30 Day Challenge - Day Two: Favourite Movie

Another tough one. Watchability is important - if you can't watch it again and again then it's not going to be a favourite.

I've always loved The Long Kiss Goodnight, because it's about one hell of a kick-arse woman.

She has a loved one, but he is barely in the movie; and she has a child, but the child is really just a McGuffin; and the main characters are played by Gina Davis and Samuel L Jackson.  Gina is very sexy and SLJ is just cool. His character isn't cool, but SLJ makes him cool even in his un-coolness.  And that's awesome.
And despite having a large arse and a child, Samantha Cain / Charlene Elizabeth Baltimore is a gun totin' cigarette smokin' cussin' kickin' freakin awesome SPY and there is action and plot and people die screaming, cos Charlie really was telling the truth.
I don't think I can stand up now.


Then there's the Fifth Element which is equally brilliant.  An over-the-top action sci-fi with Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, Bruce Willis and Milla Jellybeanovich that first makes you think it's all about special effects and car chases.

But it is really a deep movie and though the plot doesn't exactly have any twists, you do have to pay attention to the dialogue.  Even when that dialogue appears to be no more than "Big Badda Boom!"  Once again I am drawn to a movie with sexy actors, lots of action, a secret plot and which you need to watch a couple of times to truly appreciate the little things.  I'm always up for a little bit of the Fifth Element, if you know what I mean ;-)

Then there's a movie which could possibly become one of my favourites except that I haven't been able to watch it a second time.

Life is Beautiful is simply too heartbreaking.  It is well made, constructed with the right amount of humour, love and striking, heartrending sadness.  It is the tale of how far people will go for the ones they love.  It highlights both the best and the worst of human nature and does it all without fanfare or Hollywood narcissism.  I love this movie.  I just can't watch it.

The BBC's six part mini series of Pride and Prejudice doesn't count because it's not a movie.  Damn.



I have to say, at the end of all this, that my favourite movie is Primer.

Watch it and find out why.

My Brother Is Awesome

True Story.

30 Day Challenge - Day One: Favourite Actor

This is a tricky one as I don't often pick favourites.  For me skill as an actor or actress means that they can handle a number of different roles (ie not always comedy or romance or action) and are convincing in all of them.  I don't really like him, but I respect the talents of Leonardo DiCaprio, who has switched well between his roles in What's Eating Gilbert Grape and the likes of Blood Diamond.

Julia Sawalha shows pretty good versitility when you compare her role as Saffy in Absolutely Fabulous and Lydia in the BBC's 6-part mini series of Pride and Prejudice.

This brings us round to the person who is probably my favourite actor/actress, because she was in Pride and Prejudice alongside Ms Sawalha.  I have only seen a total of two movies (plus forementioned television appearance) with Jennifer Ehle in them, and I only enjoyed one of them.  But I am constantly impressed with her ability to portray the thoughts and feelings of Miss Elizabeth Bennett with an expressive face and mobile eyebrows.  Also, she's gorgeous.  ;-)

Sources of images can be established by clicking on them. All copyright their original source.

The New 30 Day Challenge

Thanks to Cal's Canadian Cave of Cool for this one:

•Day One: Favourite Actor
•Day Two: Favourite Movie
•Day Three: Favourite Musician
•Day Four: Favourite Book
•Day Five: Favourite Food
•Day Six: Favourite Song
•Day Seven: Favourite TV Show
•Day Eight: Pictures Of Your Room
•Day Nine: Favourite Flower
•Day Ten: Favourite Outfit
•Day Eleven: Recent Picture Of Yourself
•Day Twelve: Where Your Family Is From
•Day Thirteen: Favourite Memory
•Day Fourteen: Favourite Purchase Ever Made
•Day Fifteen: Current Grades
•Day Sixteen: Future Tattoos
•Day Seventeen: A Childhood Picture
•Day Eighteen: Favourite Board Game
•Day Nineteen: Something That Made You Smile Today
•Day Twenty: A 10+ Year Old Picture
•Day Twenty-One: Favourite Movie Quote
•Day Twenty-Two: Picture Of You On This Day
•Day Twenty-Three: Favourite Music Video
•Day Twenty-Four: Something Embarassing In Your Room
•Day Twenty-Five: One Of Your Most Prized Possessions
•Day Twenty-Six: A Picture From One Of The Greatest Days Of Your Life
•Day Twenty-Seven: A Picture Of Where You’re From
•Day Twenty-Eight: A Drawing
•Day Twenty-Nine: Somewhere You Want To Visit
•Day Thirty: Whomever You Find Most Attractive In This World

Arduino Prototyping Boards

Check out the Arduino website.

Arduino provide software and the designs for hardware to create a small electronic prototype board.  They use an AtMega8 microprocessor which from memory should be able to handle almost any basic design simulation.  Now all I need is a design which would require one.

The Chickens are Unusual

Where I come from, chickens act in a particular way.

But my sister has chickens that don't.  I was looking out the kitchen window onto the chicken run when I saw one of the two writhing in slow morbid death-throws.  She was squatted close to the ground but not completely upright - slighty rolled over to her right side.  Her left leg/foot was spasmodically kicking out in a desperate bid for... something.  Life?
In my concern for the poor dying chook I pointed out her pight to my sister only to learn 'that's what she does...from time to time.'

Huh?
Most chicken's have a dust bath.  These chooks have mud spa/wallow/death thing.

More to this, both these chickens frequent the glass doors to the lounge whenever they are let out of the run and into the garden.  They stand, one at each window panel and peer in as though someone might be in there to grant them entrance.  The strange part being there's no one in the lounge when they do it.

Slightly less strange is their need to stand aboslutely still and on one leg.