PREFACE
This is the sporadically updated blog of reviews by Harriet, author of In the Aquarium: a londoner's life.
I have kept the reviews separate to enable them to be indexed and therefore more easily accessible (see listing below).
FAVE FILMS DEAD MAN What an idea, the man is dying for almost the entire length of the film, the music is fantastic, its black and white, ideology, mythology, funny, sad, Johnny Depp sex god...
THE DRAFTMAN'S CONTRACT The first Peter Greenaway film I saw and possibly the most accessible. Beautiful set, costumes, direction. Fantastic soundtrack.
MULHOLLAND DRIVE I knew exactly what was going on right up until the last 15 minutes and damn it but then I lost it.
NIGHT ON EARTH Jim Jarmusch made the only film with Winona Ryder worth watching and it had Beatrice Dalle (say no more)
O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU? Roar out loud with laughter and tunes that make you love country music. My sister had to sneak out of the cinema ahead of our dad and me cos she was so embarrassed at our laughing.
ORLANDO Quiet, passionate, time travel.
PITCH BLACK Bails and I watched this with its bleached scenery and its whoar factor star. We LOVED him, Mr Diesel take a bow.
RESERVOIR DOGS Tight Tarantino gang heist gone wrong. Great soundtrack. And there's something about Michael Madson, dancing just before cutting off the cop's ear...
ROMUALD ET JULIETTE Truely lovely romance comedy.
THREE COLOURS TRILOGY Blue, White and Red. I liked them all. Quiet stories, beautifully shot.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS Its a story told. And the first time I saw it I didn't get the twist until just before it happened.
Seen The Reviews
Wednesday 4 June 2003 Art Deco 1910 - 1939 Victoria and Albert Museum
Although the exhibiton was absolutely full - far too many people there to really spend much time - there were some very interesting parts. I was interested in the all encompasses nature of the genre - it seeped across the world - and influenced most fields - ceramics, posters, graphics, architecture, interiors, fashion, 3d design, textiles, travel etc. It was an age of travel and lots of stuff was influenced by speed and the romance of foreign lands. Discovery of the ancient worlds - Egypt and south american, pyramids, africa, far east. You can really see the fascination with the exotic in the works. Grand, rich and dripping with gems or lights or shiny stuff (depending on what it was - cars, clothes, jewellry, pottery, doorways, buildings). Great times to look back on (I'm sure it was a lot of escapism for the majority of the people).I was with AL who has a 1950s build flat that lots of the stuff would have looked great in and have never considered it before but I think the 50s were quite influenced by Art Deco - geometric shapes of furniture, use of plastics in a very geographical manner in things like kitchen furniture and ceramics and crockery etc. Interesting.
Went to see Little Barrie playing for free at the Elbow Rooms on Chapel Street. They have supported Paul Weller in the past, and it shows. Excellent guitarist, fine vocals. They were good but not great. Destined to always be support and not headline. The crowd loved them - all the mods had congregated, amazing how many are left - some original ones and lots of retro from the most recent 80s revival. Many droppy 70s haircuts that cover the ears. No dancing.
