Adrian Mateljan

Another two weeks, another “The Weeks That Were”…

• Spent our last day in Emmer Green - final cleaning, tidying and handover (and for those that care - the cars are GONE!)
• Settling in at work
• Tidying and organising upstairs, including simplifying and removing. If there is one thing a move highlights, it’s the extra paperwork and junk you collect. The movers did such a good job packing I have been able to bring myself to chuck out all of the original packaging I had been hoarding. We don’t have anywhere to hide it anymore anyway!
• Finally got back on the Xbox 360 - played some Fable 2, created my New Xbox Experience avatar, even got to start playing Fallout 3… Discovered “The Guild” on the video marketplace. It’s very sad. Sadly, I enjoy it…
• To end the week, Lou and I saw Monty Python’s Spamalot at the Palace Theatre in London’s West End - very entertaining if you are into that brand of humour!

That’s all for now,
Adrian

Adrian’s rating: 6
Last watched: 10th November 2008 (TV)

Critically panned from memory, I just can’t not find enjoyment in a large lizard showing up the American military and politicians. Not enough to make this a keeper though. For the more nostalgic, you do get to see New York pre 9/11 ie the Twin Towers.

Adrian’s rating: 8
Last watched: 9th Nov 2008 (TV)

Another remake that I haven’t seen the original of. I am not much of a sporting buff (which Lou appreciates no end) but I do find I tend to have a soft spot for movies featuring team based sports and underdogs - I don’t know why… Anyway, I do enjoy this film and it definately rates as one of Adam Sandler’s films that doesn’t suck.

Well, technically I’ve been back just over a week now… Anyway - this is the quick rundown since my October 26th post - many of which will need to be expanded at some point…

Holiday!

25th October - 11th November

• Lou and I flew into Split, Croatia - meeting up with my parents who had flown to Dubrovnik, Croatia, a week earlier. We spent two nights in Split and three nights on Solta with my parents, and then two nights in Split without them as they took the ferry across to Ancona, Italy.
• We then continued on to Rome, meeting up with my parents again, for three nights.
• And finally we spent our last seven nights at the Radisson SAS Golden Sands Resort and Spa on Malta. In between relaxing and being sold on the Island Residence Club we managed to visit Valletta and Mdina.

Moving!

12th November - 16th November

• A lot of our busyness prior to our holiday was making sure everything was organised for our move when we got back. While the actual move happened on the 12th, the rest of the week involved a lot of travel back and forth, cleaning up, receiving furniture deliveries, purchasing necessities etc.
• We are still in Reading, but now on the other side of the M4 - in Spencers Wood rather than Emmer Green. We have moved from furnished to unfurnished - hence the deliveries and purchases. Our new abode is a converted chapel, hence full of character and simply delightful! Our Internet phone number is still the same and our broadband is back up and running - just need to finish unpacking…

Back to work!

17th November - Present

• So now I am back at work,
• I have the commute from the new place under control,
• Time to relax!

As you can probably tell, I had a backlog of movie reviews to get through while I was away - so at least the blog didn’t lay idle for three weeks (I think I only have two more to release). This wasn’t meant to be movie review site, so now that I’m back and the worst of the things to organise is behind me I can start concentrating on my other areas of interest. So expect some changes over the next couple of months. In particular I will be looking to:

• Split the personal blogging from the professional blogging.
• Reduce the prominence of the movie reviews (they are mainly for me at this stage anyway)
• Write more professional blog entries - in particular some more RedDot related entries - as they at least appear to get read!

I have some other thoughts and ideas - but you will just have to wait.

Adrian

Adrian’s rating: 6
Last watched: 9th Nov 2008 (TV)

A sequel that’s best feature is that it kept the original cast. Like most sequels, it is a far cry from the original and simply feels both bigger budget and a franchise cash-in without adding anything new or substantial.

Adrian’s rating: 7

Very atmospheric presentation of a technological city falling apart due to a society based on ritual passed on by word of mouth rather than actual knowledge, further disadvantaged by professions being dealt out via random chance than actual ability or interest above personal prestige. A childrens film slightly marred for me by a predictable plot.

Adrian’s Rating: 8
Tilt: Futurama +1
The first and so far the best Futurama movie. A playful dig at those who cancelled the TV series, the dangers of scammers and time travel all rolled into one with the beloved Futurama characters - what more could you want?

Adrian’s Rating: 7
Tilt: Futurama +1
Ask Lou why I am watching the Futurama movies in the wrong order… I felt this was fairly average Futurama fair.

Adrian’s Rating: 7
It has been a while between watching this and writing this entry, and it is not normally a good sign that it took me a while to remember anything about the movie! Thankfully I usually prepare the skeleton entry and rating soon after watching, and with a rating of 7 thought it was worth trying harder to remember.
This is dark drama, which I enjoy if done well and rarely get to see unless it manages to fool Lou by being critically acclaimed, masquerading as plain drama, and/or hiding a sad/traumatic ending… Anyway, this apparently managed both and is very dark and traumatic throughout - focusing on some of the worst that humanity is capable of as well as the difficult moral decisions that thankfully I have never had to make (where the legally correct decision may not be the moral and/or humanitarian decision)

Adrian’s Rating: 7
A little bit over the top (in plot and acting), but harmless fun none the less. Lou certainly enjoys watching it and hence why it is in our DVD collection. I have never seen the original, so I can’t compare (though knowing me - I will prefer the remake just for being slicker)