Instead of watching the Superbowl last night, I ended up catching A Life Less Ordinary, which was assuredly a better experience than seeing American Football and Janet Jackson. It’s a much more quirky comedy than I thought it would be, and could in some ways be seen as a proto-Moulin Rouge; it even has a dance number compete with bizarre and unreal imagery! It also brings up the number of singing Ewan MacGregor films that I’ve seen up to three (Moulin Rouge and Down With Love being the other two). Time will only tell if Obi Wan Kenobi breaks out into song in the next Star Wars movie.
In other news, Scarlett Johansson has become a topic of contention in our kitchen. Previously, Julia Stiles was the undisputed winner of our ongoing ‘most attractive girl’ competition (voted for by both men and women), for her sterling performance in Ten Things I Hate About You and her generally acerbic yet intelligent outlook on life. Comments such as ‘probably a demon in the sack’ were heard at the last vote. The arrival of Lost In Translation has changed all of this now – I’ve defected to the Scarlett Johansson camp and am trying to convert the waverers, who at the very least agree that Scarlett is definite contender for the throne, if not actually in pole position.
Finally, Oliver Morton (writer for Science and Wired) has a well-hidden weblog called MainlyMartian that has some interesting insights onto the current Mars missions and the fate of Beagle 2 in particular. Definitely worth checking out for its insider view.
mssv 
“‘probably a demon in the sack'”
*lol*
Have you watched “Girl With A Pearl Earring” yet?
Nah. I had an opportunity (two opportunities, in fact) on Saturday but I decided against it. Both groups of friends liked it though, so maybe I should give it a try some time.
Have you watched Ghost World or The Man Who Wasn’t There?
I saw Ghostworld. It was good, but too much teenage angst for my liking. Scarlett Johansson was pretty good in that too.
How was she in The Man Who Wasn’t There?
I haven’t seen either of them. I’m told Ghost World is good but I’m wary of the possibility it could be too Daria-like and teenage-angsty ‘oh, we’re so different and non-conforming (yet still conforming but in another way) than the rest of you teenage chumps’. As it were.
What I think is interesting about Ghost World is that one of the characters is faced with the need to compromise her own values and conform, and the film examines the effect this has on the friendship of the two girls.
Another interesting thing is that different viewers seem to take away radically different messages from the film.
I think I’ll definitely have to check out Ghost World then. Tonight, though, we have an Indiana Jones marathon at college, which I have just been informed I not only have to bring along my laptop, my speakers *and* my DVDs to, but also to dress up in my ‘Indy’ garb. I wouldn’t mind so much if it was done with my consent, but no…