Because tumblr text editor sucks
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 5,500 times in 2014. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 5 trips to carry that many people.
Click here to see the complete report.
(When I’m not in the writing mood, WordPress come to help me)
Several screenshots from one of the most beautiful films I have seen in my life (honestly). A rare and precious gem of cinematography. A beautiful craziness shot in half the world; the Spanish windmill in the screenshot appear less than two seconds in the movie. According to the DVD credits, this film has been filmed in South Africa, United Kingdom, India, Italy, Spain, China, Fiji, Bali, Prague, Romania, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Turkey, Egypt and Camboia.
ATTENTION: SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
The story may seem simple: a Romenian little girl called Alexandria (the amazing Catinca Untaru) meets in the hospital where she’s recovering from the fall of a tree when she was picking oranges with her family, a young stuntman called Roy (Lee Pace). Roy tells little Alexandria a short story about Alexander the Great, and then he promises to tell her another one, as he calls it, an epic tale of love and revenge. Roy becomes a modern Sherezade but, instead of telling stories to live, he tells them to die. He uses his story telling to convince Alexandria to bring him as many morphine pills as she can, because he wants to commit suicide. The stunt that brought him to the hospital and that deprived him of the use of his legs was made to impress his former girl friend that has left him for the star of the movie.
The love of Alexandria and her tragic story (her father was killed during a racist riot) will make Roy change the end of his epic and of his own story; she will literally save Roy’s life.
Lee Pace plays two roles in one; his portrait of the body and soul broken Roy is played in a flawless and touching way, the perfect father figure for Catinca Untaru.
The character of “the bandit”, the protagonist of the story he tells Alexandria, has a scent about him of the romantic melancholic hero.
This is one of those films that you can watch over, and over, and over again discovering always a new detail. The surrealist dreamlike world created by director Tarsem to represent the story Roy tells Alexandria is surrealist like a Dali’s painting.
For those of you curious about my husband’s reaction after watching this film: he wants now to watch the two previous Hobbits and even the LODR trilogy. As the old Italian actor Peppino di Filippo repeated in the film “Totò, Peppino e la mala femmina” (Totò, Peppino and the wicked woman): ho detto tutto (I’ve said everything).
Regarding my own reactions, first of all, a confession: I did not cry when Thorin die. I must say that I feel rather shocked and ashamed of myself, given that I am a person with an easy tear in the cinema. I had even a pack of tissues in my lap, but I did not cry. I was moved deeply by Richard Armitage and Martin Freeman’s interpretation of the scene, but my eyes did not water. Shame on me. I wonder if it was due to the fact that Thorin’s death is la crónica de una muerte anunciada, or that the dubbing prevented me to cry.
To be honest, this is the best dubbing I have ever heard of Richard’s voice. The problem is that one of his acting trademarks is his voice; it is impossible to imitate, it’s unique. It’s like trying to imitate the sunrise or the sunset. You can be the skilliest painter in the world, or the best photographer, but you will never be able to render the tiny variations in the atmosphere, the consistency of the air changing as the clouds begin to colour in yellow and red, the imperceptible hissing of the sun hiding behind the sea.
I look forward for the extended DVD version for several reasons; to hear his voice, to watch at least half an hour more of film and to do my usual RW of my favourite scenes. The mad king alone in his broken throne thinking about the deepest vaults where to hide his gold, his doubts about the loyalty of his kinsmendwarfen, the moment when Thorin realises what has become, his ultimate sacrifice, the sad sweet smile before passing away…
For instance, to watch The Hobbit BOFA dubbed and miss a good part of Richard Armitage’s performance. But hubby has beared stoically during all the years that we are together a Turandot, a representation of Othello in English, Coen brothers and Steve McQueen’s films, some chapters of “The Big Bang Theory” and last but not least Interstellar. Next May he will see on stage Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma understanding one out of five words if he’s lucky enough… therefore I will sacrifice my ears myself for the sake of conjugal equality.
#Saturnalia era un día para disfrutar, vivir y dejar vivir. Para el poeta Catulo era el mejor día del año. pic.twitter.com/IZcwPm8ejr
— Antigua Roma al Día (@antigua_roma) 17 Dicembre 2014
Happy Saturnalia everyone. Saturnalia were among the favourite festivities of the Romans, and they had indeed so many of them. Gambling was allowed officially, the slaves exchanged roles with their masters, happiness invaded the streets of the city. We would really need that now; I live here in Rome area since 1998 and this year we have small room for hope. The economic crisis is now deep than ever, we are flooded by taxes…
Beta Smaug and Maggie accompanied me in a crisis of ten minutes inspiration I had yesterday, I was writing and when I lifted my eyes from my laptop there they were.
http://player.sky.it/external/cinema/50/224801
INTERIOR – EVENING – DINNER IN BARSINE’S HOUSE
SOUND OF TV IN BACKGROUND – CHANNEL SKY CINEMA
HE.- So, this is the film you want to see, right?
ME.- Yep (Internally Would you please shut up?)
HE.- And you say that this is the last one of three?
ME.- Yep (Internally You usually don’t say a word while eating… WHY Now?)
(Three minutes afterwards)
HE.- Oh! But that’s Mr. Thornton!!!!
ME.- Indeed (Internally: Would… you… please… SHUT THE F*** UP!!!!)
HE.- I must say, the film looks interesting. Who’s that guy? He’s so ugly he doesn’t even need the prosthetics.
ME.- You have seen him in “Sherlock”, he plays Watson there. And he just have the pointed ears as prosthetics in his face during the film.
HE.- He has already pointed ears.
AN HOUR LATER – HUBBY’S AFTER DINNER ZAPPING SESSION
(Frantic scrolling of channels stops at one of Sky Cinema Channels – Hobbit DOS – Scene with Thranduil/Tauriel/Legolas/The Orc)
HE.- I thought that the guy playing the Elf king was that one… that one that plays also the bad guy in Thor…
ME.- Tom Hiddleston?!?!? No, he’s not. (Internally OMG, I really have work to do with you…)
(Minutes later – The dwarfs are in Bard’s house)
HE.- These dwarfs are the ones of Snow White?
ME.- They’re not!
HE.- But they’re seven! Look: one, two, three, four…
ME.- No, there’re thirteen dwarfs in the company.
To cut a long story short: this weekend we will be in the nearest cinema with 3D screen to watch “The Hobbit – Battle of Five Armies”. I must confess that compelling hubby to watch “Interstellar” has been a successful Machiavellian move, I would not say that he’s enthusiast to watch BOFA, but he’s with the right mood now. When our little cat Beta crashes something to the floor he says “There she is, Smaug”.
My edit of Richard Armitage’s narration of “Hamlet: a Novel”
RA, official provider of inspiration since I saw, by chance, North & South on December 2014 without knowing who this great actor was until that moment.
Weird to write about inspiration right now that I am completely blocked, incapable of writing anything in English, but December 14th is the date that I have chosen as my personal RAnniversary and I don’t want to let the date pass without a post.
Richard Armitage as Robert Lovelace from Barsine on Vimeo.
CREDITS
Voice: Richard Armitage
Music: Hans Zimmer, “Interstellar” OST
Video clips: North & South
Wormwood Scrubs 