Cuparius.com

It appears that special effects will dominate the last two months of the year again at cinemas. I don't mind. It would be nice to see more films that demonstrate exceptional writing and acting without relying on computer graphics and pyrotechnics, and it would be nice if the film companies, distributors, and cinema chains did not enjoy a near monopoly, and it would be nice if the film companies themselves were not so perversely concentrated in one part of the country, but the special effects fantasy blockbusters are still best suited to the big screens, preferably with stadium seating and superior sound, and I certainly do not begrudge their proliferation at this time of year when those of us who must endure the worst brunt of the holiday season need to immerse ourselves, if only for a few hours, in the most outlandish escapism. Thus, I am looking forward to seeing (without apologies) the following:

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Narnia
• King Kong

Are there any I am missing? It almost reads like an Irish Triad, "Three things to watch at the end of the year..."

As shocking as it may seem, I am finally reading the Narnia books for the first time. I am reading them in the order suggested by C.S. Lewis, which means I finished The Magician's Nephew last night, and am now one third of the way through The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I saw the animated film version of the latter as a lad, and I've seen the BBC adaptation of the Chronicles of Narnia, and I have owned at least some of the books in the series for years, but only now with a new film about to be released have I been able to find the will to rearrange my reading priorities and move Narnia to the forefront. It's about time, eh?

I was hoping to update a few days earlier than this, but with any luck I'll post one or two more before the end of the month. I suppose I ought to consider transforming the Cuparium into a web log or journal at some point. I've tested a conversion of this page to CSS, but I'm not happy with the results, so I'll be taking it back to the drawing board, so to speak. I'm still not sure what I want. The problem is that it takes (me) so long to tinker with things, and time is a scarce resource.

Comrade Linnville, Danny Boy, and I are nearing the end of The Prisoner. Of the three of us, I am the only one to have seen every episode (first on CBC, then on videocassette), and now we are watching my DVD "Mega-set" of the series. I still consider it one of the best programs ever aired. We have three episodes left and Linnville, who has never seen the series before, is anxious to have the mystery revealed. Danny Boy has forgotten how the series ends, so he has quite a surprise in store for him. For those of you who want information, you can learn more about The Prisoner, the Village, and any number of things of interest at Six of One, the Web site of the Prisoner Appreciation Society.

I was distressed to learn that the second season of Deadwood will not be released on DVD until February 2006. That's longer than I expected, but since I'm still working my way through Lexx Series 3 and Gilmore Girls Season 4, I guess I can survive until then. Yes, I said Gilmore Girls. It's a great television show -- probably the best since Joan of Arcadia was unceremoniously cancelled (for political reasons, no doubt, but I shan't go into that now). I started watching it one day last year when I was very ill and bedridden, having come across it as I was changing channels. I've been addicted ever since. The dialogue is snappy and intelligent, the characters are interesting and multidimensional, the subtext is a sport in itself, and anyone who wants to mock me for watching this show is cordially invited to bite my scab.

That reminds me: The Adventures of Pete & Pete is now available on DVD. I should put that on my DVD wish list. I have higher priorities (such as Star Trek: The Original Series, Space 1999, The Avengers, Black Adder, Jeeves and Wooster, I, Claudius, Babylon 5, Crusade, Joan of Arcadia, etc.), but it's useful to have a reminder.

I saw the first episode of Alias Season 4 and promptly decided not to waste any more of my time on that series. It has been testing my patience and tolerance long enough. I am officially uninterested.

That concludes this update here at the Cuparium for Sunday, the 20th of November 2005. Thank you, and good day.