Things I Did Yesterday 22/07/09

Wooser wins. As does humanity. Yesterday I:

- Walked in, stopping in Nero on the way. Felt decidedly fuzzy-headed and writing came with particular difficulty.

- Worked. Mainly going over the order, disrupted regularly by smaller jobs. Made pretty much no headway at all on the large, pressing jobs that are nearly a week overdue already. Now with delivery day and new comics day at my doorstep, that’s another two days until I can even look at them.

- Alex swung by at the end of the day and we went to see Moon down at Haymarket. I’ve been looking forward to this, and it didn’t disappoint. Comparisons to 70’s science fiction are accurate, though I would point more to the likes of Silent Running or even Dark Star (sans humour) than the oft cited 2001. It has its minor flaws, certainly, with the ending and some of the science (which I only pick at because of its hard sci-fi veneer and the 2001 comparisons). But then, what classic science fiction film of the 70’s (or indeed ever) hasn’t? Like those films, Moon is all about the ideas. About the characters and their place within the isolating, dehumanising environment of space. In fact, the story could have been set in the Antarctic with only a few changes. But then, we wouldn’t have had the lovely, sparse set design, or the fantastic model lunar base exteriors. But it’s primarily a character piece carried exceptionally well by Sam Rockwell, who is completely believable as the increasingly wrought Sam Bell. The score by Clint Mansell (available on Spotify, sports fans!), while not quite up to The Fountain, is wonderfully evocative, adding layers of atmosphere (no pun intended). Best film I’ve seen in a long time and very highly recommended.

- Got home in time to watch something, which is the nice part about going to a movie straight after work. Watched the first episode of the new season of Jimmy McGovern’s series The Street, each a self-contained story set around the residents of one street in Manchester. I’ve never seen any other episodes, but it’s won plenty of awards and this one looked interesting: a retelling of High Noon with Bob Hoskins as a pub landlord who has barred a local gangster’s son and now has until 3.30pm the next day – when father and son will be paying him a visit – to decide whether he sticks to his guns or serves the boy. It was a bit over-earnest in places (especially one mawkish scene right near the end), but on the whole I enjoyed it. I especially liked the fact that it was a gritty British drama that really celebrated the idea of sticking to your principles and standing up for what’s right (and it actually working). Good stuff.

- Went to bed and thought of you. YOU.