Films, Films, Films

I was watching Ray Winstone playing the part of Quintus Arrius in Ben Hur on TV yesterday, having also watched him playing the part of Abel Magwitch in the TV adaptation of Great Expectations over the Christmas week. 

Now Winstone is a very versatile actor and, having seen him in films such as King Arthur and Beowulf, I’m constantly amazed at his ability to project the character of Ray Winstone on all his on-screen personas and his habit of making them look and sound like east end villains. 

I watched the film ‘The Queen’ on TV yesterday afternoon, which for those who haven’t watched it is about the aftermath of the death of Diana. I still can’t understand how the nation suddenly went all flaky and grief-stricken over Diana’s death; she was nothing more than a celeb who courted celebs and the press. It was as if the British suddenly lost their backbone. I blame the abolition of conscription, which seems to have bred a generation of self-obsessed imbeciles for whom watching X-Factor is the height of intellectual endeavour. 

While I cannot condone what Prince Charles did to Diana, we nonetheless witnessed the birth of celebrity worship and the cretinisation of the British public. 

Well, 2012 may eventually see The Chairman completing the house build and moving in, although I wouldn’t place bets on it, as I’m sure we’ve grossly underestimated many of the expenses; however, I can live in hope. I was so disappointed by the TV schedule last night that I turned in at 8pm and was asleep by 8:30 (having few friends and being a tad grumpy, I received no invitations to New Year parties).