Monday, January 02, 2006

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! I still have a cold and still cough a lot, so yesterday we did not do much. Well, we did nothing at all to be more precise, just stayed at home, had a lovely M&S steak, some chocolate roll and mulled wine, and watched a bit of TV. I also spent some time updating my agenda for 2006, with lots of Sanrio stickers and all possible birthdays and engagements for next year. So far, so good.

Tonight, we were watching (well, Mark more or less - he was half-watching and half-playing a game on his Nintendo DS) "The Exorcist" on TV, the director's cut. It is quite a good film, very good acting, especially Ellen Burstyn. And I love the Mike Oldfield tracks. I must add it is not quite "appropriate" for this time of the year maybe (if I may say that?), but still a horror classic nonetheless, right?

On the bright side, we also watched part of my "Howl's Moving castle" DVD. Not the film itself though, because we just watched in the theatre, but the extra DVD with some Studio Ghibli short animations, a real gem for any Miyazaki fan. This DVD is a 4 disc edition that I got in CDJapan. I did not want to wait for DVD to be released in our region, so I bought it as soon as it was released in Japan. What I loved as well was the interview with Diana Wynne Jones, the lady who wrote the book on which Miyazaki based the script. Very interesting. I ordered the book last week, for I did not have it. Mrs Wynne Jones was Prof. Tolkien's pupil in Oxford, by the way. I did not know that before, so, I will probably love to read her books too! I got the "Art of Howl's Moving Castle" book as well some time ago, and it's brilliant. Beautiful hardcover editions with plenty of wonderful artwork, interviews with the staff, conceptual art and other tidbits. A joy to read and swoon about!

Well, these are the news so far. Not much I'm afraid! And no New Year resolutions for me either. Believe it or not, I did not think about it. Actually, I never do. The closest I get to something like that is organising my agenda, and that's done already, ha ha!

Well, enough for tonight. I'm too tired and need to rest now. Good night,

a.The above is the art poster for Studio Ghibli's next animation film, "Tales from Earthsea" (Gedo Senki) to be released in July in Japan! More information to be found in the Studio Ghibli website (in Japanese, though). The film is based on the Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea fantasy series - which I did not read yet! And must, of course.
(Would that count as a new Year resolution, by the bye?...)

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:51 AM

    Earthsea is a brilliant book you have to read it and it will do fine as a new years resolution! I am delighted to hear about that movie because I loved the book, although I don't seem to have it anymore, the usual with books.. I must have lent it to someone who never returned it.
    Hope you're feeling better today,
    Paula

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  2. I have both of Howl's Moving Catle and Castle in the Air (Second book). I have read most of the book but I am now reading some chapters I missed at the start. I am finding it hard to read the book because of the similarities with the movie I keep starting in the wrong place (A bookmark might help). I like the book though and look forward to the second one.

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  3. Hi Treebob! The second book, "Castle in the Air", does it have anything to do with the homonym Miyazaki's film? I read the summary but didn't think it sounded like to film storyline? Please let me know, OK?
    Talk to you later!
    a.

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  4. Nope Castle in the Air has absoulutely nothing to do with castle in the Sky. Odd that the names are so similar; maybe Miyazaki came across the title of the novel (becasue of the similarity) and read the two.

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  5. Hi Treebob! I forgot it's Castle in The Sky and not in the Air, d'ooohhh... Thank you!

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