Musings...2008

Happy New Year, to the very few of you (if any) who are reading this marvellous webpage. I saw in 2008 at a friends place with a bunch of others. Plenty of drinking, a jumping castle and bass-driven tunes made for a fun, yet exhausting celebration. Bed was at 4am, and although some decided an hour's sleep would suffice, I managed to muster a valuable four hours.

Anyway, what I'd really love to write about in this post (for I won't bore you with excitable tales of Tequila slammers and what not) is the cinema, which is where I went on Sunday night. Literary Mother was desperate to see Atonement, and despite my reluctance and my sister's evident desire to stay at home, we went (for the first time in years) to the cinema as a family.

Atonement it was and I am happy to report that it was one of the, if not the most fantastic cinematic experience I have ever had. Having never read Ian McEwan's novel (although now I have quite a want to), I went into the film almost completely blind to what I was going to see...only with the knowledge that it contained Keira Knightley, and had something to do with World War II. The story, in any case, is not worth spoiling here; in layman's terms, it has to do with a pair of budding lovers, and a younger sister who, essentially, ruins the relationship. It sounds tacky, but it's done in brilliant style. The costuming, score and settings are fittingly beautiful. Combine that with Keira Knightley, and you've got yourselves some serious eye candy.

The film is worth viewing just for one single sequence alone, where a camera follows a group of three soldiers along a beach at Dunkirk, not breaking shot for about five minutes, maybe longer. They wander past various other bands of soldiers, horses, the wounded, the inspired. The cinematography in this particular scene is utterly breathtaking. When the camera went past the group of choiristers in the rotunda above the beach, and they sang some uplifting wartime tune, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

Anyway...enough swooning. In short, it's fantastic, if you haven't seen it, go, and if you have, share your thoughts in the comments below.

And what are my New Years Resolutions, you ask? Well, perhaps, if I can be bothered, I'll write a post on this tomorrow.

;) love and peace to all

moi