Day Seventeen

Posted by jukkahoo

Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted is one of those very drinkable and delish beers the people in Britain seem to brew all overe the place. It's a good bitter, with a twist. Go, buy, and drink. 

As ideas for fantasy novels go, an ex-avatar of goddess and later in life an ex-soldier and finally a brothel keeper, Gaie Sebold's Babylon Steele manages to sell itself to me as something fun and entertaining to spend a summer's day or two with. To which it perfectly fits the bill. Sebold writes well enough, the plot(s) are good enough and characters strong enough. And there's enough sex, all kinds of it and equally represented. A solid fantasy romp.

Le Serpent (2006) is a French noir based on Ted Lewis' novel Plender. Lewis is more known for his other novel-cum-movie, Get Carter. The plot is as follows: a father on the verge of divorce sees his life fall apart after a former classmate brings murder, kidnap and blackmail into his life. Tough titty.

I don't know whether it is all that French spoken, but this packed a punch I wasn't expecting. Shit keeps hitting on the fan and the protagonist is in some serious trouble. Yves Attal is OK as the main character, but the king of the film is Clovis Cornillac as the titular Plender/Serpent. He's menacing and then some. I loved his performance in Eden Log, as the main character: silent, strong, fearless and oozing danger. He does all that, and a whole lot more here. Filled with anger, he leaps out from the screen as evil personified, but with a horrible shameful secret. That bastad Attal really deserved all of it. 

And then there's Minna Haapkylä, as the estranged wife in search of divorce. Mais oui.

Talking about the French (or in case of Mylène Farmer, French Canadians): they sometimes make fairly long musique videos for their popular chansons. Like in the case of Libertine, and it's sequel Pourvu qu'elles soient douces.

Comments

[Mustakuutio]

Ah. Mylène... Voitteko kuvitella, kaksi vuotta sitten en edes tiennyt, kuka Mylène Farmer oli (olin tosin kuullut leidin musiikkia joskus aiemmin)? Ja sitten näin juurikin videon "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces". Yritin teeskennellä, mutta ei se auttanut, olin korviani myöten rakastunut.

Vielä kun jonain päivänä näkisi hänet livenä. Vuodet ovat vain lisänneet naisen karismaa.

[Jukka Halme]

Ah, ihanainen Mylène tosiaankin. Itse ihastuin naiseen jo tuolloin 1986something, juuri paljolti näiden äärimmäisen sensuellien videoiden suosiollisella avustuksella. Itse musiikkikin menetteli mukavasti, Je t'aime melancholie oli jo erinomaisen koukuttava.

Livenä olisi kyllä ihan bien nähdä, ikää on nyt 52, mutta kuten uusin video vastaanpanemattomasti demonstroi, charismaa riittää: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VH7Eg5LJpc

Live-versiot ovat monista hiteistä aikas repoja, musiikki soi aika lailla niin kuin levylläkin, mutta emäntä iskee niihin kivan lisäsävärin.