Well, I've reached another month off, and I've filled up most of it by watching films, as well as the odd TV show. Not much on the book front, though; I started reading a book, but didn't particularly enjoy it, so had to stop halfway through. My reading hasn't recovered since.
Oh well, no point dwelling. Onto the reviews. Note there could be spoilers:
Film
I went to see the Odyssey in the cinema at the start of the month. The plan was to see it in proper IMAX, as Christopher Nolan intended, but the only issue with that is there are barely any IMAX cinemas in London. Hell, there are barely any IMAX cinemas in the world. I settled on the IMAX in Wimbledon, spending £21 on my ticket and enduring nearly half an hour worth of trailers and ads. Don't worry, I bought my popcorn in the supermarket.
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| The IMAX screen |
I loved the film. My only experience with Nolan prior to this was with Interstellar, which I found teriffic, and the Odyssey inspired me to go on and watch more of his works. My only real issues with the Odyssey was the pacing and how the film was structured: we start out with about half an hour of exposition, with a disjointed, non-linear timeline, which made things hard to follow in the beginning. Afterwards, though, things got easier for me to track, and I ended up loving the scene with the Cyclops and especially the one with Circe. The third act dragged on a bit too much for me, but maybe that's down to me feeling fatigued. It was a three hour long film, after all.
I did also end up realising I was probably scammed by the idea of the "IMAX experience". Did I really need to spend £21 just to see slightly more background detail, probably not. But everyone made such a big deal of it that I went for it. I don't regret it, but I am a bit peeved.
I later realised that Nolan's films all tend to be confusing on purpose. I loved Memento even if it dawdled a bit, but the non-linear structure genuinely worked in its case, and the ending was phenomenal. Same with the Prestige, though I found that one harder to track because Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman's characters look identical. His best film might be his first, Following, with its black and white stylings and low budget contributing to a gritty noir that was fun to follow along with. It felt like a demo of Memento; I'd say both are his most interesting works.
TV
I'm still watching Game of Thrones, I've just started the fifth season. Please don't spoil anything, obviously, or else I'll send the wolves on you.
It's not bad TV, for one. It's just not for me. There are so many different characters and arcs that are going on all the time, and when one arc dies, a new one grows in its place. This means the show is like a massive hydra you can't do anything about, it will go on to swallow you whole regardless. I really don't know why we need to follow Arya Stark hopping around random towns, acting all cocky and yet somehow never being taken prisoner. I also don't know why every side character is apparently relevant.
I will admit Tyrion Lannister is an incredible character, I love all his scenes. The amount of depth Peter Dinklage brings to a character who kinda started out as a comic relief lover of prostitutes is tremendous. He'll die eventually, which is tragic - I'm not sure if I'll be ready for that. For now, I'm just enjoying his character.
Maybe I'm wrong, and the ending will make up for it...oh dear. Yeah, I just hope I go on to love the show. Who knows, maybe this blog will turn into a fanpage for all things Westeros. But I doubt it.
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