New Year Resolutions?

I never quite know what to exactly say on New Year's Eve when someone asks me if I've made any New Year's resolutions. The obvious answer is: yes, of course I have, everyone does, even if it's a half-hearted attempt just to fuse into your brain that it's a new year, so it must be a new start, so you must do new things, or newish things anyway.

But then I stop and think and realise that, actually, I've always given the obvious answer to that question and then never really thought about it until the next 31st December. It was different a year and a half ago - a new house with new people meant for certain a new start, and it has certainly helped change my life. And I guess last New Year was a newish start for me in that I took more of a part in the Christian Union at Christmas.

So this year I have decided to make a stand; for once this year I am actually going to set myself a couple (or maybe even a few) New Year Resolutions for 2008. Then, on this day next year, I can look back and see if I achieved or upheld them.

I think we'll start with the always mentioned, never published books and get those approved by an agent - lets not go nuts after all. There's also the degree to think about as well - I am going to get a 2:1 at least: this will mean a lot of hard work, but I am going to achieve it!

I will eat less chocolate, spend more time with my friends - these are all pretty usually resolutions that I know a Facebook group will be set up for - or maybe I should set one up? Will I have time? You see, this is the problem with New Years resolutions - some are so important, or so huge, that they overshadow the other, smaller ones and eventually pale them in significance.

There is one more - but its not something I'm willing to share on the world wide web, I'm sorry to say - it's too personal for the masses of readers who read this blog to read if you will. That is, unless things work out okay with it - then I'll tell all!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Laters!

A Christmas Message

Last entry before the brief period of festivities, and the madness truly ensues! Just want to wish any readers out there a magnificently merry Christmas, full of laughter, fun, cheer, and, above all, hope and love. Have a good one on me!

Laters!

It's Christmas: Part Three

Yes, folks, today is the last entry in my little escape into my favourite Christmas entertainment. And where better to end than with television? Now, admittedly, I am restricted with this by the fact that I live in Blighty and I'm sure there will be some readers - if there are any readers - who don't.

Christmas Day: the television doesn't go on. Full stop. Except for five short minutes where we set the DVD and Video recorders to tape the stuff we want to watch, it just doesn't go on. Not even for the Queen's Speech. In fact, I don't think I've ever watched a Queen's Speech. Why would I want to? It's not like it's actually written by her - if that was the case I'd watch it all the time! It would be great - "My dear people, this year has been rather shit...", and so forth.

A big, big tradition here is The Snowman on Christmas Eve. Now we're pretty busy usually on this day, with two Christingle services and all that during the afternoon, but my sister and I always find time to watch this beautiful, tear-jerking cartoon. Trust me, if you've never seen it before you have to. The music, and there's a lot of it, is haunting and gorgeous and there's quite simply one of the best endings to a television programme ever!

Comedies usually come out good at this time of year. Their Christmas specials can be quite mixed at the best of times, but this is when they can go on for a bit longer or have some special guests on that they wouldn't normally have so they're usually okay watching.

For my family recently the big Christmas television event has been the special episode of Doctor Who. Now, I'm not a huge science-fiction buff, but this is an intelligent, often witty, always exciting series that has been successfully relaunched and whose Christmas specials are always amazing to watch. This year Kylie Minogue is the special guest star. The big names are attracted to this show, believe me!

Were it not for the Christingle services, Carols From Kings would be another on my list, but as I never get to watch them all in full they only deserve a mention for their longevity here. Thanks to cheap DVDs the number of films we have to record this year has also been slashed, seeing as how my mother, who I feel is addicted to buying these said cheap DVDs, has usually got them already!

But throughout these last few days I am reminded of the two most important things about Christmas, namely Christ and Family. Let us never forget these things, at the best or worst of times this holiday.

I should be able to make a final entry tomorrow before I shut down for a few days - hopefully!

Laters!

It's Christmas: Part Two

Well, festive greetings once again! Just to point your attention to above where I have updated my list of films I'm looking forward to seeing in 2008 with a few juicy hyperlinks to trailers. Sorry I can't find all of them, but that's life!

Anyhoo, today is Music Wednesday so where better to continue our Christmas journey through Christmas entertainment than with my personal favourite Christmas music?

• "All I Want For Christmas Is You", Mariah Carey - this is a top tune to start any party to, and perhaps the last great Christmas song that has ever been written. At the time of writing this here in Blighty thanks to downloads this song is at number 4 in our music charts! Now that's popularity! Download it more, people, make it Christmas number one again!
• "The Christmas Song", various artists - another cosy fire blazing song to snuggle up to someone to, made immortal by Nat King Cole but later justified in a very smooth version by none other than Barry Manilow...seriously!
• "O Come All Ye Faithful" - lets not forget the true reason for Christmas. I love singing this at Midnight Mass as the last hymn; we get to sing all seven (or is it eight?) verses for one day a year and it is one of those triumphant carols of complete and utter rejoicing. As is...
• ..."Hark The Herald Angels Sing" - as a tenor this is a high-pitched joy to sing, with a brilliant descant for any soprano brave enough to try.
• "The Bells Of Christmas", Barry Manilow - not a very well known song, taken from his first Christmas album, Because It's Christmas. Growing up in a house with my mother who is a huge Manilow fan, this album is put on every year at Christmas and is simply the best single artist Christmas album ever. This song, however, reminds us that sometimes Christmas can be a rather disappointing, perhaps depressing time for a lot of people, something that all of us who are happier during this time should remember that we need to watch out for those less fortunate.
• "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" Judy Garland - this is a dark song, full of hope, but performed in a way which chills your bones. Again it's trying to look on the bright side of life against an uncertain future, something which I'm sure a lot of people are going through right now.
• "The Power Of Love", Frankie Goes To Hollywood - not technically a Christmas song, as there's not a mention of the time in it. This is still, however, my absolute favourite of the bunch - a gorgeous and, lets face it, surprising number from FGTH, about love, perhaps the greatest gift that we humans can give each other at this time of year

Well, again, I am only stopped by bad memory, 'cos I could go on for pages if I could. Tomorrow will be the last day I look at my Christmas entertainment and there's only television left! Looking forward to that!

Laters!

It's Christmas: Part One

Ho ho ho! As we are in the festive season, I thought I should let you know a little about what classifies as Christmas entertainment in the old Hardgraves head! As it is usually Film Tuesday today, I thought I'd start with films...doi!

So here, in no order whatsoever except for when I remember them, are my top Christmas films!

• Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas - as a huge Tim Burton fan, this is always a must. You don't see a lot of stop motion animation these days, and when its done so wonderfully as it is here you celebrate the fact that at least someone is still flying the flag for this particularly painfully slow animation technique. The story is typical Burton - ghoulish and full of dark humour, when Jack Skelington, king of Halloween, decides to liven up his rather boring life by having a go at Christmas for a change. The characters are all individually gorgeous, and the atmosphere is added to by Danny Elfman's gorgeous songs and score.
• A Christmas Carol - now there are a lot of versions of this film out there, one more of which I will cite in a mo. This particular one is a fairly recent made for television adaptation starring Patrick Stewart as the famous Mr Scrooge, with Richard E Grant as Bob Cratchit and a cast of faces you may recognise but are not sure where from exactly. This is a very faithful adap of the book, which is one of my favourite stories anyway. However, try as it might, this version can never uphold to the standards set by...
• ...The Muppets Christmas Carol - here, instead of dumbing down the story to make it feel more family friendly, the wonders of the Jim Henson group actually at times make a fairly frightening but faithful vision of Dickens' tale. Yes, so I doubt there ever was a rubber chicken factory in Victorian London, and yes, nearly all the cast have American accents - that's all the felt cast, mind - but it is a witty, dark film with plenty of good songs and a great performance from Michael Caine as Scrooge.
• Fred Claus - this is very recent, having only just been released. It was also mercilessly slated by the critics, but then of course it would be. All in all, we know its a pile of Christmas wrapping paper, but it is full of sugar and spice and everything nice, with a good name cast featuring Vince Vaughan, Kevin Spacey, Paul Giamatti, etc. You can't help but feel christmassy when you watch this film.
• Snow Day - another interesting one, as technically it's not set at Christmas. But I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, so it works for me. Again not very popular with critics, it again is full of the sweet candy cane good stuff that just makes you feel all good inside, just like a decent Christmas film should do.
• It's A Wonderful Life - not much else can be said about this that hasn't already been said.It's a masterpiece, a work of genius, with a brilliant performance from James Stewart. I find the little girl semi-annoying, but other than that this deserves to be the number one Christmas film on any list!

Well, that's all the films I can think of. Tomorrow: music!

Laters.

Oooh - shiney laptop!

So here I am, back home again for the holidays, and huzzah! We have the internet on a brand new modem and a brand new laptop- very nice! This will make it easier to keep up to date with the blog throughout Christmas, though I got to tell you, if you're expecting anything long from me on Christmas Eve or Day - good luck!

Laters.

It's Been A Loooooooooong Time...

...since I added anything to this blog, so big apologies to any readers out there! This will also be the last blog I write here at Winchester for a few weeks, as I'm going home today for the Chirstmas holidays - woo hoo!!

I will be more frequent at updating this blog whilst at home, plus keeping you up to date on various films, music, books, etc that strike me as worthy of mentioning. the first has to be a film I am awaiting with immense anticipation, Tim Burton's latest, Sweeney Tood. And look what I've managed to find... the openign titles for it! Right here! And it looks as dark and gothic as it should coming from Burton's wonderfully imaginative warped mind!

Enjoy, just don't have nightmares...not yet anyway!

Laters!