Happy 2010

Happy New Year and I hope 2010 is a good one!

Belated Christmas wishes

Since I've been out of town for Christmas and don't have internet access there (yes, some people don't have it!) I'd like to extend Christmas wishes to all.
Like most newspapers, TV news programs and the like I may get a bit nostalgic in the coming days and recount some significant points of the 2000s, the decade known as the Noughties.

I Could Kick Your Ass

I'm not really into country music, or so I thought, but check out this cheeky song by US singer Justin Moore - called I Could Kick Your Ass .
Something about it strikes a chord.

Arrrr

Even if you aren't into horse racing this clip, a bit over a minute, is worth a watch.
The racehorse in question is called Arrrr - and I'm not kidding about that. The race caller has plenty of fun with it, that's for sure!!!

State of the union

It's hard to ignore that there have been problems between myself and my housemate over the last few weeks or so.
In an effort to work out exactly why, we're supposed to be having a chat later this evening. I thought it was the best thing to do after a bit of an awkward conversation this afternoon and what can only be described as an uncomfortable day.
We've been co-habitating for more than six years now and it is remarkable that we can get into childish silences.
I'm not pulling away from the fact that I have been responsible for some of them - my nature when I'm a bit peeved is to go quiet.
I don't know how things are going to turn out but I have noticed a shift in the relationship over a period. Without sounding like a teenage girl, I'm a bit tired of being hurt. Our natures have been clashing quite a bit and that is I think what could be behind the changes.
I'm also a bit disappointed with a couple of things, but I won't go into them.
Hopefully this can be resolved easily.

Avatar

I went into the session of the much hyped Avatar having read a review saying it was the best film the reviewer had ever seen. So needless to say my expectations were sky high.
The first thing I can say is that this is a visually spectacular film, made even more impressive by the 3D version I saw.
The second thing is that Sam Worthington is a very, very good actor. If you weren't convinced by him in Terminator then this should seal it. When your character is asked to carry the film it is a big burden, especially when there's $300 million or so invested. Worthington is excellent as Jake Sully, a wheelchair bound ex-marine who joins a mission on a planet called Pandora but becomes emotionally attached to the inhabitants.
I won't go into the plot - I think it has been pretty well publicised.
James Cameron has invested a decade, or so we are told, on Avatar and it shows. His attention to detail is unbelievable. I do think the technology still has a way to go though, because he was going for realism in the natives of Pandora and almost pulled it off except for a few scenes where they had to mix with real people.
Given that I expected this to be a standout film I find it a bit hard to rate. As I have said, visually this is pretty well second to none. The story is good, though the 'outsider who infiltrates the enemy then sympathises with them' plot has been done a billion times.
The casting is solid also. Worthington aside (and I'm not talking him up because he's an Aussie) there's the always excellent Sigourney Weaver, the quirky Giovanni Ribisi, tough girl Michelle Rodriguez among the cast.
I have to say that if Avatar wasn't an almost 3 hour film I'd be pretty keen to see it again soon. There's a lot to take in. At times I felt I was being bashed with an environmental message which was hard to miss given the humans were trying to pretty much destroy the planet.
My verdict is this: definitely a groundbreaking film overall, stunning to watch and one with a bit of intelligence. An 8.5 out of 10.
Not the best movie I've ever seen but one I enjoyed. Believe some of the hype but keep it in check.

Mid season thoughts

For a few episodes now I've been wondering whether One Tree Hill should continue.
The show is taking a midseason break for a month and I wonder what they have in store after producing the singularly most enjoyable episode of the season, titled Some Roads Lead Nowhere.
Season 7 is now 12 episodes old and at times I have thought they made a mistake moving on without Lucas and Peyton.
I gave it the benefit of the doubt early on and I have again reached the point of holding off judgement for a while longer.
This is largely due to the character of Clay (Robert Buckley, above left).
When they introduced him at the start of the season I thought there was more to him than met the eye and I was spot on, because he's easily the most interesting character (aside from the ever fun Jamie, but he's a seven year old). I've enjoyed his story lines, his personal struggle and his real-ness. That's one aspect of what's missing.
I mean, in Tree Hill is a multi-millionaire fashion designer (Brooke), an NBA star (Nathan), a pop star (Haley), assorted models, and a film producer (Julian). How big is this town?
As much as people love to hate him at times, the show is really missing Lucas. He's the one that holds it all together, he was the narrator, and the connection between most of the characters.
But as it looks like he's not coming back we have to move on.
My biggest disappointment of season 7 so far as been the absolute waste of the character Rachel. She's had basically one or two scenes of interaction with her old friends and the rest of the time she's been left to small bits of the Dan storyline.
I hope now that he has moved on she can return to Tree Hill and shake things up a bit. Otherwise I wonder what the point was in bringing her back.
Having not yet heard what lies ahead for the remainder of the season and the possibility of a season 8 I have this to say - if season 7 has to be the end then so be it, go out on a good note. I'd hate a truly enjoyable show to descend into something that I don't care about.

Three wheels

A trip to Parramatta today achieved the aim of picking up a present for the nephew for Christmas.
Fortunately he's easy to buy for. Aside from that and a bit of domestic stuff (washing sheets, cleaning up etc) it was a fairly good day off.
It's nice to wake up and look at the clock and see it almost 8am and not just after 6am like usual!
Tonight has been an interesting experience. After actually asking for it yesterday, the housemate invited his girlfriend over for dinner tonight and, really, at times it is like I'm not there. Whether that means they are comfortable or inconsiderate is debatable at this point.
Despite that it has been a reasonable night, though it's not hard to feel like a third wheel (in my own home) at times.
It's a start at least....