Film review: Lock, Stock and 2 smoking comic movies

As Dr G was out last night, and I keep getting told to sit down, I indulged in my favour pastime of watching several films at once, in this case:

- Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels

- Spiderman 3

- X-men 3

The last two are decidedly pants. Spidey inexplicably jive walking and then breaking into a very suspect dance routine about 2/3 of the way through did it for me. Halle Berrie's crap super power (weather!) never fails to make me snort with derision. But as I had control of the remote for a change, I simply hopped to another channel whenever I got bored.

I do this when I can't be bothered to think. It's the film watching equivalent of finger food - hop from plate to plate and back again. If you get lucky, you'll hop at the right time and see the significant parts so you can follow the stories.

It helps that I've seen 'Lock, Stock' loads of times. I do love a good caper movie and despite Guy Ritchie's inability to make another decent film (unlike his producer, Matthew Vaughn) this is definitely a good caper movie. I like this film, it doesn't quite make my top 5 but it's def worth revisiting from time to time, for the soundtrack and entirely quotable script if nothing else: 'It's a deal, it's a steal, it's sale of the f*cking century....'.

I remember bumping into an old mate who had worked on it. She hated every minute of it, it was an end-to-end lads' party much like you see on screen, and only came together in the edit apparently. She claimed it drove her out of the film business into alternative therapies, but then you have to take film gossip with a pinch of salt.

If you haven't seen it, then Matthew Vaughn's 'Layer Cake' is good too, def Daniel Craig's calling card for Bond. It got slated but the only thing I can see wrong with it is Michael Gambon and his dodgy tan.

Lucy

Film Review: 'In the F*cking Loop'

Having managed to make it out together, without Madam in tow yesterday, our last day on our own for who knows how long, we went to the pictures to see 'In the Loop'.

I say we were on our own, but while 2 people went out, there were really 3 of us there. Which means junior has had his first education in gratuitous swearing by someone other than his mother and he's not even out yet. Truth told, I really only went to see how sweary Malcolm Tucker would be allowed to be on the big screen.

Already fans of 'The Thick of It' as I'm sure anyone with a passing interest in politics is too, 'In the Loop' was as fab as I'd hoped. Thankfully un-hyped, to the point where we had to search for a cinema showing it, you have to go. If it's not on your must-see list, put it firmly at the top, it's worth the effort.

I don't want to spoil it too much. There are too many good jokes to mention and as with all of these things, it's great writing and great casting that makes it. For the uniniated, take a look at Tucker's Law to get you in the mood. As someone who until she had a kid listed 'swearing' as one of her hobbies on her web profile, you can see why I'm squarely in the target market. Luckily all the laughing didn't induce labour but my sides really hurt this morning and you don't get a a better review than that.

Now repeat after me: come the f*ck in, or f*ck the f*ck off...

Lucy

Define 'Ready'...

It's interesting what different people consider ready to mean. A friend asked yesterday if I had everything sorted out for the baby. By this she meant hospital bag packed, car seat fitted, list of emails/phone numbers given to Gav, that kind of thing. Just in case anything happened before next Thursday, as you never know. Babies come when they want to etc etc.

I had to stop for a minute as I said 'yes, well, no but yes'. In my own way, I'm entering a state of readiness. By this I mean:

• I've dyed my hair. Yet another ginger/strawberry blonde experience, I'll be glad when this 3-for-2 dye is finished.
• I've been to the dentist and had my teeth polished. I'm sure the antenatal staff will be glad, nay, relieved to see that.
• I've painted my toenails. No mean feat, have you any idea how hard it is to do any sensible grooming below the waist with a bump this big?

Naturally the baby's room is complete, the washing all done and so on. I just have to work out how the pram/car seat/buggy combo fits together, order a big bag of cat food, buy Gracie some clothes and that's pretty much it.

I just haven't packed the bag yet because in my own head, it's not happening till next Thursday. But I'm ready, as you can tell...

Lucy

German Film Festival: The Wave

We watched yet another fab German film at the weekend - The Wave, obviously loosely based on the 1960s US experiment called 'the third wave' (gotta love Wikipedia) and I quote: "Jones (the teacher), unable to explain to his students how the German populace could claim ignorance of the extermination of the Jewish people, decided to show them instead. Jones started a movement called "The Third Wave" and convinced his students that the movement is to eliminate democracy."

What gets me is not that someone has made an intelligent, interesting film about this but that this was made in Germany by Germans.

This generation of film makers seem to be able - or at even want - to examine their shameful past history without flinching. Ref. Downfall, The Counterfeiters, The Wave. Which is what you're supposed to do, if you're to learn from it, but I'm not sure as Brits we would manage it in quite the same way. A small, sniffy (and rather pathetic) apology for the slave trade is one thing, making films that directly reflect your own grandparents rather gruesome deeds is quite another.

I'm not suggesting that the entire German nation is enlightened (they still like Hasselhoff, stone washed denim and mullets after all) but their artistic community is deliberately looking back with an unflinching eye. Gotta say, I admire them for it. And that's not something I ever expected to think about the Germans.

Rent it, see if you agree with me.

Lucy

Return of the prodigal blogger

Instead of working on the assumption that one never explains and never apologises, I've been away so long that I'd better tell you that work ate my life for 3.5 months. Couple that with being pregnant, and the available brain space to do anything of note apart from sleeping, eating and looking after the family has been minimal.

BUT no longer, today I start my maternity leave, so apart from minor details like having a baby (due to be delivered by c-section on 30 April), I'm all yours for the summer. In the meantime, here's a few highlights of the last three months:

1. I managed a huge product launch of 222 web pages in 6 languages that all went live in one go with no problems. Possibly the smoothest launch I've ever run, and def couldn't have done it without the fabulous Rhona Scott at our digital agency without whom etc etc.
2. Sir (aka 'yourfathertheb*stard') had a handbag duel with the Daily(ish) Millbrooker over some point of honour that I don't really understand. Even I felt a twinge of embarrassment and he's been doing this kind of thing all my life. No wonder my little brother is running away to join the navy...
3. I've had a surprisingly good pregnancy. Apart from the fact that sometimes I go to bed at the same time as Missy, and I keep getting told that the baby isn't as big as it's supposed to be, I've mostly been fine.

REALLY looking forward to tomorrow, the start of what's being called 'my confinement' when I plan to sit on my ever-expanding bum eating biscuits and watching old films on the telly until the big day. I may even attempt to bake some of my favourite biscuits, viennese fingers, depending on how the nesting urge takes me...

So expect some film reviews over the next couple of weeks along with maybe some pictures of misshapen biscuits. I bet you're all giddy with excitement now, aren't you?
Lucy