Tag: Books & Movies

Uncomfortable?

Beauty, Entertainment

Apparently, Villanelle is self-conscious:

Killing Eve star Jodie Comer might be one of the most successful actresses in the world, but she admits to having insecurities on set. The 27-year-old said she struggles playing sexy characters and admits she feels most at home playing a character while make-up free.

Just so we’re all on the same page — Killing Eve  was a nice surprise;  I thought it was going to be dire — so, as a public service to any Readers who haven’t seen the show, let’s examine the evidence.  Here’s Jodie all dressed up and looking sexy:

…and here she is in her preferred style:

Lovely, both ways.

Grown-Up Comics

Entertainment

I have often heaped scorn on adults who still read comic books and watch movies based thereon, but as with all things, there are exceptions to this.

One of them is the peerless Asterix series of comic books, created by the now-deceased French writer/illustrator team of Rene Goscinny and Alberto Uderzo, translated into English (and improved) by the late Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge.  (I’ve read them in both French and English, and the English ones are funnier to Anglophones because the French dialog often references obscure French customs and idioms.)

 

The reason that the Asterix books are so funny is that while on a superficial level, the story is aimed at children and can be enjoyed by them (Gauls beating up Romans, and the hero Asterix getting involved in all sorts of escapades), the real humor is in the writing.  This is not child’s play at all, because one needs a real knowledge of Latin, some Greek, and huge dollops of classical history for much of it to make sense.  (Older TV cartoons — Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse etc. — are similar in that while there’s a lot for kids to enjoy, the humor is often very adult, in the traditional sense.)

What often causes me to break out in howls of uncontrollable laughter are the names:  the Gauls (Asterix, Obelix, Cacafonix the bard, Impedimenta the chief’s wife, Unhygenix the fishmonger and his wife Bacteria, Postaldistrix the mailman, etc.), the Romans (Spurius Brontosaurus, Gluteus Maximus, Surplus Dairyprodus, Crismusbonus, Dubious Status, Nefarious Purpus, etc.) as well as other nationalities (Ekonomikrisis the Greek/Phoenician, Wotzisnehm the Indian fakir, Mykingdomforanos the British chieftain, Edifis the Egyptian architect, etc.).

Likewise, Uderzo’s depictions of all these characters are wonderful:  full of expression and action, they make the Marvel-type of cartoon drawing look like the work of children.  Here are just a few examples:

And then there are the ladies:

But they all pale into insignificance when there’s fighting:

And cultural differences are always a source of entertainment, whether it’s just beer:

…sexism:

…a Roman orgy:

…or just a sly dig, so to speak:

…and occasionally, there are some guest appearances:

I could go on all day about this wonderful creation, but there’s a decent Wikipedia entry (for a change).

I’ve read the first twenty-four (the “true” Asterix books) in the series, and maybe a couple of others.  I have only a few in my library, because they’re expensive when bought Over Here.  But to re-read them is a very definite item on Ye Olde Buckette Lyste.

Oh, and to bring this all (very) up to date:  in Asterix And The Chariot Race (published in 2017), Asterix’s main competitor is named… Coronavirus.

More Doubles

Entertainment

In a long-ago post (worth a read, BTW) I bemoaned the fact that my age-addled brain is having difficulty telling people apart.  Now there’s a new one:

Left:  Oz actor Hugh Jackman, and right:  Brit actor Richard Armitage.  I was watching The Stranger*  on Netflix the other night, and when Armitage first appeared onscreen I thought that Jackman had given up X-Men and was getting into Brit TV roles.

*Kim’s ranking:  5 out of 10 because the plot has more gaping holes than the 10pm dockside shift during Fleet Week.

More Celebrity Bullshit

Modernism, Show Business, The Gun Thing

After not taking down Orange Man Bad, celebrities need another target for their hysteria… so why not go back to an old favorite?

Hollywood’s hypocritical gun control elites, including Rosie O’Donnell, Darryl Hannah, Amy Schumer, and others are applying pressure on studio executives to cut ties with the NRA.  This request comes just over a week before Hollywood comes together on February 9 for the Oscars.
1010 WCST reports that the celebs, joined by the gun control group Guns Down America, sent a letter to the execs which said, “Since the federal government has failed to pass reforms that raise the standard for gun ownership in America, our industry has a responsibility to act.”

Here’s a thought:  why don’t these pricks put their money/careers where their mouth is?  If these precious little darlings hate guns so much, then they should:

  • refuse to read any scripts which contain guns or gunplay; or else
  • tell their agents to put a clause into their next movie deal that if the storyline changes to involve any guns whatsoever, they have the right to walk off the set without penalty.

Let’s see how that works out for them.

Friday Night Movies

Friday Feature, Movies

I seldom watch movies these days — “these days” being the last quarter-century — that for me to compile a list of “Best Movies Of Recent Times” would be a hopeless proposition.

However, Breitbart’s John Nolte is a movie buff, and as I generally agree with his opinions about those few movies I have  seen, it’s worth pointing to his “Best 53 Movies” lists:

I don’t agree with his choice for #1 — fine movie though it was — but it’s a good list nevertheless.

The only glaring omission I could see (inexplicably, it didn’t even make Nolte’s list of finalists) was 2009’s wonderful Taking Chance, in which Kevin Bacon (finally) gave a really good performance.

Have at it — and if (like me) you haven’t seen many of Nolte’s 53 movies, it should give you a decent reference list to look up on the various streaming channels.