Movies too, of course

Besides reading during the holidays I also kept up with my movies. I continue watching the Sharpe’s This and Sharpe’s That movies (boy-o, Sean Bean looks good in those tight army pants.) and also keeping up with Dr. Who episodes with the Talons of Weng-Chiang (two discs on this one… tons of cool extra stuff!)

I also had a mini-Kevin Spacey film festival with “The Life of David Gale” and “The Shipping News.” I’m amazed; he’s still a great actor. All the fame, fortune, and hot rock-n-roll chicks haven’t made him lose his edge yet. I just hope he stays away from movies based on comic books… no, wait! He would be GREAT as Baron Mordo in my epic Doctor Strange movie! No... I’m just kidding.

As attractive as I find Kevin Spacey (really, its just his mind I’m attracted to... now if he just had Sean Bean’s butt…) I really felt compelled during this lonely holiday season to watch a romantic comedy. And nobody knows comedy (and a touch of romance) like Richard Curtis. “Love Actually” is all about love in its many forms. It also stars Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy and Alan Rickman and I’m all ready for a cuddle in the blanket with this movie. But then, (urgh) Hugh Grant is also in it. Well… I suppose there is some law in England that says that Hugh Grant has to be in every romantic comedy.

Overall it was a very funny movie, but the best part is when I watched it a second time with the commentary on. Hugh Grant spent most of his time complaining about what a bad, unattractive actor Colin Firth is. Hmmmm… very interesting.

Now, if you are ever in a completely un-romantic mood, let’s say you feel like biting the head off of a pigeon, then Neil Gaiman’s short-lived television series “Neverwhere” is just for you. This series is chock full of creepy characters who live in London Underground. Meanwhile people who live in London Aboveground cannot see these charming folks… I wish I was that lucky.

Like any decent comic book artist, Gaiman concentrates on the visual, leaving these freakish and ultimately two-dimensional characters to flounder on their own. There are only six half-hour episodes, but it was almost painful to watch. About halfway through I started having nightmares. They weren’t about creepy killers chasing after me; no, I was worried the series would never get to a point. Well it did, fortunately, not a very sharp point, but a point none the less. The series ended with an open door for a sequel (yippie…) but if Gaiman wants to continue on in this medium I hope he learned a lesson here. All the wacktastic costumes in the world (or under it) cannot be a substitute for actual characters.

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LIBRARIANS: the books, the fame, the fortune… What more could you want? (Maybe more books.)