por Diego Taborda

Los Golden Globes tienen algo divertido y es que son capaces de calificar tanto cine como televisión en un sólo evento. Lo malo es que las categorías no son muy elocuentes, por así decirlo, y terminan estando musicales y comedias en un sólo lado de la balanza.

Muchas pelis no las he visto, la mayoría son pelis que no van a traer y dependiendo de los corrillos en las salas de cine, habrá que ver si se hace el esfuerzo de buscarlas por Amazon, pedirlas prestadas o inducir a los vecinos o a algún amigo descarriado a que la compre pirata (ooops).

Siguiendo con el juego, espero se hayan tomado un tiempo prudencial para meditar el listado de ayer. Hoy voy a subrayar en negrilla las pelis que considero ganadoras y en itálica las que no he visto.

• Best Motion Picture – Drama

Sólo me he visto una, por descarte selecciono mi ganadora

Avatar (2009)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Up in the Air (2009/I)

• Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Igual pero no creo que ninguna supere a The Hangover, sobretodo porque son demasiado romanticonas para mi gusto. De Nancy Meyers me he visto lo último que ha hecho y no me convence, Rob Marshall definitivamente no es mi director favorito y Nora Ephron lo mismo de Meyers

(500) Days of Summer (2009)
The Hangover (2009)
It’s Complicated (2009)
Julie & Julia (2009)
Nine (2009)

• Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Desierto por ahora

Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (2009)
George Clooney for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Colin Firth for A Single Man (2009)
Morgan Freeman for Invictus (2009)
Tobey Maguire for Brothers (2009/I)

• Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

Desierto por ahora pero me llama la atención a la Bullock con su nominación

Emily Blunt for The Young Victoria (2009)
Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side (2009)
Helen Mirren for The Last Station (2009)
Carey Mulligan for An Education (2009)
Gabourey ‘Gabby’ Sidibe for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)

• Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Qué linda competencia. Damon dirigido por Soderbergh debe ser muy bueno, Day-Lewis nunca defrauda aunque insisto ni los musicales ni Marshall son mi fuerte, Downey Jr. es de los que pintan mejor pero quién sabe si se arriesguen a darle premios debido a su consabida arrogancia y humor negro en los podios, Gordon-Levitt me cae muy bien desde Third Rock from The Sun pero quién sabe si logre premio, lo último que le vi fue The Juror y fue normalito, el otro nominado ni idea.

Matt Damon for The Informant! (2009)
Daniel Day-Lewis for Nine (2009)
Robert Downey Jr. for Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt for (500) Days of Summer (2009)
Michael Stuhlbarg for A Serious Man (2009)

• Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Esta fijo se la gana Meryl Streep pero me gustó Roberts en Duplicity. Segunda nominación de Bullock?

Sandra Bullock for The Proposal (2009/I)
Marion Cotillard for Nine (2009)
Julia Roberts for Duplicity (2009)
Meryl Streep for It’s Complicated (2009)
Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia (2009)

• Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Nadie le gana a Waltz en esta categoría.

Matt Damon for Invictus (2009)
Woody Harrelson for The Messenger (2009/I)
Christopher Plummer for The Last Station (2009)
Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones (2009)
Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009)

• Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Desierto por ahora

Penélope Cruz for Nine (2009)
Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Mo’Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Julianne Moore for A Single Man (2009)

• Best Director – Motion Picture

Yo creo que con tanta muerte de nazis Tarantino gana de lejos aunque Clint Eastwood siempre es un competidor fuerte y es uno de mis directores favoritos y Reitman después de Juno y Thank You for Smoking puede sorprender

Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008)
James Cameron for Avatar (2009)
Clint Eastwood for Invictus (2009)
Jason Reitman for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds (2009)

• Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

Yo esperaría que ganara Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell por District 9 por sus logros con la reinvención de una buena historia de ciencia ficción pero fijo aquí también gana Tarantino

District 9 (2009): Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
The Hurt Locker (2008): Mark Boal
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Quentin Tarantino
It’s Complicated (2009): Nancy Meyers
Up in the Air (2009/I): Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

• Best Original Song – Motion Picture

Desierto por ahora

Avatar (2009): James Horner, Simon Franglen, Kuk Harrell(“I Will See You”)
Brothers (2009/I): U2, Bono(“Winter”)
Crazy Heart (2009): T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham(“The Weary Kind”)
Everybody’s Fine (2009): Paul McCartney(“(I Want To) Come Home”)
Nine (2009): Maury Yeston(“Cinema Italiano”)

• Best Original Score – Motion Picture

Aún no he visto la peli pero gracias a un amigo ya escuché la banda sonora completa de Where the Wild Things Are y es ganadora

Avatar (2009): James Horner
The Informant! (2009): Marvin Hamlisch
A Single Man (2009): Abel Korzeniowski
Up (2009): Michael Giacchino
Where the Wild Things Are (2009): Carter Burwell, Karen Orzolek

• Best Animated Film

Obviamente, incluso sin verla, debería ser ganadora Fantastic Mr. Fox

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Coraline (2009)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Up (2009)

• Best Foreign Language Film

Desierto por ahora pero que no la se la gane Almodóvar, estoy cansado de la rutina

Los abrazos rotos (2009)
Baarìa (2009)
Das weisse Band – Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (2009)
La nana (2009)
Un prophète (2009)

• Best Television Series – Drama

Hay buenas opciones, estuve viendo Mad Men en HBO y creo que es bastante ganador pero el resto es muy bueno igual, no se cuál pueda lograrlo

“Big Love” (2006)
“Dexter” (2006)
“House M.D.” (2004)
“Mad Men” (2007)
“True Blood” (2008)

• Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

“Entourage” (2004)
“Glee” (2009)
“The Office” (2005)
“Modern Family” (2009)
“30 Rock” (2006)

• Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Desierto por ahora

Georgia O’Keeffe (2009) (TV)
Grey Gardens (2009) (TV)
Into the Storm (2009) (TV)
Little Dorrit (2008)
Taking Chance (2009) (TV)

• Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

Desierto por ahora

Kevin Bacon for Taking Chance (2009) (TV)
Kenneth Branagh for Wallander (2008)
Chiwetel Ejiofor for Endgame (2009)
Brendan Gleeson for Into the Storm (2009) (TV)
Jeremy Irons for Georgia O’Keeffe (2009) (TV)

• Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

Desierto por ahora

Joan Allen for Georgia O’Keeffe (2009) (TV)
Drew Barrymore for Grey Gardens (2009) (TV)
Jessica Lange for Grey Gardens (2009) (TV)
Anna Paquin for The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (2009) (TV)
Sigourney Weaver for Prayers for Bobby (2009) (TV)

• Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

En esta categoría también se pone buena la competencia, Baldwin por experiencia y excelencia, Carell porque no defrauda, Duchovny porque lo hace bien aunque no es que me mate la serie ni su actuación y Jane se está reivindicando después de todo ese pasado tenebroso en Hollywood

Alec Baldwin for 30 Rock (2006)
Steve Carell for The Office (2005)
David Duchovny for Californication (2007)
Thomas Jane for Hung (2009)
Matthew Morrison for Glee (2009)

• Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

Creo que aunque Tina Fey puede ser clara ganadora, Toni Collette tiene un logro muy bueno y puede llegar a sorprender

Toni Collette for United States of Tara (2009)
Courteney Cox for Cougar Town (2009)
Edie Falco for Nurse Jackie (2009)
Tina Fey for 30 Rock (2006)
Lea Michele for Glee (2009)

• Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

Me voy por Ham entre Jon Hamm y Bill Paxton pero fijo gana Simon Baker

Simon Baker for The Mentalist (2008)
Michael C. Hall for Dexter (2006)
Jon Hamm for Mad Men (2007)
Hugh Laurie for House M.D. (2004)
Bill Paxton for Big Love (2006)

• Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama

Menos mal me quitan el servicio de televisión forzosamente durante tres meses, creo que estoy viendo demasiada. Aquí la ganadora es Glenn Close y su papel de antagónica en Damages

Glenn Close for Damages (2007)
January Jones for Mad Men (2007)
Julianna Margulies for The Good Wife (2009)
Anna Paquin for True Blood (2008)
Kyra Sedgwick for The Closer (2005)

• Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Voy a repetirlo tal cual: Menos mal me quitan el servicio de televisión forzosamente durante tres meses, creo que estoy viendo demasiada. Soy súper fanático de Lost y no hay nadie tan malo como Emerson, ojalá se lleve el galardón

Michael Emerson for Lost (2004)
Neil Patrick Harris for How I Met Your Mother (2005)
William Hurt for Damages (2007)
John Lithgow for Dexter (2006)
Jeremy Piven for Entourage (2004)

• Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Tengo un cariño especial por Jane Adams desde Happiness ojalá sea ganadora este año se lo merece pero le va a tocar duro con Byrne

Jane Adams for Hung (2009)
Rose Byrne for Damages (2007)
Jane Lynch for Glee (2009)
Janet McTeer for Into the Storm (2009) (TV)
Chloë Sevigny for Big Love (2006)

Hay todavía muchas pelis por ver, ojalá tengamos suerte y la distribucion en Colombia sea más diligente que en tiempos pasados para poder mucho más material ineteresante.

When you’re home and feel like watching something completely amazing but you don’t know what and then Channel 7 says “Coming up next, *inaudible*..lander” and you think the kind man said ‘Highlander’, you’re going to get your hopes up. Then you will prepare yourself for a night of watching one of the greatest movies of our time. It’s like they looked into your soul and found out exactly what you wanted to see. How nice of them.
Shattered dreams when you get comfortable and the credits to Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Wallander’ starts playing.
They need to change the title of that show on the grounds that it causes people to get mad unnecessarily. I honestly believe that Branagh only signed on because of a similar incident. “What’s that? They’re making a remake? I’m losing you, are you going through a tunnel? Sure thing, I’m in!  And remember, a verbal contract is binding in the UK. You won’t catch me backing out!”

Off topic: I sometimes get Oliver Platt and Kenneth Branagh mixed up. I don’t know why.

]]> http://blackpaint.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/blackpaint-11/ Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:26:48 +0000 blackpaint http://blackpaint.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/blackpaint-11/

My latest effort now is heavily scored and slashed with wide strokes of black acrylic and charcoal and dirtied up in an attempt to make it less insipid and give it more gravitas.  It now looks a bit like a woman’s buttock and upper thigh done in a yellowy peach colour with a big red and white hole in it, surrounded by festoons of black (which as I look, transforms itself into a boy riding a bike – or half a bike – at speed across the canvas, from the olive drab on the right to the pale grey on the left).

If this keeps up, I’m going to pack in painting and go back to the drawing board -literally- until I sell another canvas, or get some inspiration back.  I’ve been reading Robert Hughes on Van Goch’s drawings done in Arles; he points out that they are not tonal, but are made up of separate marks and strokes which “let the light in”.  I’ve had a look at a couple and I think I see what he means – it will be a difficult one for me, as I tend to draw heavily and messily in a sort of impressionistic way, with a load or shading and scribbling.  I’ll have a go tomorrow at life drawing and see if I can get out of my habit.

I’ve got to mention the comment in yesterday’s Guardian about Anish Kapoor’s exhibition at the Roal Academy – I’ve thrown it away now, but it says something like this: that it’s either magical and stunning or pretentious and boring; perhaps both! 

I’ve been looking at Miquel Barcelo, “crane de profil” a fabulous skull done in “mixed media” on canvas – looks like a drawing.

Listening to: Bartok on piano, playing “Mikrokosmos” in 1937 and 1940, and thinking as always of my mate Bob Glass who gave me the CD;

And “Smokestack Lightning” by Howling Wolf ,of course, but who I think got it from Tommy Johnson – I wonder where, or who,  he got it from.

Watching – Wallander, the original.  Combination of cosy Swedish seaside and horrific, graphic murders that no-one seems upset by.  This, and the Updahl paintings yesterday morning gave the day a Scandinavian theme.  I think I’ll try for themed days in future – will that make this blog magical and stunning, or pretentious and boring? Perhaps, if I’m lucky, both. 

Blackpaint

10.12.09

Actor In A Miniseries Or A Motion Picture Made For Television:

Jeremy Irons – Georgia O’Keeffe – Lifetime Network

His fellow nominees in the same category are:

Kenneth Branagh – Wallander – PBS / BBC
Brendan Gleeson – Into the Storm – HBO
Kevin Bacon – Taking Chance – MPCA / Civil Dawn Pictures / HBO Films
William Hurt – Endgame – PBS
Ian McKellen – The Prisoner – AMC

14th Annual SATELLITE™ Awards

Celebrating
The International Press Academy’s SATELLITE™ Awards
will acknowledge this year’s outstanding artists, films, television shows, DVDs, and interactive media.

The 2009 14th Annual Satellite Awards presentation
will take place on

Sunday, December 20, 2009

2009 14th Satellite Awards
Grand Salon/InterContinental Hotel
2151 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067

5 p.m. – Arrivals
6 p.m. – Awards Presentation
8 p.m. – Dinner
Formal Attire

Following the relative success of the BBC’s attempt to film Wallander in English but in Sweden, I’ve been enjoying the original Swedish series on BBC 4 over the past year or so.

Inevitably, I was going to pick up a few of the books to read.

It so happened that a few crates of books arrived in the staff room at work (a colleague had died and they were donated to the school) and a couple of Wallanders were included. I read those and then ordered a couple more from Amazon.

I think I’m done with Wallander for now, having read (in no particular order):

Faceless Killers, The Dogs of Riga, The White Lioness, and One Step Behind. I also read his sole Linda Wallander novel, Before the Frost. You can read about them here on Mankell’s web site.

Those who have seen Wallander on TV will know that he is a melancholy individual, who is estranged from his ex-wife, and intermittently estranged from his own daughter. His health is not good, he drinks too much, but he generally operates like a policeman as opposed to a crazy maverick who makes up his own rules. That’s except when it’s time for one of his cases to be turned into a novel, at which point he tends to become a crazy maverick who makes up his own rules. Like Inspector Morse, he’s unlucky in love, and slightly pathetic when he tries to get lucky. He has a tendency to choose inappropriate partners and make a fool of himself.

The TV Wallander tends to be more of a team leader and a delegator. In print, he more often than not loses his head and gets himself into dangerous situations. In the end, I prefer the TV Wallander to the novel character, who basically needs a kick up the backside.

The first TV episode filmed in Sweden is actually based on Before the Frost, which is a different novel, as it’s told from the point of view of Linda, who is a much more sympathetic character. The TV series starts with Linda and then she’s in every episode (as a cop), whereas in the novel world, she is, in the main, a student with no clear sense of direction. Unfortunately, Johanna Sällström, who played Linda on Swedish TV, committed suicide, and I believe Mankell was so upset by this that he’s not planning to write any more Linda Wallander novels.

Try to keep up at the back.

The most successful of the other novels are the shorter ones, which have a tight focus on one case, which is generally following a police procedural. I guess it’s supposed to be realistic, in that the police rarely have anything to go on, until some chance event helps put things into place. Apart from Before the Frost, I’d recommend One Step Behind, which was also filmed for TV, but which has other elements, on the page, which aren’t shown on TV.

The least enjoyable of the five I’ve read was The White Lioness, which is a sprawling, double-length book, set in both Sweden and South Africa. It’s a bit like one of those double albums that would be better as a single. Wallander completely loses it in this one, and you don’t quite get why, it’s just a massive existential crisis which sends him over the edge.

He frequently moans about the state Sweden has fallen into, and there seems to be an anti-immigration, isolationist agenda, with the sense that a lot of the new types of crime in Sweden are caused by incoming Poles, Russians, Latvians, etc. Wallander frequently bemoans the state of policing and security, and questions his role as a policeman. He’s always on the verge of quitting.

I’d cautiously recommend reading a couple of these, but probably best not to do what I did and read five in a row. One health warning is to consider that, if you read them in English, you are reading a translation, so some of my criticisms may be considered unfair.

Då var ännu en helg till ända. Ännu en helg utan någon som helst uppdatering här. Men är det nåt jag verkligen inte haft en tanke på denna helgen så är det bloggen. Drog raka vägen ut till Sandra efter jobbet i fredags och tillbringade hela helgen där. I fredags var även fröken Jenny med oss. Vi svullade massa tacos, drack vin, öl och spelade diverse spel. När vi vaknade till liv på lördagen hade Jempa redan hunnit hem. Jag och sötisen drog ner till Vällingby C där vi fikade och shoppade lite. Jag lyckades äntligen hitta ny mössa Sen vankades middag och hemmafest. Det blev ännu mer öl och ännu mer spelande. Igår blev det en tur till Ikea. Drog mest dit för att det är trivsamt att springa omkring där med jämna mellanrum, men även för att jag var sugen på en köttbulletallrik och behov av lite nya matlådor. Fick även med mig lite ljusstakar och annat nödvändigt hem. Hela helgen avslutades hemma hos mig. Kikade nyaste Wallander och mös lite innan ljuset släcktes för denna helgen. Underbart härlig helg med det finaste av sällskapet

Nu är det bara en vecka kvar av november. En veckas slit för att få in det sista som ska in av novemberbudgeten. Hoppas det är “stolpe in vecka”! På fredag blir det konsert med Mattihoe och på söndag snackas det om julmarknad i Gamla Stan. Ännu en helgrym helg att se fram emot med andra ord! JAG ÄLSKAR MITT LIV!!!

Här hemma har vi fredagsmys med senaste Wallander och take-away. Om nån timme börjar Idol så plockar jag fram lite daim oxå. Gotti gotti.

Tittar ni extra noga på bilden ser ni att jag är nyklippt! Jajamensan. Jag har äntligen gjort något med mitt hår som har varit så risigt ett tag nu:

En pagefrisyr i form av en bobb!

Skönt att få en genomklippning av håret, och dessutom få en en lättskött frisyr nu när man inte har så mycket tid att stå framför spegeln varje dag.

Den här handlar också om Stefan/Linda.

Again, it’s a Stefan/Linda fanvid.

Stefan Lindman (Ola Rapace) and Frank Borg (Jacob Eklund) in a scuffle with a suspect, not exactly playing by the rules. Watch the video here.

Denna tredje brittiska Wallanderfilm börjar med ett trippelmord, där några ungdomar utklädda i 1700-talskläder ute i skogen brutalt mördas. Wallanders kollega sedan många år, Svedberg, undersöker först försvinnandet då det kommer att dröja veckor innan liken återfinns. När sedan Svedberg hittas mördad i sitt hem börjar man finna kopplingar mellan dåden och det visar sig att det finns hemligheter som Wallander missat fast de befunnit sig mitt framför hans ögon.

Jag har ju för inte så länge sedan sett den svenska versionen av denna deckare av Henning Mankell, Steget efter, med Rolf Lassgård i titelrollen. Den var väl helt okej även om jag har väldigt svårt för denna buffliga skådespelare i de flesta fall. Den brittiska versionen är dock strået vassare och Kenneth Branagh gör ett dystert porträtt av kommissarien. Det hela känns rätt äkta och rätt svenskt även om uttalet av Ouuschtadt (Ystad) och andra namn stundtals blir rätt lustigt. Vackert filmat, snyggt skådespelat och hyfsat tempo för att vara en relativt billig och snabbproducerad löpandebanddeckarserie.

Betyg: 3

Jag hittade den här på YouTube (var annars?) och jag gillade den verkligen.

I found this on YouTube (where else?) and I loved it.

Den utmärkta tidningen FLM håller på att reda ut vilka är 00-talets bästa svenska filmer är. Ett antal filmkritiker får lista sina favoriter samt svara på frågor om tillståndet i filmsverige.

Det finns en anmärkningsvärd sak med deras svar, förutom att så många gillar trista De ofrivilliga. De flesta tycks vara överens om att det har gjorts ganska lite politisk film de senaste tio åren. Bland de få exempel som nämns märks ett antal dokumentärer samt Lukas Moodyson och Roy Andersson.

Om man med “politisk” menar att filmen ska beskriva samhället ut något diffust vänsterpespektiv så kan jag hålla med. Men det produceras faktiskt en jäkla massa politiska filmer i Sverige. Av en helt annan typ. Daniel Lindvall berör saken i sitt svar. För även filmer som hyllar den rådande ordningen är politiska. I allra högsta grad. De tydligaste exemplen är alla snutfilmer, som Beck, Wallander och extremfallet  Johan Falk, som får Chuck Norris att framstå som en vinpimplande bögfeminist.

Den här typen av snutkultur är ofta rena reklamfilmerna för det statliga våldsmonopolet. De glorifierar inte bara polisyrket utan också polisens världsbild där det bara finns plats för tre kategorier människor. Offer, snutar och buset.

Att de här filmerna inte upplevs som politiska säger egentligen allt man behöver veta om hur ideologi fungerar. De som upprätthåller ordningen upplevs som neutrala även om de tar till våld och tänjer på reglerna, något som alla snutkulturhjältar gör.

För några år sedan gjorde jag en liten film (ja, det är Gunvald som snackar) om det här i samarbete med Martin “Layoukungen” Hultman. Titta på den nästa gång du tänker att det inte görs så mycket politisk film i Sverige. Så är tyvärr inte fallet.

Está jodido, el bueno de Kurt: elevados niveles de glucosa, colesterol, aparentes amagos de infarto, olvidos tontos (algunos no tanto), trajes que ya no utiliza para bodas o bautizos sino para funerales… No me extraña que, con todo esto, haya decidido abandonar su carrera policial.

Me refiero, claro, a la novela El hombre inquieto, la última entrega de Henning Mankell protagonizada por el inspector sueco que nos ha acompañado durante varios años.

Una novela que tiene sabor a despedida desde el principio, pues Mankell aprovecha para mostrarnos más la cara privada de Wallander -su relación con Linda, con su ex esposa Mona, con su ligue Baiba, con su fallecido padre, consigo mismo- que la pública, ya que la trama estrictamente policial se revela como algo previsible que se habría resuelto en, como máximo, la mitad de las páginas de que consta el libro.

Vamos, que un Wallander en plena forma habría resuelto el caso en un abrir y cerrar de ojos -incluso yo lo hice, detalle arriba detalle abajo, y no suelo ser demasiado perspicaz, al menos mientras leo-. Pero hay que perdonarle porque, como decía al principio, el bueno de Kurt está francamente malito.

A través de una encuesta realizada anualmente por Cerveceros de España se pretende averiguar con qué personajes públicos se irían de cañas los aragoneses. Vale, seguro que no es nada original y que, como el programa de televisión, también habrá una edición de madrileños de cañas, catalanes de cañas, manchegos de cañas… Como curiosidad, debo añadir que en 2009 los ganadores fueron José Antonio Labordeta y Eva Amaral y que en la lista figuran nombres como el de Sabina o Zapatero entre otros muchos.

El caso es que, el otro día, me cuestionaba lo que yo respondería si, pongamos por caso, una librería especializada o una asociación de editores, me preguntase por un detective o policía de ficción con el que me iría gustoso a tomar unas cervezas bien frías.

Después de pensarlo un poco, creo que no tengo duda al respecto: Jules Maigret sería mi elegido y con él recorrería, una por una, todas las brasseries de París, bares portuarios, tabernas de mala muerte y, por qué no, alguno de esos meublés que visita en ocasiones por motivos estrictamente profesionales. Correría la cerveza, el vino blanco, el tinto, los aguardientes y, seguro, terminaríamos degustando algo cocinado por madame Maigret.

Con quien no me iría es con Kurt Wallander, el introvertido y soso inspector sueco que, además, ha demostrado en varias novelas tener lo que se conoce como “mal beber”. Además, en Suecia hace demasiado frío para mi gusto y la pasma es rigurosamente estricta con el nivel de alcohol en sangre, así que en este caso acabararíamos fijo en algún calabozo nórdico. Y mortalmente aburridos, además, hablando de su ex mujer, de Baiba, de Linda, de la puñalada casi mortal que recibió hace ya muchos años…

Y si la respuesta pudiese incluir a villanos también de ficción, tampoco tendría duda alguna: Dortmunder sería mi compañero de cañas. Eso sí, seguro que me tocaba pagar a mí y tal vez acabásemos en algún calabozo estadounidense, pero al menos disfrutaríamos como enanos.

Por simple curiosidad, ¿con quién te irías tú de cañas?

En präst skjuts ihjäl utanför ett vandrarhem i Ystad efter att han träffats sin älskarinna. Hans inblandning i ett företag med tvivelaktigt rykte känns först som den mest logiska kopplingen till mordförsöket, tills det kommer upp för Polisen att han varit otogen.

Prästen, som tros kunna identifiera den skyldige, kämpar för sitt liv på lasarettet tills hans fru och likaså misstänka går med på att stänga av maskinen som håller honom vid liv. Alltså var den chansen borta för identifering. 

Denna film var välgjord och likabra som alla andra Wallander jättebra. Kanske är det pga att jag älskar svanska kriminalfilmer… Se den!

Not when he’s on about the economy… I have no idea what he’s on about on that front. I wouldn’t recognise a derivative from a toxic loan if you hit me with the fuckers. No I agree with him on TV programmes of all things. Peep Show is brilliant, the Swedish Wallander is superb and the French crime drama Spiral is quite sublime. The bent lawyer Josaphine Karlsson played by the gorgeous Audrey Fleurot is the sexiest thing on TV – for years!

As of today, there’s a new fandom on my fan fiction site, The Fandom House! Wallander! So far there’s one story, but there will be three more once I’ve had time to translate them. The stories are based on the Swedish version, but naturally they will all be in English on that version of the site. There’s also one wallpaper based on the UK version and several based on the Swedish version.

As of today, there’s a new fandom on my fan fiction site, The Fandom House! Wallander! So far there’s one story, but there will be three more once I’ve had time to translate them. The stories are based on the Swedish version, but naturally they will all be in English on that version of the site. There’s also one wallpaper based on the UK version and several based on the Swedish version.

Wallander: BBC4 (Recorded 7th Oct Watched 11th Oct)

After enjoying excellent French drama Spiral, on BBC4,  I thought I’d give their latest foreign-language import, Wallander.  This is the (presumably) original Swedish version of the detective series that starred Ken Branagh over here.

After watching the first episode of Spiral, I wondered how much my  enjoyment was influenced by it appearing better than it was because it was in another language.  Whilst Spiral has clearly proved itself, I soon felt with this that it could be just about any cop show that you might see on ITV.  Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not really my bag.  I gave up after 25 minutes.

In Treatment: Sky Arts 1 (R 8th & 9th Oct W 11th Oct)

And so the first week comes to an end, starting with Day 4 – Jake & Amy – the least convincing episode so far.  I did’t really understand this couple, and so I failed to connect.  They didn’t just seem totally unsuited as a couple, they didn’t seem like a couple at all.  Also, their storyline is that they’ve had 5 years of fertility treatment, given up, then Amy got pregnant, and now she wants an abortion; it frankly left me a bit baffled.  The acting didn’t seem to be quite up to the standard of the previous episodes.

I followed this up immediately with, Day 5 – Gina.  In a twist, Paul goes to see his own therapist, Gina (Dianne Wiest), and it adds a whole new layer of depth to the series.  I did find it a bit cringey that he only talked about the patients that are part of the series though.  I’m interested to watch the subsequent episodes now to see how the more we learn about Paul affects the way we see him deal with his patients.

Incidentally, the music in this series makes me want to vomit.

Micro Men: BBC4 (R 8th Oct W 11th Oct)

This was a fun and informative one-off drama about the early days of British home computing, and the sort of television that the BBC does better than anyone else.  It’s the story of Clive Sinclair’s (Alexander Armstrong) business rivalry with Chris Curry (Martin Freeman), who ran Acorn computers.  It was somehow not very dramatic and yet utterly entertaining.  This was helped by an excellent cast including some good cameos from well known faces.  The main thing that I learnt from the programme was that if Clive Sinclair really went around behaving like that, then it’s a miracle that he stayed in business as long as he did.

Generation Kill: Channel 4 (R 7th Oct W 13th Oct)

Having watched this already on FX ,earlier in the year, it took me all of a nanosecond to decide that I should watch it all again.  It’s a drama based on the true-life book by Rolling Stone report, Evan Wright, who travelled with a group of US Marines during the invassion of Iraq, in 2003.  It’s also made by the creators of The Wire, which I’ve already proclaimed as the ‘best show ever’, and they prove that it was no fluke.

The cast is lead by two actors who are very different to the other TV shows that I’ve seen them in.  James Ransome plays Corporal Ray Person, an amiable and likeable guy that you’d like to hang about with; compare that to his portrayal of Ziggy Sobotka, in The Wire,  who was maybe the most annoying character in TV history.  Similarly, Alexander Skarsgard plays Sgt. Brad ‘Iceman’ Colbert, the kind of guy that you’d want on your team before anybody else; compare that to his portrayal of vampire poseur, Eric, in True Blood.   Both are startling transformations.

Like its televisual predecessor,  its strength lies in the fact that there are no easy answers.  It would be easy to portray the marines as glorified heroes or as gung ho imbeciles, but, with a few notable, intentional exceptions, the characters are drawn as real, flawed human beings.  Unlike the majority of television, the programme makers are playing with glorious shades of grey.

As nothing is ever spelled out for you, it certainly bears a second viewing; if anything, I would say that it’s designed for multiple viewings.  I really enjoyed the first episode and it may actually be better the second time around as you have a clue as to what’s going on.

Stargate Universe: Sky One (R 13th Oct W 13th Oct)

The third episode of the new sci-fi series finally brings the opening arc to an end; sadly, it was with a largely pointless episode set on a desert planet.  This didn’t really work for me as a stand alone chapter, but maybe it would have made more sense if it had been shown with the other two parts.  I really have no idea where this series is going, and, at this point, that’s not a good thing.

Spiral: BBC4 (R 11th Oct W 14th Oct)

Another gripping episode of the French police drama.  I particularly enjoyed the scene where they used evil lawyer Josephine’s unscrupulous informing on her clients to help set up an undercover operation; it was very cleverly done.  It also contained the understatement of the year; on discovering a young lady killed, and horribly disfigured, by gunfire, Laure informed her boss with the line: ‘Pierre, we’ve found the three bullets…’  The French are très blasé.

The main reason why I’m writing about this episode is that I was hoping that somebody could help me out with a query. When Laure was in her psychiatric review and said she lived with her partner of 10 years, was that true?? And if it was true, has it ever been mentioned before?  I know it’s been 3 years since season one was on telly, but I have no recollection of this at all.

Life on Mars ‘USA’: FX (R 11th Oct W 14th Oct)

Although I would have watched this for the concept if it was an entirely original show, I did find myself watching this primarily to compare it with the original British series.  And that kind of made it hard to enjoy it.  They kept much of it the same; the opening sequence was very similar (apart from the twin towers), Sam was transferred from Hyde, and, surprisingly, the character names all stayed the same.  Despite this, all I could notice were the differences.  I accept that they had to make changes in order to make their own programme, but the location shift makes for a huge change in tone; 1973 New York seems glamourous and exciting, 1973 Manchester felt mundane and real.  I don’t suppose that US network TV was ever going to make a 1970’s time-travel cop show that was mundane and real though.

In my original notes for this, I made lots of comparisons between the two series, but I’ve decided not to mention them now.  The original Life on Mars is considered a modern TV classic, so it would be incredibly unfair of me to overly judge the US version after only one episode.  There is one thing thing that I would bring up though: the casting of Gene Hunt.  My first thought was, ‘Harvey Keitel, what a great choice’; he’s a well respected actor who has played many tough guy roles.  The reality of the situation is slightly different though, Keitel now just come across as a frail old man and not the kind of blustery ball buster that Philip Glenister portrayed.  A previous pilot was made for this with Star Trek alum, Colm Meaney, in the role, and you can’t help but feel he would have been a better choice.

Anyway, I spent so long comparing it that I couldn’t really tell you what it was actually like.  Hopefully I’ll be able to watch episode 2 on its own merits.

The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell

Second in the Wallander series – and some exceptional challenges for Kurt:

Sweden, winter, 1991. Inspector Kurt Wallander and his team receive an anonymous tip-off. A few days later a life raft is washed up on a beach. In it are two men, dressed in expensive suits, shot dead. The dead men were criminals, victims of what seems to have been a gangland hit. But what appears to be an open-and-shut case soon takes on a far more sinister aspect. Wallander travels across the Baltic Sea, to Riga in Latvia, where he is plunged into a frozen, alien world of police surveillance, scarcely veiled threats, and lies. Doomed always to be one step behind the shadowy figures he pursues, only Wallander’s obstinate desire to see that justice is done brings the truth to light.

It is rollercoaster stuff and the Lativan escapade is particularly exciting. Also serves as a reminder of what already seems like a different age.

Här finns min systers nya fina skrivbordsunderlägg.

My sister just made these really cool wallpapers and I thought I’d share them. They’re on the gallery page of our fan fiction site.