Interesting Lists

Some of you may know that this year is the 80th birthday of the legendary OTT director Ken Russell, who, among other things, is perhaps most famous for making Oliver Reed and Alan Bates wrestle in the nude in Women In Love and filling a studio with baked beans for Tommy. Among the things that Ken is a fan of, one television programme he says that catches his eyes simply so that he can laugh at how pathetic the rest of us have become is Big Brother.

I am pleased to report that so far I have not even ventured further than a vague curiosity on the opening night of this year's series as to who was in the house though I hear that it is no longer all women, boo hiss. I take pride in this fact - I have more interesting things to watch than a group of fame-hungry idiots arguing and sleeping with each other (or vice verca).

For example, thanks to Virgin Media, I have been able to watch the first series of Father Ted. Having only really watched the now classic Christmas special of this most hilarious of shows, I finally see what all the fuss is about. I also rather worryingly see more than ever the resemblance of Father Jack ("DRINK!") to our ex-Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, but let's not worry too much about that.

I have also been a frequent visitor to Film Four where, on Tuesday, I saw an excellent film called The King starring Gael Garcia Bernal and William Hurt. This is a very dark, Gothic film about a young sailor who leaves the navy to find his father, now a born again Christian preacher with a family of his own. When the sailor is rejected by the preacher, he begins a terrible revenge. I recommend this film to anyone who likes a deep thoughtful film.

It is not, however, on the Guardian's list of "1000 Films To See Before You Die". In fact, there are some interesting flicks on this list, some of which I'm really pleased to see on there (My Summer Of Love, Sideways, Lost In Translation, The Big Sleep), some of which I'm not so pleased to see there, (Titanic - what the hell?). There are also some surprises - Babe, for example, and Pink Floyd's The Wall, a film that, to my knowledge has often bee utterly derided. And yes, Tommy is there too. Happy Birthday, Ken.

Laters.