Kissy Kissy Blergh Blergh

[commonpeople1]

photo by teqkiller
liquification by sali_mali

***

By this time tomorrow I'll be on holidays. I'll be sitting in the Olivier theatre, watching Once in a Lifetime for a second time (with some old friends from King's College Nutrition Department.) I'll be making plans for my mornings, my empty Winter days. Until then, it's a matter of looking productive and letting time go by.

Kevin has a workshift from hell today: he started at 11 AM and will only be back home around midnight. I promised him dinner leftovers and a massage. He is working on Christmas eve and New Year's Eve as well. The pub is charging 8 pounds for NYE, though there's nothing really special planned. Kevin told Natalia and I to find something else to do that night since he would be too busy working to join us. Still, I feel as if I have to be there, if only to share a pint with him on his 15 minute breaks. Also, if we get drunk, it's only a block away from our apartment.

We watched Downfall last night. The movie was impressive, though I wasn't convinced in the end that Hitler's secretary was unaware of the extermination of the Jews. She was his secretary, after all. I had always been under the impression that nobody really knew what happened to Hitler's body, but the film (which appears to be based on the accounts of various people surrounding him) makes it very clear how his final days were played out. I was convinced.

My stomach hurts like gut cancer right now. I might have to visit the nurse downstairs for some peptobysmal. I read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens these past two days; it was the first time I read something of his till the end. There was a twinkle of a tear in my eyes when Scrooge awoke on Christmas day, reformed and ready to bring happiness to the people around him. I had to quickly bat it away in case someone else in the Tube noticed it.

Comments

[missfairchild.livejournal.com]

If you're interested, I can lend you Until The Final Hour, which is the secretary's ghosted autobiography. It has a very interesting interview with her at the end in which she reflects on her naivete and speculates whether she deserved the lenient "fellow traveller" tag she was given because of her age.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

That would be great! Pub or movie excursion soon? (I'm dying to see Brokeback Mountains.)

[rebellemichelle.livejournal.com]

Poor Phil has been wanting to watch Downfall for so long, but I am just never in the mood. It always seems when we stay home to watch a movie it's because we are worn out and exhausted. Perhaps I will watch it with him after Christmas.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

It was on television before but I also didn't watch it because I wasn't in the mood. I made a special effort last night because I knew it had received good reviews, plus I had nothing better to do... it really was worth it. The movie is stylistically brilliant and the actors are very good. Plus, the story (which we all know, in one shape or another) is powerful; some of the scenes are incredibly gruesome, especially because they must have tried to recapture what really happened as best as possible (my guess here.) If that is true, than I can't imagine a worse hell on earth.

[rebellemichelle.livejournal.com]

I don't doubt it's en excellent movie, but movies like that affect me so deeply that it's hard just to decide to watch one, it's like I have to make a special effort. I watched Syriana at the theatre and I cried so much after I couldn't leave the theatre, and Phil had to comfort me for like the rest of the night.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I can see how this movie would be upsetting, specially in the scenes that show war in progress, the victims, etc. For myself, I took a detached view of it and tried to watch it as a piece of historical fiction. I'd like to read more about these characters, learn how trustworthy their accounts are, etc. The film is a good introduction into that.

[violentlyhappy.livejournal.com]

Downfall é giríssimo, Basilinho tem o DVD!

Eu estava pensando em ler aquele livro, gostei muito de Tale of Two Cities e de Great Expectations...

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Agora seria a melhor hora para ler o livro; voce fica com vontade de comprar peru para o Natal, esbanjar seu dinheiro em presentes e encher sua casa de decoracoes.

Voce andou desaparecido! Como vai voce? Oque conta de novo?

[violentlyhappy.livejournal.com]

O ano passado vi o filme, foi giro! :) É a minha história de natal favorita.

Bom, eu vou bem, obrigado! E você, como vai? Não há muitas novidades aqui, menos que Basilinho e eu vamos casar-nos já que é legal. :P E vamos mudar-nos de casa também, pode ser que viremos a Londres.

Você tem novidades?

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Vai se casar mesmo!??!?! Quando?

Estou sem muitas novidades: trabalho vai bem, todos em casa tambem. Tambem nao vou fazer nada de interessante nas minhas ferias.

[saint-narcissus.livejournal.com]

I too just recently saw "Downfall:. It is very well done. I also had the same question of "how could she have been unaware." I have a bit of a believe that all people are ignorant, those of us whom realize we are ignorant are just a tiny step above the others. On another note I just saw "The Christmas Carol' Performed here in San Francisco. It was a new production and quite dark and sinister. There were wee children crying and even screaming. My favorite was the ghost of Christmas Past. Especially before she appeared on stage. Scrooge is in bed, the ghost of Jacob Marley has just vanished. Suddenly you here a voice off stage, a voice like a 2 bit street corner prostitute, first sexy giggles, then "Mr Scrooge, Mr. Scrooge,,," then more giggles, all in the most affected, sexy prostitute voice! It was really good!

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I think A Christmas Carol is also overdue a movie. I remember they did one in the 80s, with Bill Murray, but it was kinda crap. It's a great story and I'm sure it could be made into something interesting, depending on who is the director.

[izzybees]

I love Downfall. I don't find it hard to believe that she wasn't aware of what was going on, but I'd like to read more about her and about the people closest to Hitler.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Same here. With my upcoming holidays, I'm gonna have a lot of free time on my hands

*thinks about nearby libraries*

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

ew ew ew! I cannot look at photos that have been messed with like that. they creep me right the fuck out!

poor kev. I work three days in a row around NYE. hopefully it'll bring in the bux and someone will give me a massage afterwards.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Is it going to be some pummeling from the Gay Hulk? :-D

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

haha V met him tonight!

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Did he make a good impression?

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

not sure, exactly. he's very quiet and a little standoffish at first.

[naturalbornkaos.livejournal.com]

I always wondered what you'd look like as a Bo Selecta puppet. Now I know. ;)

I haven't watched "Downfall" yet but it was free in the Christmas box from work this year (yes, yes, very festive, I know) so I'll probably see it soon. :)

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I hope you enjoy it! It's been a WWII season for me, for some reason. Tonight I saw a horror movie called "The Bunker". Interesting ideas, one or two jolts, but badly-realized overall.

[stupid-wanker06.livejournal.com]

I always quit before I got to the end of any Dickens too...so verbose.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

I quit Oliver Twist, which must be some kind of sin because of my name...

[stupid-wanker06.livejournal.com]

I quit A Tale of Two Cities...couldn't figure out what it was about...