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Zola

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Everything posted by Zola

  1. Last night I had a rather weird dream in that I was living on a deserted island with no means of communication, no phone, no gadgets at all in fact. I don't even remember how I got there! All I know is that all the things I took for granted - food, warmth, shelter, human-interaction - were all gone, and I had to fend for myself! It could have become more interesting had it not being for my bladder telling my brain it needed to pee!
  2. I can't get my head round that! I thought she was doing some fine support work for addicts a few years back (might be wrong in that, can't quite recall). I was never a big fan of her Kima character in The Wire, but all the same what a very silly thing to do!
  3. Living in England, I have to say GJ has had terrific ratings here, and very positive reviews in the national media. S2 was signed off way before S1 had even got half way through its season. I am hoping S2 will flesh out the lead characters now that the show has established itself and worthy of further episodes.
  4. Customers who rate a product they've purchased online with a star (between 1 and 5), but no follow-up comment; or if they do leave one its generally a "great!", "ok" or "crap!" I see this quite often on Amazon where a product has either some favorable or mixed ratings and you have to rely on the comments to make a decision. But a lame "ok" doesn't help anyone, so why bother leaving a comment? And when you check that person's profile you see they've "reviewed" over 100 products, but when you look closer they have yet again left one word replies, or sometimes nothing at all!
  5. "Once in a Lifetime" - Talking Heads (from the film, Stop Making Sense)
  6. I was quite surprised (in a good way) to see Bob De Niro take up a comedic role in "Midnight Run" after a succession of serious thrillers/dramas. And to be honest up until watching the film I didn't think he had a comedy bone in his body! And yet typically, given his ability to take on any method role it came as no surprise that he was quite excellent here! Although that said he was very much the straight man compared to his buddy co-star, Charles Grodin, who achieved most of the laughs in the film. But despite that it was great to see Bob try something different from all his serious dramatic roles previously
  7. Have finally got round to watching the show again, thanks largely to a friend lending me her DVD boxset for me to transfer onto my QNAP. I very much liked S1, not least for the presence of David Caruso, and of course Denis Franz. Still feels and looks fresh compared to something like Hill Street Blues, which I loved watching years ago, but now looks incredibly dated, with some fairly routine story lines Shame that Caruso took umbrage in S2 and walked, but after some initial concerns I think Jimmy Smits did a pretty good job as a replacement. Now looking forward to S3 - and I absolutely adore the opening credits and music!
  8. You're fast asleep in bed having a really nice <sexy> dream; you're comfortable and everything is just right. But then there's the inevitable need to pee! It doesn't matter how hard you fight it the pressing need on your bladder just isn't going to go away. But you're so comfortable, and so "into" your dream that you try to resist, and resist a bit more..... but inevitably you relent and get out of bed, take a walk down the hall and continue with your business. But when you get back into bed it doesn't matter how hard you try you can never find that comfy spot, and neither can you get back into that scrummy dream!
  9. I didn't even realise a TV show of the film/book had even seen the light of day; it was only through scanning the TV index here that I found it purely by chance. Looking at some of the posts here, most of them fairly non-committal veering on the negative in terms of how good the show is, I am wondering if its worth bothering with? Moreover given the length and complexity of the book, and the level of patience required for the slow-paced film, I am surprised the TV version saw the light of day! So am guessing the show probably isn't worth investing in? Not a great loss to be honest, but such a pointless waste of effort by the producers to even think this would be a success! And now I am in the such a vexed mood I might just give the film another look later this evening - despite being slow and meandering, I thought it was one of Connery's finest efforts; and the cinematography and of course the score were exceptionally good!
  10. Well I have been away for a few months, only to return and not only to find PTV getting a makeover (which I really do not like at all!), but also to find TWW, and one or two other of my fave shows (The Wire, being another) unceremoniously dumped into the dungeon! That said, it has been awhile since I last watched TWW in its entirety,, and on a recent re-viewing I found myself skipping through quite a lot of S1 - which back in the day would have been unforgivable of course! I haven't found the motivation to bother with S2 yet, which again would be sacrilege only a couple of years ago when I had quite frequent boxset marathons over a number of weekends. But these days I just can't seem to find sufficient mojo to want to bother! Perhaps with so many great shows from non-network channels to choose from these days, along with new and varied writing styles and storylines, I think I am finding TWW a little staid, safe and perhaps a little dated for this far more dynamic and interactive digital-media age. I think the only character that really draws me into the show is Leo. For me he is The West Wing, and although the likes of CJ, Josh, Toby, Bartlet and to a lesser extent Sam, were all fully rounded and interesting characters, I always looked to Leo for his reassuring and pragmatic demeanour, and for his fatherly reassurance when things go a little awry. And of course his tragic alcoholism backstory, always has an effect on me. As for the talk of reboots - well if it is more than just a rumour let them carry on and do one, but I don't think I'll be tuning in. What's next?
  11. Those irritating corporate websites that show stock pictures of their "beautiful" people gathered round a meeting room table, ogling at their tablets and laptops, or large wall-mounted monitors, which are all awash with the usual positive pie charts & graphs. And the guys and gals sitting round the table are all happy-clappy types looking incredibly smug, with one or two pointing a pen at one graph and smiling broadly. Moreover, some websites have a customer support link that points you to a photo of a young woman wearing a headset and smiling back at you! I doubt very much if the reality matches the fantasy here; but it just annoys me how bland & unimaginative some websites are when it comes to marketing themselves. And don't get me started on some of their corporate buzzwords!
  12. A few months ago I ended up watching a rather unpleasant film called "The Warriors" (1979) regarding a gang trying to make it home to Coney Island from a big gang meeting in Central Park (I think) while being pursued by rival gangs on the accusation of assassinating some iconic leader of all the NY gangs! But the ending was supremely satisfying (even for me!), as the innocent gang and the guilty gang meet up on a beach for a big showdown. And then suddenly the biggest and strongest gang of all turns up, gives the innocent gang free passage, and then closes in on the guilty gang to do something very very bad! I am not really into these kinds of films, but the payback in that one scene certainly pumped me up for a minute or two!
  13. "Blood Simple" - There's a couple of very small and insignificant scenes that have always captivated me with this wonderful film. One - where Ray has driven his car in the middle of a field to do his dastardly deed. The following morning he turns the engine over and the car splutters into life, with the film's score playing in the background. But then the engine cuts out and the music also stops. He tries turning the engine over until eventually it kicks in, as does the score once again. Two - A scene in Marty's pub where the camera dollies across the surface of the bar, and then jumps over a sleeping drunk sprawled across it before coming to rest with the tiniest of bumps and continuing on the other side of him.
  14. One piece of good advice when it comes to buying a cable that connects something to something else, always label it at both ends so that you know what its connecting! Most people probably have a shedload of plugs, power cables, monitor cables, USB cables, all bunched together behind a desk or TV stand. So much so that it becomes really difficult to figure what is cable is plugged into what. So just label up the cables and plugs with something like "TV", "Printer" "Blu Ray" and do it as soon as you can; less hassle down the road, and less chance of pulling the wrong plug/cable too.
  15. It's an oldie but still a goody - Terminator 2:Judgement Day, and the final scene where Arnie take his own "life" by lowering himself into a vat of molten steel; and when almost fully submerged raises an arm up above the surface and gives everyone the thumbs up! Never saw that coming, and never expected him to die at the end either.
  16. That moment when you have something important on your mind that you want to action, but a few seconds later you have completely forgotten what it was; and it doesn't matter how hard you try it just won't come back!
  17. Have been away for a few months to find my favourite TV show has been archived. Can't believe its getting on for almost 2 decades old, give or take a year as it still seems as fresh and relevant as it did back in the early 00s And I have seen a myriad of quality TV drama since then, and although most have been quite excellent and riveting, I still keep coming back to The Wire for my regular fix - which seems ironic given one of the mainstream topics of the show.
  18. ATMs (or cash machines) that are sun facing, which means I can't see the display or the menu options due to glare!
  19. I know what BOGOF (buy one get one free) means, not sure what BOGO is though. Hmm
  20. On the subject of supermarkets: it really does my head in when a store decides to have a massive overhaul of their aisles, so that after getting used to where your usual stuff is, they decide to move all the dairy stuff to an aisles at the other end of the store; while bringing forward bakery stuff to where the dairy was; and moving a whole load of other things in-between. So you end up spending almost twice as long trying to scope out your regular stuff. I guess I understand why they move things around: if you're a store regular you will know exactly where your stuff is while avoiding the stuff you never knew existed. But its just the manner in which they do it! Rather than just moving a few things over a period of time, it's all or nothing and they move the whole shebang and you're totally lost!
  21. An ongoing peeve is folks who constantly interrupt me in mid-conversation! I could be talking about anything, but one good example was last night when I was trying to explain why Microsoft Windows 10 is an extremely intrusive operating system. But I could barely get to the end of sentence when a colleague chipped in with a "..... I had that problem with Facebook. Have used it for years, and they're always updating their privacy statements. And you know, I had a similar experience with My Space. I don't know if you've heard of My Space, but it was around in the early 00s before Facebook blew it out of the water. But anyway, I used to use My Space, but I wasn't able to do much with the security settings because I was always getting trolls on my page. I hate trolls. They crop up everywhere. They do my head in. Something should be done. Let me tell you something......................" And she waffled on for another 5 minutes taking the original topic of conversation from my Windows 10, to her <ultimately> having her dog micro chipped! I really can't understand why people can't STFU when someone is talking! Perhaps its an attention span thing, but it really does my head in, and sometimes feel tempted to slap my interlocutor around the head when they constantly butt in and derail my topic of conversation.
  22. Ah..Tabasco!! Now there's an idea. I do like a poached egg on my BoT from time to time ......gosh, I'm getting hungry.... Sod tonight: I'm having my BoT now!!! (this is all your fault, @Mindthinkr :) )
  23. My dad has a lot to answer for! That said, this really is a thumping track
  24. Glad you love Heinz baked beans on toast as much a I do. I like to get a little adventurous and add an egg or some cheese or top and sprinkle it with Worcester Sauce - perfect comfort food, and not bad health-wise either. Some people have suggest baked beans give you wind, but I have never had that problem; but all this talk of beans and toast has got my mouth watering, and it's only 1:47pm UK time. I was going to make myself a casserole for later tonight, but now I really can't be arsed, and will go Bohemian with BoT (beans on toast) instead.
  25. My love for The West Wing, has waned over the years. It is still up there in my top 5 TV dramas, but I think as I get older, along with far more choice available for me to watch, TWW doesn't quite have the same resonance as it once did. This is best exemplified in the fact "The Two Cathedrals" was my favourite episode a few years back, but now it's good, powerful and very dramatic in places; but then it was an end-of-season cliffhanger, so you would expect something above and beyond a normal episode. By the same token I used to love the first 4 seasons of the show, but even that has changed quite dramatically these days, where only seasons 2 and 3 really register, while season 7 and to a lesser extent 6, blow 1 and 4 away! (for me at least) As a consequence, my favourite episode these days would have to be season 3's "Bartlet For America", followed quite closely by season 2s "Noel" - both episodes dealing with personal emotions/issues rather than the usual political matters of the day, but both episodes still grip me, and more so for the late John Spencer's Leo - God, I love that man and his character; and he triumphed perfectly in "B4A" Thank's, Boss!
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