And so it came to pass as forecast for the fourth night in succession as a twelve year old with an amazing voice and unlimited potential won the public vote although the song was not a good one. A young male singer, and day time plumber from Scotland was voted in by the panel against a star quality looking football manipulating wizard who dropped the ball twice as nerves took hold of him. It is evident from these first four programme that the public is giving their support not just to youth but to youth who are otherwise ordinary, unassuming and with the wow factor. They will also support a double act was with Strike and the Cheekies Monkies. There is also the reality that if you appear early on in the programme it does not matter how goof you are as the public have supported the last act appearing each evening and those in the second half of the show in general.
It took some time to make the connection between the performance of Viggo Mortensen in Lord of the Rings and A History Violence, and only today did I make the further connection with Eastern Promises a film I chose not to see at the time of its release because I have not been a fan of the work of Director Conenberg's Shivers, Rabid, The Brood, Scanners, the Dead Zone, the Fly, Spider etc. type of film, except occasionally if there was nothing else better I wanted to watch and I paid a little attention when such a film was shown on TV just to get the flavour. Having said that I thought a History of Violence was a good film when I first saw in theatre and then on DVD, but because of the acting of Viggo Mortensen without paying attention to who had directed the film and the back catalogue of other films. A history was made in 2005 and Eastern Promises, and both films tell us something about how the lives of ordinary people are being savagely changed by the behaviour of evil men whose barbarity knows no limits. We tend to associate the ruling of these men in dictatorships and extreme fundamentalist religious, economic and political ideological regimes and believe that they should not exist in democracies, whereas I argue they are an inevitable consequence of capitalism.
Eastern promises does have graphic violence of great realistic horror, two throats are cut in close up and a body professional dismembered to make identification impossible. A knife fight in a Turkish bath involves prolonged and gruesome violence, but Eastern Promises is a very good film, especially if you have previously read a little about the Russian Mafia and their amazing ability to come to London, operate slave brothels with teenage girls, and enjoy a high life with the proceeds of this and their other criminal operations. Given the determination of British and Russian authorities to limit if not eliminate these Mafia type organisations, it is difficult not to believe that help is provided by individuals in high places who like to have sex with young teenagers and children, to use drugs or just to increase their capital by sharing in the profits that can be made by stealing and reselling major brands or from faking them.
This is a well acted, scripted and crafted film, although critics are able to pick one or two holes about the performance of those attempting to sound and look Russian, although they all agree the performance of Viggo Mortessen in this respect is exceptional, as true to form he went to Russia beforehand and got to know something of the "language" of the brotherhood. It was he who alerted the director that emphasis should be given to the body tattoo which is used as a pictorial history of the criminality and status of professional gangsters in the Soviets.
Although his German accented Russian has been criticised I also liked the Armin Mueller-Stahl performance as the London based Russian Mafia boss, cultured, throwing a 100th birthday party, adoring his grand daughters, and quietly arranging for the extermination of anyone threatening his empire, including the death of his baby daughter born to a fourteen year old slave he raped and then had injected with heroin on a daily basis so she would satisfy the demands of those who visit London for sex with the young. He was as good and convincing as Brando in the Godfather, and more sophisticated than Tony Soprano. Naomi Watts also impressed as the midwife who wants to try and find the family of the baby's dead mother and is not prepared to walk away even when she becomes aware of how dangerous these men are. The film is a reminder that London has become an alien city for those of my generation unless they also have their secure "castles" elsewhere and the kind of income, occupation and connections which enables them to enjoy the new world order.
It is tempting to try and create ones own world and hope that one is not affected by some force of nature, some crazed youth, or a capitalist crash which wipes out ones home and income overnight. I am so aware that at any moment I can find myself being asked to submit a final account on how I have used my time, talents and opportunities and that I will then be able to exert no influence on those who I care about and whose welfare has governed my life.
My immediate solution is sit in the sun when it shines and watch more cricket. Durham Cricket Club had good fortune because Yorkshire failed to beat Lancashire because of a major downpour after they looked certain to win and therefore Durham head the table and have a home tie against Nott's in the quarter finals next week. Hopefully there weather will settle once more. The contrast in the weather between the last few days has been extraordinary. A hot sun and cold wind mixture one day, autumnal cold and wet the next, hot and humid yesterday and dull and grey this morning.
It was also almost an excellent shop morning. I was able to get in a supply of the olive salad from Ahmed's but the jars had been sold so I bought to vacuum sealed flat packs, a two weeks supply instead of for the month as I had hoped. I discovered that the store stocks some of the largest fishes I have ever seen in the UK, bigger than those which are often stuffed and framed if caught in British rivers and lakes. At Lydl I bought two salmon and two Herring tinned fillets in tomato sauce for salads, some smoked salmon for tea and the packs of thin cut salami which are of great value with two 200 gram packs for £2.98 which at Morrison's would cost £5.45 and Asda £6.50. At Asda I stocked up with the last two tubs of Butterscotch ice creams at £1 each, nearly £2 at Morrison's, remembered the lemon for the smoked salmon and bought another ten packs of transparent pockets. I have learnt that discovering bargain it is worth sticking up unless the item is a perishable. The theme of this being a good food day continued when I got home as I decided to use up the eggs for a chunky salami omelette for lunch but also to do a second stir fry of the week acquired some diced beef and carton of bamboo shoots and onions yesterday. I forgot to get strawberries on my way back from the post office to post a letter to Gibraltar. The size of envelope costs 42 pence inland but only £1.14 for the flight to Gib which is excellent value.
It took some time to make the connection between the performance of Viggo Mortensen in Lord of the Rings and A History Violence, and only today did I make the further connection with Eastern Promises a film I chose not to see at the time of its release because I have not been a fan of the work of Director Conenberg's Shivers, Rabid, The Brood, Scanners, the Dead Zone, the Fly, Spider etc. type of film, except occasionally if there was nothing else better I wanted to watch and I paid a little attention when such a film was shown on TV just to get the flavour. Having said that I thought a History of Violence was a good film when I first saw in theatre and then on DVD, but because of the acting of Viggo Mortensen without paying attention to who had directed the film and the back catalogue of other films. A history was made in 2005 and Eastern Promises, and both films tell us something about how the lives of ordinary people are being savagely changed by the behaviour of evil men whose barbarity knows no limits. We tend to associate the ruling of these men in dictatorships and extreme fundamentalist religious, economic and political ideological regimes and believe that they should not exist in democracies, whereas I argue they are an inevitable consequence of capitalism.
Eastern promises does have graphic violence of great realistic horror, two throats are cut in close up and a body professional dismembered to make identification impossible. A knife fight in a Turkish bath involves prolonged and gruesome violence, but Eastern Promises is a very good film, especially if you have previously read a little about the Russian Mafia and their amazing ability to come to London, operate slave brothels with teenage girls, and enjoy a high life with the proceeds of this and their other criminal operations. Given the determination of British and Russian authorities to limit if not eliminate these Mafia type organisations, it is difficult not to believe that help is provided by individuals in high places who like to have sex with young teenagers and children, to use drugs or just to increase their capital by sharing in the profits that can be made by stealing and reselling major brands or from faking them.
This is a well acted, scripted and crafted film, although critics are able to pick one or two holes about the performance of those attempting to sound and look Russian, although they all agree the performance of Viggo Mortessen in this respect is exceptional, as true to form he went to Russia beforehand and got to know something of the "language" of the brotherhood. It was he who alerted the director that emphasis should be given to the body tattoo which is used as a pictorial history of the criminality and status of professional gangsters in the Soviets.
Although his German accented Russian has been criticised I also liked the Armin Mueller-Stahl performance as the London based Russian Mafia boss, cultured, throwing a 100th birthday party, adoring his grand daughters, and quietly arranging for the extermination of anyone threatening his empire, including the death of his baby daughter born to a fourteen year old slave he raped and then had injected with heroin on a daily basis so she would satisfy the demands of those who visit London for sex with the young. He was as good and convincing as Brando in the Godfather, and more sophisticated than Tony Soprano. Naomi Watts also impressed as the midwife who wants to try and find the family of the baby's dead mother and is not prepared to walk away even when she becomes aware of how dangerous these men are. The film is a reminder that London has become an alien city for those of my generation unless they also have their secure "castles" elsewhere and the kind of income, occupation and connections which enables them to enjoy the new world order.
It is tempting to try and create ones own world and hope that one is not affected by some force of nature, some crazed youth, or a capitalist crash which wipes out ones home and income overnight. I am so aware that at any moment I can find myself being asked to submit a final account on how I have used my time, talents and opportunities and that I will then be able to exert no influence on those who I care about and whose welfare has governed my life.
My immediate solution is sit in the sun when it shines and watch more cricket. Durham Cricket Club had good fortune because Yorkshire failed to beat Lancashire because of a major downpour after they looked certain to win and therefore Durham head the table and have a home tie against Nott's in the quarter finals next week. Hopefully there weather will settle once more. The contrast in the weather between the last few days has been extraordinary. A hot sun and cold wind mixture one day, autumnal cold and wet the next, hot and humid yesterday and dull and grey this morning.
It was also almost an excellent shop morning. I was able to get in a supply of the olive salad from Ahmed's but the jars had been sold so I bought to vacuum sealed flat packs, a two weeks supply instead of for the month as I had hoped. I discovered that the store stocks some of the largest fishes I have ever seen in the UK, bigger than those which are often stuffed and framed if caught in British rivers and lakes. At Lydl I bought two salmon and two Herring tinned fillets in tomato sauce for salads, some smoked salmon for tea and the packs of thin cut salami which are of great value with two 200 gram packs for £2.98 which at Morrison's would cost £5.45 and Asda £6.50. At Asda I stocked up with the last two tubs of Butterscotch ice creams at £1 each, nearly £2 at Morrison's, remembered the lemon for the smoked salmon and bought another ten packs of transparent pockets. I have learnt that discovering bargain it is worth sticking up unless the item is a perishable. The theme of this being a good food day continued when I got home as I decided to use up the eggs for a chunky salami omelette for lunch but also to do a second stir fry of the week acquired some diced beef and carton of bamboo shoots and onions yesterday. I forgot to get strawberries on my way back from the post office to post a letter to Gibraltar. The size of envelope costs 42 pence inland but only £1.14 for the flight to Gib which is excellent value.
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