Sudden need to write for leisure - must FILL it!

(Mood - Surreally peaceful in the midst of work)

(Listening to - Black by Pearl Jam)




MUST... WRITE... BLOG...

WILL FINISH... IN... IN THE MORNING... GAAAAAaaaahhhh.....

(seriously, expect an edit tomorrow with reviews of "300", "Pan's Labyrinth" and, well, my mediocre St. Paddy's day)

******UPDATE******

So, as I was previously saying...

First, St. Patrick's Day - usually one of my favorite times of the year. Not so much this year. Though, during the week leading up to it, I don't think I've ever participated in so many opportunities to drink!

Between scotch drinking lessons and class discussions with colleagues, followed karaoke night at our local haunt on Tuesday, to St. George's On-The-Hill's solemn and enlightening evening prayer, followed by traditional Irish cooking, beers and wine with a bit of Irish/Celtic music from a local duo on Wednesday, along with some friendly administrations of Bailey's to a coffee or two - the whole of the week seemed promising!

Which brings us to Saturday - the day of Ireland's patron saint. For all the bars that Toronto had to offer, none would oblige a weary traveller with rest and a pint by the fire. All were filled to the brim with miscreants and rogues, copping a feel of the blessed saint's day, whilst we Divs were forced cold into the streets, only to shabbily get home early. No leprechaun costume, one stray Guinness, and surrounded by a mind-boggling sum of glaze-eyed youngsters almost everywhere one walked.

*sigh* How I longed for home... To George Street and it's family of hovels and pubs, to friends and family, and to a good scuff n' scoff. So, all in all, not much of a Paddy's day to say the least. I hope that some of us succeeded a bit in enjoying the day. Oh, and Keith? We have to plan ahead next time. ;)

As for the movies (POSSIBLE SPOILERS!):

300

I just got finished reading 300 the graphic novel today, about a week or two after seeing the film. It's almost shot-for-bloody-shot! Impressively done, not too much CG stuff (well placed anyway), loved the "Matrix-meets-Gladiator" fight scenes. There was a sex scene, which I guess is pretty much required nowadays in Hollywood (done in the same "Matrix/Gladiator" slow-mo style), and some expansion of the background stories too (blackmail, secret plots and twists, the Queen attempting to stick up for herself, oh my!), but it hardly took away from the movie. If nothing else, it added to it - gave a break from the violence from time to time. I thought it was great - simply put. Gorily glorious. Everyone will enjoy this film, so long as one is not too squeamish at some pointy ends going through people.

Pan's Labyrinth

As for Pan's Labyrinth, it was impressive. I had NO idea it was in Spanish, first of all, nor that it took place (as do ALL children's dark fantasy stories of late) during World War II. Basic plot - a young girl, fascinated by the fantastic in fairytales, soon becomes part of one in the background of a truly gruesome scene of Nazi cruelty. She and her mother, who is pregnant with the Head Nazi's child, are brought to live in the countryside where the Nazi's have a small post out of a large farmhouse next to an old curious stone labyrinth...

Slowly but surely the girl is woven into a tale of fairies, with a large, craggy and malicious looking faun called Pan telling her that she is the long lost princess of a kingdom that lives beyond this realm of mortals, and her family wants her back - but not without her accomplishing some tasks to prove her linage first.

Grippingly real, and well counterbalanced between reality and fantasy, this movie is shiveringly beautiful. The gruesomeness and bleakness of the Nazi's, the war, and those caught within it, is mirrored by the colourful and dazzling in the fairy world - where horrors of another kind still can and do exist. This movie really tears at your mind, trying to sort out where reality exists and doesn't, what is really happening and isn't, and trying to decide what or whom it is you're really rooting for as the main characters keep turning new sides to their dimensions.

It does sing out a bit of C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe with the WWII time line and the "mystical world within but outside the regular world" motif, but to compare the two outright would not totally fit. She is never fully without the regular world until the end - at some points, you wonder "Is she dreaming? Is she crazy? Is this really happening or not??" The visuals and darker overtones compare more to Sarah's journey in Jim Henson's Labyrinth than the colourful host found in Wardrobe. In either case, calling it a "grown up fairytale" is just right.

Definitely worth seeing both, and even better on the big screen to get the full effect.

So there we go. Moses has updated his blog. Oh, and on a more recent note - I preached for the first time, and probably now the last time, here at Trinity. It went well! A few kinks, for sure (it was a liiiittle longer than I hoped), but seemingly well done, so I was told. Moreover, I'm happy with what I wrote, and what I brought forward - good simple points, and nothing too "religious fanatic" or "structured churchy". :) I'll have to share it sometime.

Now I'm tired. And still have papers to write. *sigh* More later.