Welcome to the February reviews. Yes, inbetween all that working, being ill and drinking, I've managed to fit in a teeny update for y'all. Although I'm starting to think I'm too generous with my ratings, everything seems to score highly so you can't tell what I like and what I REALLY like. Maybe I'll review my rating system when I'm not on a flying visit home with masses of work to do!
I bought a new album today, but I haven't listened to it yet so I can't review it. Instead, an oldie but goldie. Not that old actually. This is very good, although I don't know all the tracks well. I listen to the first four, and the last 3, and don't bother much with the middle ones, but these ones are just so good they make up for the other ones being less interesting. The first two are probably my favourites, the title track and the first one which I've bizarrely forgotten the name of. Ghost Story is also a good one. I have always loved Sting, and I really must find someone with a copy of Fields of Barley as that is absolutely amazing. He just has the purest voice that I could listen to for hours on end, and I love the way he's put this album together. The first track is particularly arresting in its combination of Western and Eastern sounds. I have to admit I thought the vocalist was a woman until I saw a performance on TV! Excellent for background music, and some are good for reflective music. I also have to mention the other track, possibly called Fill Her Up (I've left all my CDs at uni so I can't remember the names). This is very amusing to start with, a good toe-tapper, and has a wonderfully seamless transition into a kind of Gospel worship song, which as a fan of worship music I really enjoyed. This is a well used CD of mine, I would advise anyone to listen to at least the first two, and it gets a well deserved 9 out of 10.
Despite what you may be thinking, I'm not reviewing this because it has Gillian Anderson in. I'm reviewing it because it is an excellent, heartwarming story that has the capacity to delight and move to tears. Anderson actually only has about 10 minutes in total (which she plays with relish as a character far removed from Scully, I have to add;-). The focus of the film is the relationship between two misfit boys. It may sound a bit cliched, the friendship of outcasts, but I can assure you this is well worth checking out. Especially if you're a fan of Arthurian legend. It has a wonderful fairytale feel due to the style of narration. This makes it stand out from the usual Disney type films of this genre. Maybe some of it is implausible, but it's worth watching anyway just as some entertaining and heartwarming escapism. I have to warn you, it is a bit sad at times so those with an emotional disposition should have tissues ready! This is one of those sweet films like While You Were Sleeping which are a bit of lightweight, escapist fun for a night in, although this one goes a bit further than the Sandra Bullock vehicle in having a moral to its story, and being quite inspiring. My only quibble is one I share with Gillian that they shouldn't have changed the title. The book was called Freak the Mighty, and those who know me well will understand why that one appeals to me! This gets 8 out of 10.
I was going to review Frankenstein, but it's such a multi-layered and superbly constructed book that it has to wait till I have more time. Plus, I have to write my essay on it so I'm a bit sick of talking about it! I don't want to go all English studenty on you and start talking about hybrid-constructions or whatever!