TV of 2007 December 30, 2007

The dissapointing state of TV this year is reflected in the fact that 3/5 of my choices are American imports:

Ugly Betty

A quirky show with heart and an intriguing lead character. A show with a good message without too much candy floss and with legendary moments. Justin’s portrayal of the entire soundtrack of Hairspray on the train will remain with me forever.

Heroes

It was a sad day when I realised I had spent half a year (23 weeks) caught up in this show. Mind you… it had felt that long at the time. With very little happening each episode, and any drama only tending to take place just before a cliff-hanger, this show was painful and yet brilliant. Not afraid to kill characters off and with so many twists I got dizzy. I await Season 2 eagerly.

Bones

This show continues to be my firm favourite. Now into Season 3 it remains as brilliant as ever, with ever more gore and goo and tension. However, nothing will ever beat the man melted in the bath in the second series.

Strictly Come Dancing

I love this programme and watch both this and it’s daily BBC2 partner religiously. With possibly the highest standard this year, I was a Gethin supporter till the end but am satisfied to see Alesha crowned champion.

Jane Austen Season

ITV took on 3 of Austen’s less adapted novels to form their Austen season this year. The highlight for me was Persuasion, with Spooks’ Rupert Penry-Jones rivalling Colin Firth as Austen leading man and wet-shirt-scene extroadinaire.

Movies of 2007 December 30, 2007

I have only been to the cinema 4 times this year, but still have seen a vast number of films. Here, in no particular order, are some of my highlights, most released this year plus some which I have only now had the opportunity to see.

Hairspray

I generally fall in love with any film which contains spontaneous outbursts of song and dance, and this adaptation of the Broadway and West End hit show did not disappoint. James Marsden was a revelation with a stunning voice and John Travolta makes a worryingly pretty woman. There was brilliant, and slightly edgy, humour and an amazing soundtrack that caused me to dance my way out of Screen 7.

Stardust

A movie that could so easily have been rubbish. For me it was the new ‘Princess Bride’, though I can’t choose between dashing Cary Elwes or puppy-dog-cute Charlie Cox. Robert De Niro practically stole the whole film and I’m not sure I’ve ever been so desperate to see a movie again having just left the cinema.

Enchanted

Apart from a stupid ending with a ridiculous CGI dragon, this movie was practically perfect in every way. Amy Adams is a Disney Princess, and somehow keeps the character from being horribly irritating. The songs, especially a full blown show song in Central Park, are stunning and the romantic story line was handled well.

Hot Fuzz

In my opinion a more all-round movie than Shaun, but perhaps with less Laugh Out Loud moments. I found myself fancying Simon Pegg and any movie that can pull off a shoot out in Somerfields is, in my eyes, a work of art.

Harry Potter

Took what was, in my opinion, the start of the downfall of the HP books and made a very good movie out of the best bits. Good performances all round, much darker and possibly closer to JK’s writing approach.

The Prestige

A 2006 release, I have only just seen this film and wow, what a movie. It kept me on the edge all the way through, as I constantly changed my allegience to each character. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale are stunning and the ending hit me like a ton of bricks… and I still don’t know who I was cheering for.

Good Night and Good Luck

Again, released in 2006, this is my suprise movie discovery of 2007. I randomly chose to watch it one night at home and instantly fell in love with George Clooney’s work. Shot beautifully and acted superbly, I was swept up in a part of history I knew very little about.

Die Hard 4

I entered the Die Hard franchise at the end, having not seen the previous 3. That did not matter though as I sat wide eyed at this hilarious and action packed brainless entertainment.

It was a very good year… December 30, 2007

With 2 days left in 2007 I have looked back and picked out a few highlights, conveniently placing them into categories for you along the way.

Enjoy, and let me know how your year has been!

Hello world! December 29, 2007

And so here I begin this blogscovery – or dibloggery – in the small, and not at all daunting world of the web that is wide.

Here I hope to share my love for movies, music, TV and books, with the occassional comment on the game of cricket (yes, you read that right) and a few interruptions regarding life as I attempt to live it.

You are very welcome to leave comments. If you wish to know more about myself please read the About Me page… not that it will help you greatly!

Amy