Pynchon

I've just been distracted by Lorraine walking naked down the hallway.

Very nice.

So, to another lady who likes to get naked on film, occasionally. Kate Winslet.

On Saturday I went to see "Little Children".



Oh, yes. I must say that I did enjoy "Little Children". I enjoyed it a lot. I've skimmed over some reviews, but nowhere did I pick up that "Little Children" was going to be so funny. Laugh out loud funny. Jet black comedy funny. I don't know if anybody has seen Todd Solondz mighty fine movie "Happiness" , but the tone of "Little Children" reminded me a lot of that. The bad behavior of the suburbanites.

Kate plays Sarah, an upper/middle class housewife and indifferent mother, suffocated to the core by her suburban existence. She begins an affair with Patrick Wilson's Brad, a guy who was probably the most handsome and popular kid in his school, but is now a man emasculated by his own failures and by the success of his wife (played by an underused Jennifer Connolly). Mix in the story of Jackie Earle Haley as a convicted peodophile (weirdly the most sympathetic character in the film), returning to the town to live with his elderly mother, and Noah Emmerich as a traumatized ex-policeman obsessed with keeping the children safe, and you have a really provocative and challenging (I hate that word, I won't use it again) movie.

I must say that the third person narration is strange and jarring at first, but you soon forget about it. Just glory in the brilliant acting (especially by Jackie Earle Haley who by turns is repulsive, pathetic, funny and a true victim) and the brilliant script. (Too many great scenes to mention, and I'm not one for spoilers, but check out Ronalds' date. Mortifying.

Exceptional movie. One of the films of the year.

I bet you that "Little Children" is completely overlooked at the Oscars next year. Shame on them, if they do ignore it.

You'll be glad to know that Cinema Arsehole enjoyed the film a lot. On Saturday he was a huge, fat black guy, obviously having been taken to the cinema for the first time by his scared looking white girlfriend. Cinema Arsehole was very vocal in his enjoyment of the movie. Talking to the screen. Shouting. Making comments. Asking questions. I think that he thought he was in front of this TV set at home.

I asked him to "Please be quiet". So did a couple of other people. He was totally fucking oblivious to our requests. I tried to ignore him. I mostly managed it. (This is a breakthrough. Once upon a time I emptied a full beaker of Coca Cola over somebody who was pissing me off in the cinema. My Brother once told me that he is surprised I am still alive.)

I know that eventually I will stop going to the cinema. I believe that day will come when the technology is in place to allow a new film to be beamed into my living room. It'll happen one day. I hope that that day is some time off. I love going to the cinema.

Not much else to write.

I am going to see The Flaming Lips on Thursday. I am looking forward to that a great deal. I saw them at the Carling Academy a couple of years ago and they were truly magnificent.

Work is not very good at the moment. I have developed a deep and abiding hatred of some of my co-workers because of their arrogance, sloppiness and indifference. By lunchtime I got so frustrated and angry at the Technical Support team leader that I started banging the table in the canteen with my fists, until Lorraine told me to stop because people were looking at me. I really should get the fuck out of there. I broke two pens this afternoon by stabbing my desk. I cut my hand on a piece of sharp plastic from one of them. It is a wound of honour.

Lorraine is avoiding questions about when our sex life is going to resume. I'm not pushing it. Other than that, we are getting on just fine.

I am thinking about Christmas presents. I am thinking about Christmas, full stop.

Er... Anybody want to ask me anything? I'll give you honest answers, although the names might be changed to protect the guilty.

Go on. Ask me anything.