Reading & Seeing 6

Avengers Assemble
This film awesome. Go! Go watch it now!

(Please note I saw this quite some time ago and I'm not entirely sure if it's still on at the cinema although it might be as the london underground tube announcer seemed to think so and was giving the same advice!)

I feel like I don't really need to add anything to this as you've probably read lots of reviews, all of which rave about it and rightly so. You don't need to have seen the previous individual superhero movies (although you could and might want to after seeing Avengers Assemble) because it is a stand alone film which holds everything together perfectly. There's a lot of big characters stuffed into this movie but they all seem to get an equal amount of screen time and great lines. It's action packed and funny, I laughed out loud a number of times, plus there's Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and RDJ sizzling away (and Scarlet Johansson who, as Black Widow, was just as kick-ass as her male buddies - not just a pretty face). Oh and don't leave as soon as the credits start you might miss something...

Being Elmo
A documentary about the puppeteer behind one of sesame street's most well known characters. It was really interesting to see into the world of Kevin Clash and how his love for puppets (even at an early age) spurred him onwards and upwards. You learn that as well as making tens of puppets and giving each different personalities (and voices of course) he used to stage little shows and performances for a range of audiences. A lucky break when he was still in school meant that he travelled to New York to meet his his idol who eventually (and a number of years later) introduced him to Jim Henson. From then on more opportunities came Kevin's way - working on Henson's film - Labyrinth and then Sesame Street working on some minor characters. Elmo actually started off as a completely different character (with a deep voice!) until one of the other puppeteers handed Elmo over to Kevin who then created the Elmo we all know and love today. During Kevin's transition into the puppeteering A class the documentary barely mentions his personal life (a wife and daughter) and you realise that the reason why is because his life is almost completely centred around his work. There's one point where he's doing a show (as Elmo obviously) and he says that it's funny how he makes the children (in the audience) happy but not his own child - missing birthdays etc. A lot of people (other cast members, crew) say that Elmo is an extension of Kevin, someone very loving and caring, and because love is what Elmo is all about, it's a really great compliment but for me it seemed like it came as a sacrifice for his home life. The best thing about the documentary was watching Kevin's journey and how he now does exactly what he wanted to do as a child, it's a pretty awesome accomplishment that not a lot of people realise.

The Raid
This film packs a punch right from the get go! We are briefly introduced to the players of the piece: our young hero - who's wife is pregnant, the villain - a violent crime boss and his two henchmen hauled up in a deteriorating residential tower block (the setting for the entire film), and lastly the SWAT team, including our hero, being sent in to put an end to the crime boss's reign. However, not everyone is who they seem and you can't always be sure who's on who's side. Unfortunately for the SWAT team the crime boss has an endless supply of minions which attack them in waves - cue amazing fight scenes (with guns, knives and good old martial arts), gruesome killings and more violence than you could shake a stick/sword/glass fragment at! The film rattles along with such a pace, even the quieter moments are supercharged and incredibly tense. There are some awesome shots in this movie, Gareth Evans (the director) makes the most of different camera angles and perspectives. I don't usually watch action movies in their purest state but I really enjoyed The Raid and it's bass heavy soundtrack.

Borges and the Eternal Orangutans
A v.amusing little book (only 135 pages long) and hard to put down. Depending on how speedily you read you could get in done in an afternoon. It follows the story of Vogelstein, a translator and a bit of a loser who has a large man crush (with his work rather than physically) on the acclaimed writer Jorge Luis Borges. After accidentally irritating his idol (changing the end of his book no less) a string of coincidences place Vogelstein and Borges at the same conference/party in Buenos Aires where a murder takes place under peculiar circumstances and the culprit could be any one of a number of respected and well known individuals also at the conference. Together Vogelstein and Borges attempt to solve the case. It's witty and intriguing and the short tale plays out incredibly smoothly. I'm not going to give anything else away, partly because I think you should read it and partly because the ending is simply delightful.