alexander Technique practitioner. By Wednesday my back pain had reached a crescendo so I admitted defeat and called to see if she could fit me in for an emergency appointment. Failing that I would have gone to the doctors but I figured all I would get there was painkillers and  I knew from experience Sue would be able to free up all the scrunched up muscles in my back far more effectively. I came away loose and limber and walking tall, with thankfully only a vague aching rather than agony. She did quite rightly tell me I should have gone to her sooner, but I honestly thought it would have eased off before then, lesson learnt the painful way!

So Himself and I went to see Water for Elephants this week.
 I enjoyed it, didn't absolutely love it, but it was good. as a huge fan of the wonderful book
 I was thankful they didn't try to re-write the story or change it too drastically. I had heard the animal cruelty was very graphic, and indeed the girl next to Himself managed to tear herself away from her i-phone long enough to cry at one scene (more of her later), but I didn't find it so. Yes it was seat squirmingly uncomfortable but the film was a 12A so I didn't expect it to be too horrific and it wasn't.

Tai the Elephant was the scene stealer all the reviews had promised she would be as Rosie, and even the dreaded R-Patz was better than I expected. Infact the weak link in the film was Reese Witherspoon, I have seen her so SO much better. The chemistry really wasn't there between the two and she just didn't manage to portray the depth of emotion certain scenes demanded, her performance just seemed flat somehow. Hats of to Christolph Waltz as August, he is almost too good at these psychotic characters! 
Sadly the major weakness of the film is the script which was cringeworthy in places, it was like they had asked a class of school children to adapt the book!
The costumes were amazing, the attention to detail couldn't be faulted, perfect.

The thing both Himself and I came out raging about was all the ignorant, thoughtless, selfish little shits and their goddamn phones!!!! There are not ONE but TWO trailers telling you to think of others and SWITCH OFF YOUR PHONE! not just put it on slient but actually switch it OFF!
We spent the whole film being distracted by the sudden all illuminating glow of a phone, some had screens of a size that would rival the one the film was being shown on!.
What can be so important that you have to text/tweet/Facebook during a film? It's only 2 hours for heavens sake, loose yourself in another world for a while, if nothing else it's nearly £8 to see a film now, who pays that to sit and ignore the screen and text? 
 The two worst culprits were the girl in front of me who was seriously lucky she didn't get her phone snatched out of her hand and lobbed down the front as she spent pretty much the whole film texting, and the girl next to Himself. Now whilst she didn't check her phone quite as much she did make our cinema visit uncomfortable with her fierce halitosis.
Good lord we were reminded why we like to go to the later showings when you get a whole row to yourself and all the little twinkies are safely at home, no doubt texting.


 To end on a lighter note. Tesco has had fresh pinapples on offer this week = YUM.
I bought one which we had for pudding last night. Before I tell this story I should explain that I have one of those gadgets that carves the middle out and leaves the shell intact. Himself  went out to put some veg peelings in the compost bin and came back in and said
'You put the pinapple shell in the compsot bin'
Me 'yes, why?'
'Nothing it's just the way it's in there upright, it looks like you have murdered and buried Carmen Miranda!'  

8 comments:

  1. hahaha! Loving Carmen Miranda in the compost! Aargh, WHY do people fiddle with their phones in the cinema...I'd have tempted to accidentally spill coke on them

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  2. You mean you didn't save the shell and make an enormous tropical cocktail in it? Tut tut ;)

    Urgh, I hate those people. Most cinemas seem to have done away with ushers nowadays, the staff just stand at the door as people enter then go on their merry way once the film starts - they really need to have people in the theatre silencing these despicable texters. The screens lighting up are just as distracting as the phones ringing, and they don't seem to understand that you should also not be talking or putting your feet on the back of someone else's chair (especially if you do not want a hissed telling off from an annoyed Kally). God, it boils my blood!

    Hope your back is feeling better!

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  3. Glad yout back is feeling better, really want to see this film but havent been to the cinema for ages and indeed last time i went had the same agro with kids and their phones, most annoying as you say its not cheap to go to the cinema anymore and you could buy the dvd for less! Scarlett x

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  4. Good to hear that you're back on form. A friend and I nearly saw this film the other week, but at the last minute decided to watch Hanna instead, which I can heartily recommend if you like action films and the Chemical Brothers' film score was cracking too!

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  5. Hi there-the film sounds great but how annoying about the phones! Sorry to hear of your back problems and thanks so much for stopping by!

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  6. i'd really like to see this movie! the costumes look GORGEOUS! (i also love carmen miranda! she had such fabulous bangles and hats.)

    http://pinkchampagnefashion.blogspot.com/

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  7. I haven't read that book!! I only heard about when the movie was being made!! Am I a loser?!
    The costumes look amazing,from the pix I've seen! I think I would've grabbed that cell hone thingy and biffed it,I have NO patience with that kind of shit!!!!
    X

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