the bridge (bron / broen) tv series (2011)

As the FPO has been off work this week, it has given us a chance to catch up with some of the stuff on the Sky+ box, one of which has been the series 'The Bridge'. A joint Danish and Swedish production (known also as Bron and Broen), this was ten one hour episodes of pure class. A woman is found on the Oresunde    Bridge between Denmark and Sweden, and it turns out that it is two separate women, cut in half. The two police forces have to work together to try and find the killer, who then starts putting out messages on the internet, and uses a reporter to relay messages. The two people heading the investigation are the polar opposites of one another. Martin Rohde  (Kim Bodnia) is a jovial philandering man trying to unite his (current) family, while Saga Noren (Sofia Helin) is a serious straight talking woman who finds it difficult to relate socially (probably due to some aspect of Autism / Aspergers). Of course they have to learn to get along and trust each other, but there is lots more to it. Lots, lots more. Like 'The Killing', it kept the levels of suspense up all the way through, the acting and writing was great, and it had you guessing at various outcomes with each passing episode. Superb.
Next up - Borgen!

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maggots on a live person

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the iron railway bridge at catterick bridge

 Looking towards the bridge from the Catterick Bridge area

 A closer view

 Looking back towards Catterick Bridge and Catterick Racecourse

Close by and the River Swale is visible

 Under the bridge (as The Red Hot Chili Peppers would have said)

The fencing and gate

The bridge - earlier today

When l was younger, l used to paint caravans at Catterick Caravans, which is situated between Catterick Bridge and the entry to the A1 North. As l was still outrageously fit in those (long gone) days, l used to run to work from Colburn. In fact not only did l used to run there in the morning, l also ran back to Colburn for lunch, back to work again afterwards, and then home after work (to play football in the evening). All these journeys involved running across the Iron Railway Bridge at Catterick Bridge, which was a pretty risky thing to do even all of those years ago, as the crossing consisted of rotten wood covering the steel girders, so you certainly had to watch where you were placing the clod hoppers, especially in the dark and wintery mornings.
As l was driving by it today, l had an urge to have a wander over and see how the old structure is doing. As you can see, it is still standing, but gated up due to the dangers - Health and Safety gone mad.
Ah, all that stuff seems soooooooooooooooooooooooooo long ago now, as though it was a different world (probably because it was).

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the robe (1953) posters - henry coster

A pretty crap film (a bad Roman wins Jesus's robe, then converts), but the posters for 'The Robe' have a certain look about them, especially the heavily altered one at the top. I've  never seen Richard Burton looking so smooth (and no doubt, never will again).

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lo non ho paura (I'm not scared) - gabriele salvatores (2003)

A beautifully shot Italian film, Io Non Ho Paura (I'm not scared) has a nine year old boy finding another boy in a hole, out in the countryside. He befriends him and brings him food, and discovers his own father (and his fathers friends) had kidnapped him and are holding him to ransom. That's about the gist of it. As l said before, the sweeping shots are beautifully done, but there is not that much tension, apart from the odd moments. The story itself could have been realised better, but you certainly can't fault the look.

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some famous guns

As it says on the photograph, the revolver used by Jack Ruby to kill Lee Harvey Oswald 

The guns used in the Columbine shootings by Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. 

The rifle that Lee Harvey Oswald used to kill John F Kennedy (if you believe that he was responsible)

From The New Yorker

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the birmingham selfridges store by jason hawkes

This picture is the first time l have set eyes on the Selfridges store in Birmingham, and l am pretty damn impressed by it. I never realised that such a shop front existed, and it is one of the coolest buildings (designed by Future Systems) l have ever seen. It's nearly worth a trip down to Birmingham just to see it in the flesh (so to speak).
Another one of Jason Hawkes night time ariel photographs.

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the conspirator (2010) -robert redford

The Conspirator tells the true story of  Mary Surratt, the first woman to be hanged in America, for her involvement in the Abraham Lincoln assassination in 1865. Although there are the odd embellishments, it is a pretty accurate representation of what happened, and it was certainly interesting, as plenty of the source material (the actual transcripts, old photos etc) are available and easy to reference. I didn't realise this film had been recorded (it was at work), so it was a pleasant surprise stumbling accross it, and resulted in a pleasant, (albeit late to bed) night. Not an outstanding film by any stretch of the imagination, but l am glad l have seen it.
As a footnote, John Surratt, Mary's son who went missing, fled to Liverpool and hid there for a while, so my relatives may have met him. Unlikely l'll admit, but there is a chance.

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batman - going sane - jm dematteis

Another recent (ish) graphic novel, and a pretty fine one at that. Joker thinks he has killed Batman, so he then becomes sane (ish), meets a girl, and wants to settle down. Meanwhile, Batman slowly recovers, and then comes looking for him. Marvellous stuff.

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london at night by jason hawkes

One of the things l like about the series 'Not Going Out', is the shots of London from above, making it look like one hell of a place to live. These photographs by Jason Hawkes have the same effect.

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albums re-imagined as books

Genius! I love the 'Exile on Main Street' one.

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the 13th floor elevators

I love the 13th Floor Elevators soooooooooooooooooooooooo much, and here are a couple of videos of theirs
One is before Roky Erickson lost the plot, and the other one has a trippy kind of backdrop to a great song, later covered by Primal Scream.
What a band they were - way ahead of their time.

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a dog pirate

The greatest dog costume ever! A dog made to look like two dog pirates carrying a treasure chest.
Genius is not a good enough word to describe this.
The dog doesn't look too happy though.

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can you tell what it is yet? courtney love's artwork

I've pined in the past, not for the fjords, but to be good at art, but maybe l shouldn't have bothered. It seems it is still possible to get a gallery show, even without being that talented. If it worked for Courtney Love, then that's good enough for me. Now where did l put my crayons?
More of Courtney's stuff is here.

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more babies! top talent! corfu!

As l am avoiding thinking about the football at the weekend, l have been keeping myself busy reading comics, listening to stuff, watching TV and drowning my sorrows, plus headed back to work with my tail between my legs (so to speak). The injury time goals may have been good for Ciddy and neutral fans, but they were certainly no good for my dodgy ticker, although it needs speeding up a bit.
At least l have a trip to Cofu coming up soon (with work), but as l have also been  identified as 'Top Talent', l have a trip to London and possibly extra work to be 'looking forward' to.
Also in the news, Danny and Gill have had their baby, and as everyone else seems to be having them, l am trying to persuade the FPO to get untied so we can join in.

The trouble is, it would probably come out like this.

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peanut butter in soup

Mmmmmmm, l'm salivating just thinking about it. Peanut butter in a soup. Actually, much as l love Peanut butter (smooth, not crunchy), this sounds (and looks) disgusting.

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'the scream' location

Apparently, 'The Scream' was based on a location known as Ekeberg Hill, Ekeberg, which is above Oslo. That has blown my tiny little mind (maaaaaan), as l never even considered that it might be based on an actual place. I certainly didn't envisage Edvard Munch out and about for a stroll along the hills. However, the facial features mimic mine when l have to go for a walk with the FPO.
What next though? Edgar Allan Poe loved skiing?
I need a lie down.

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