Zombie Column: Multi-review

I got to a number of entertainment events in the past while (and strangely few Christmas parties, but that'll change soon enough). They had nothing to do with each other, so it's a multi-review instead of a mega-review. I'll start with the most recent and go in reverse chronological order, because why not. This past weekend, after much waiting and finding no one to go with, I finally went to see Skyfall. First, allow me a few 007 puns.

Headline after Daniel Craig was hired: Blond, James Blond.

What does he invest money in? Bonds, Savings Bonds.

How does he reconnect with distant kin? Bond, family bond.

At this point in time, we know what we're going to get with a Bond flick: He beds three women (one of them on the bad guys side), there's a vehicular chase of some kind (usually cars, but The World is Not Enough had boats), and gadgets that are unusually handy, but only once (although the recent movies have toned down the gadgets). This one sticks pretty close to the checklist, even if it takes things from other movies as well. I noticed influences from The Dark Knight, Live Free or Die Hard, and just about every episode of Burn Notice (including the shotgun shell light with light bulb bases. That's always a good homemade spy weapon).

Still, just because it's derivative doesn't mean it's not good. I liked those three I just listed, so put them all together and you'd get something good as well (just don't try this with ice cream and bacon. Seriously). The acting is good, the humour is funny, and the girls are pretty. Even if there were too many contrived coincidences (the villains plans were kind of built on them), it's still a theatre movie for me.

Oh, I should mention that previews included A Good Day toDie Hard (I'm all in on this. ALL IN!), Django Unchained (maybe. I still think Quentin Tarantino is wildly overrated, but I'm a Jamie Foxx fan), Gangster Squad (probably not) and Iron Man 3 (Yes. Duh).

Friday night I went to see Handel's Messiah with a few friends. I always have to remember to say Handel's as well, because if I tell people I'm just not that into The Messiah, they assume I'm an atheist. Thanks a lot, Handel! Way to ambiguously name your masterpiece. Anyway, I'm not that into Handel's Messiah, but I figured it would be healthy for me to take in cultural events and be with other people. Plus, it's fun to go with people for whom it's their favourite piece of music (at the moment, mine's probably Fireand Honor by Audiomachine). I may not have fallen asleep at any point, but there were definite moments where I was trying to do 3D trigonometry in my head (angles on Tetrahedrons are no fun without paper). Still, I stood up in the proper places (mainly because other people also stood up) and avoid laughing too obviously at the choral members who forgot their songbooks (two of them. Sitting there, without books. Surrounded by 130 people who remembered. Awk-ward). Whoops. And I didn't make too many jokes at the expense of the last song. It's the one with all those meandering Amens. Most Elaborate. Prayer. Ending. Ever.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of watching a two-man play called Twinkle. I kept getting confused if it was Twinkle or Tingle, and was relieved when I didn't portmanteau the words into Tinkle ("Yeah, I went to Tinkle at a friends house last night." "Um, what?"). It's an intergalactic interactive improvised Christmas trip through the stars, or something. It's small enough to be performed in a house, so a nifty place called the House of Commons hosted (no relation to the government). It's also a kid-friendly play, so we were encouraged to think like kids (It’s slightly alarming how easy that was for me). And yes, I got to participate, as did most other people. I got to wear a Darth Vader mask as a Darth Vader-like villain (I'm assuming for copywrite reasons). I discovered it's impossible to wear that mask and not talk like James Earl Jones. Fun times were had by all, and my only quibble is that I'm not sure how many kids would get the "Open the pod bay doors." reference. Mind you, I'm not sure how many adults would either.

So that's my recent entertainment activities. Christmas will be here soon, and I'm sure that will leave at least some time to watch movies, so look for more Zombie Columns soon!