Month: February 2012

But is it art?

Posted on by boj Posted in Books, Film

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Costume drama

I don’t really talk about it much with people who don’t share this particular interest but I really like costume drama. While I avoid Merchant-Ivory like the plague, I will happily watch most period pieces I have the opportunity to see.

I got a bit stumped the other day when Charissa asked me what I think of Downton Abbey. My immediate reaction was to say that it is bad. I then qualified that response by admitting that I like it. This schism exists amongst my period piece following friends though few are fence sitters like me. Some think it is absolute rubbish and wonder at the nerve ITV/PBS have in producing it and others think it is the best thing on TV right now.

I have been trying to come up with a way to explain my feelings about this show, and even “worse” shows like Larkrise to Candelford which I fatefully follow. Downton Abbey has high production values. The costumes and settings are gorgeous. Acting is first rate, after all, I have never seen actors like Maggie Smith or Brendan Coyle be anything other than dazzling. The writing is good quality but not great and it is here that my criticism stems from.

In my mind, a period piece television drama is not in competition with other like dramas but with all other period pieces on television within last ten years (decade is a random delineation on my part but whatever, bear with me). This means that it competes with other shows that have the same production values but are based on classic literature. The writing of Downton Abbey can’t compete with, say, Daniel Deronda (I am just thinking of whatever show I saw last). Then there are costume dramas that are not based on classics but are nevertheless based on writing that was successful in novel form prior to being filmed such as the Hornblower or the Sharpe series. Then there are films such as The Cock and Bull Story, The Libertine and The Last Mistress which are really fantastic (in my opinion anyway).

For me, Downton Abbey is something that is enjoyable to watch if you have already seen all the great stuff and still want more or just want to see a fun and easy show to relax to. I would not recommend it to someone who does not regularly watch period pieces regardless of whether I never miss an episode or not.

Book review – “The Game”

Posted on by boj Posted in Books

I think four books is the most I have managed to read for any given Canada Reads season. As I have read four books again this year, I would say that this is a good year. I am also very pleased with the way they published the debates online. Despite expectation to the contrary, I found the debates more interesting to watch than to only listen. Also, by adding an extra section of debate to the video, CBC managed to counteract the superficiality of the relatively short air time they usually have for the show. Form now on, I will only watch the debates online. Canada Reads remains my favourite (and only) reality show.

I enjoyed the last of the four books, Ken Dryden’s “The Game”. I can very well believe that it is the best book about hockey ever written. I am still glad “Something Fierce” won the Canada Reads contest. In fact, I would vote for “Prisoner of Teheran” and “The Tiger” above “The Game” if it were up to me. I am still glad I read “The Game”. It is a very intelligent and introspective book and it gives a good insight into a Canadian public figure especially since Ken Dryden continued on to be involved in politics etc. I found the bits about hockey strategies and the team members pulling pranks a bit long winded, but then again I am not as big a hockey fan as to be interested in that. I enjoyed his take on the kids playing hockey, the violence in hockey, the financial aspect and the discussion of the background of the different team members. Prior to reading this book, I only knew Scotty Bowman as my english teacher’s older jock brother, it was interesting to read about him from a different perspective.

Book review – “The Tiger”

Posted on by boj Posted in Books

The first episode of the Canada Reads is today and I have finished three of the books, I am more than half way through “The Game” and I have not been able to get my hands on “The Cold Road”.

I liked “The Tiger”. The story under discussion would, if written succinctly, take up no more than twenty pages without missing any details. The book discusses many other aspects from the nature of the Russian Far East to history of modern hunting and effects of poverty. The result is the book that is equally fascinating and annoying. It reads something like this:

“The hunters have been tracking the tiger for days. They saw him and he was about to pounce. Before I tell you what happens next, let me spend five or six pages on Sino-Russian politics over the last hundred years.”

Can you say choppy narrative? Despite being choppy, the discussion is well placed and the author definitely manages to paint a picture very successfully. Good read though the narrator intrudes much more than I would wish.

But where is the pretty?

Posted on by boj Posted in Bike

Ever since the days have been getting longer, I have been missing biking something fierce. I do have a “winter bike” in the garage, but it is not winterized enough to handle whatever is on the roads right now (ice covered with slush) and Markus is still not old enough for me to have enough time to just myself, I have not been using it.

My dad sent me the picture of this bike the other day and I took a look into it. For one thing, this bike gets it exactly right (by my standards) as far as accessories go. It has:
– rear rack
– integrated 7 speed hub
– fenders
– chain case
– lights
– hub dynamo (I have never seen this standard on any bike. I actually went to the store to have my bike fitted with it but the store owner talked me out of it because it is non standard for my bike and very expensive)

I absolutely love that it has all these features and it is a step-through.

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The price on the handlebar translates to just under $1000 in Zagreb. I looked this bike up and there is a store in Toronto that carries the brand and these bikes go for $1300 in the States (so more in Canada).

On one hand this bike is very much for people like me. It has all the features that I would want on the bike except for one – looks. This bike is not intended for sporty people and yet it is painted for the lycra set. I don’t get it. It is like the otherwise perfect purse that is made to look like a plastic bag on the outside. Maybe it is made for women who want to feel sporty without breaking a sweat.

This bike is a more upscale version of the Africa I am currently riding. Apart from having lights and dynamo hub (drool), I am assuming that it is a smoother and faster ride because it has more gears (7 rather than 3), bigger wheels and it is one of those posh brands that girly transportation blogs write about. It is aluminium which makes it lighter, but I prefer steel so that’s a draw. on the other hand, my bike is half (or even third) of the price and it looks more stylish. Big drawback of both bikes is that I can’t fit three kids on either.