Mel Hutchwright

Never Let Me Go ~ Kazuo Ishiguro I actually originally read this about 3 years ago and became somewhat evangelical about it's brilliance. Then, having lent it to a couple of friends who were equally impressed by it, I felt compelled to re read it over the festivities and found it as moving and powerful as before. It's set in a dystopian England in the 90's and could be regarded as a Magic Realism novel, even sci fi to some extent, which are not genre's that usually appeal to me in the slightest. However Ishiguro, who is a novelist I love, has a beautifully understated style of prose, which really makes this horrifying story completely plausible and moving. What is particularly heart wrenching is the main protagonists almost complete acceptance of the awful fate that awaits them. A geinuinely powerful and affecting read.

Hunger ~ Knut Hamsun The narrator is an impoverished writer in late 19th century Christiania (Oslo) who's mental and physical wellbeing is declining due to starvation. It's at turns both disturbing and blackly humorous, as he is driven to acts of desperation and becomes increasingly irrational as his grip on reality loosens. Hamsun's a magnificent writer and this is a great novel.

Dean Spanley Thought it was really charming and likeable. There was a lump in my throat on one or two occasions, I don't mind admitting.

Just in from seeing this, and it really is impressive. I'm not a particular fan of animation either, but it is employed incredibly effectively here and conveys a real emotional impact. It's genuinely powerful. A brilliant, affecting film.

I really liked that scene and found it weirdly hypnotic. Agree about the scene withs Sands and the priest, it was incredibly powerful. The whole film was mind you.

Pan ~ Knut Hamsun This is the first novel of the Norwegian Hamsun that I've read, and I was really impressed. It's the story of a hunter called Lieutenant Thomas Glahn who lives alone in a hut in the Northernmost reaches of Norway and his infatuation, for want of a better word, with the insufferably fickle Edwarda. It's beautifully written and really captures the frustration Glahn feels regarding the object of his affection. Mind you Glahn himself is a somewhat strange, socially awkward character, who is compelled to behave completely irrationally at times. Much of the book is comprised of Glahn's internal dialogue, which was by all accounts fairly radical for a novel written in 1894. It's also loaded with symbolism, particularly with regards to the lengthy descriptions of nature and the changing of the seasons. Hamsun was a somewhat, shall we say, interesting character, particularly with regards to his political sympathies. He was a fascist who supported Germany during the 2nd World War, and it's occupation of Norway, and after Hitlers death described him as a 'warrior for mankind' in an obituary. The rascal. These actions led to him being charged with treason, although it was subsequently dropped due to him being found to have 'lasting weakened mental capacities' after he'd been confined to a psychiatric hospital. He's a brilliant writer though.

I haven't payed it a vist for a long time, but Tills Bookshop on Hope Park Terrace (near The Meadows, parallel to Clerk St) certainly used to be a great wee shop. Edinburgh's does have a fair choice of second hand book shops throughout the city though, the names of which escape me at the moment.

Coincidentally, I'm listening to Bjork too. Currently got the Homogenic album on and it's Unravel that's playing.

The fact that I'm feeling ghastly thanks to the common cold, coupled with the inclement weather, means I've decided to throw in the towel and miss the football today. I was going to make a concerted effort to go to every Saturday game this season, having missed one trip to Stranraer last year for the same reason, but have now failed at a pathetically early stage. I feel weak and rubbish and have forfeited the right to call myself a man.

I'm going to join in with the Brad Pitt appreciation too. I thought he stole very scene he was in, and was genuinely very funny in it. His hair is a thing of splendour too.

The Fall ~ Senior Twilight Stock Replacer Altogether now; "SENIOR! TWILIGHT! STOCK! REPLACEAH!......" Repeat to fade.

Burn After Reading Enjoyable whimsy. Brad Pitt's hair alone is worth the admission fee.

John Cooper Clarke failed to turn up, so it was an evening with just one curmudgeonly Salford gentleman. A fine evening it was though. Probably the best Fall gig I've seen though, and Mark E's mood was almost playful. His current band are great, although there's every possibility that they've already been sacked since last night.

Brideshead Revisited Went to this with quite low expectations, mainly on account of the fact that it's a novel that I love and it had taken a bit of a critical kicking for the way it's been adapted, but was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. It's certainly deeply flawed and suffers from the inevitable consequences of trying to condense a farly complex novel into a two and a half hour film, but this is a criticism that is invariably levelled at adaptations like this. There were certainly some huge liberties taken with the original story that stuck in the craw a bit, and the characterisation of Sebastian just didn't seem right at all. In the novel there's a certain ambiguity regarding his sexuality, whereas here it's made ridiculously explicit. I've rarely seen a fruitier man, he's quite simply screaming. However if you can put aside the unfavourable comparisons to the novel, and by all accounts the 1981 TV adaptation which I'm too young to remember, it is a fairly decent film in it's own right. Looks gorgeous too.

The Fall & John Cooper Clarke at the Queen's Hall in Edinburgh on Sunday. An evening of curmudgeonly Salford gentlemen.

Jar City A somewhat unnerving Icelandic thriller about a police investigation into a murder in Reykjavik. The island itself is a perfect backdrop to the unfolding strangeness, as it is filmed in such a way as to make it an incredibly bleak, wind battered but desolately beautiful environment . Despite becoming hugely confused about half way through, most of the intricacies of the plot resolved themselves satisfactorily by the end, and I really enjoyed it. They do eat puffins though, your Icelander.

Birthday ~ The Sugarcubes Still sounds amazing. For all that I love Bjork's solo stuff, and much as The Sugarcubes were very hit and miss, this is possibly my favourite song she's been involved in.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army Lacked realism for me.

I didn't realise that Eurostar had some involvement with it until after I'd seen it, but the totally gratuitous reference you mention did strike me as really strange at the time. It also explains the aforementioned lousy ending.

Somers Town This is the latest film from the director Shane Meadows, (This Is England, A Room For Romeo Brass et al) and features the young actor from This Is England, who is fantastic again. It's the story of a young runaway from Nottingham who befriends a Polish boy in London, and it is fairly heartwarming with some laugh out loud moments. One real flaw in it is that I found the friendship they developed with the delightfully attractive French waitress, who they are both smitten with, kind of unbelievable, and the ending is also pretty lousy. Still enjoyed it though.

It was just the initial letter asking me to confirm my details, and asking if there's any dates I can't due to holidays booked or whatever. There was also a letter giving the various criteria that makes you ineligible, but I'm afraid that what with me not being an MP or a man of the cloth, and due to being of sound mind, I appear to be stuck with it. Hardly anyone I know has ever subsequently ended up being selected at the end of the whole rigmarole.

I got a letter a couple of days ago as well. Not impressed.

Surely that's Stephen Malkmus, former frontman of American darlings of the music press Pavement? To err on the side of caution, I've burned everything I own of theres on a pyre.

I'd imagine I'd be quite peeved if, for example, Gayfield had been chosen to host a Poison concert and we were forced to then play our opening fixture in, let's say, Tayport. I haven't ruled out this scenario happening in the not too distant future.

I think the pitch is being relaid in Manchester, but that they had to hold off doing so until after a Bon Jovi concert