Be careful what you wish for...

...because you might get it, as the old saying goes. 

I have always wanted students who were engaged, articulate and involved with their own learning (of course it goes without saying that if any former students are reading this, you are still my favourites). Who knew that I would have to read so many blogs!!! Actually it is a real pleasure I think, without being patronising, that for some students this is the first time they have had to engage critically with a film and think about why they feel the way they do. It is a joy to watch them express themselves and to take that huge leap and do it on a public (ish) forum.

As for me, personal business has curtailed my viewing lately but I have become fascinated in a horrified kind of way with the Ross/Brand farago. I look forward to taking the temperature of the student opinion; I suspect my view may be tainted by my age so it will be interesting to see how other, younger minds think.

And, if I get the time, I have three episodes of Spooks to catch up on. Perhaps I'll save them for tomorrow, it being Halloween.

Thwarted by the weather

I know I told the class last week that cinema managers love bad weather but there is some weather that is just too bad to venture out in, so my plan to go see a movie turned into a plan to watch a movie on telly. I caught up with Michael Clayton for a second time and it was even more interesting to see how much it has caught the flavour of the 'paranoia thrillers' of the Seventies such as Parallax View - the bleakest movie ever made - or Three Days of the Condor. It was interesting too to see George Clooney take himself seriously and give a performance that didn't consist of demented grimacing or coy glances.

Also caught part one of Little Dorrit which looks like being appointment viewing. The timing is perfect for a story about financial bubbles bursting and the effects this can have on ordinary people. Parts of it looked a bit like theme park Dickens but generally the interiors were superb; productions like this thrive on the grace notes and Sue Johnston in particular, along with Tom Courtenay, were marvelous.

Good for the goose

Having asked my students to blog about what they watch and see it seems only fair that I should do the same. It's a cold, wet, miserable day so I have been catching up on some Sky+ material, specifically the first couple of episodes of Breaking Bad. So far I am very impressed at the way it takes a conventional formula and spins it, not radically but just enough to give things a fresh perspective. 

Other than that I saw an interesting article in the Guardian magazine today about Waltz with Bashir, the controversial animated film. I will need to add it to my del.icio.us page so that I can share it with the students.

Generally I'm pleased with the way they are responding to the directed reading etc. They seem not unwilling to set up blogs which is good. The proof of the pudding however will be how they maintain their entries but since they are assessable that should be an incentive.

If the weather stays foul tomorrow I may catch a movie - either Burn After Reading or Ghost Town since Gomorrah doesn't appear to be on anywhere handy.