figgins

Weird mail arrived Thursday 4th Feb. My name was on the envelope, and an address a few doors down. It was the kind of thing you often get as email spam, but printed out, photocopied, and many pages of the stuff. Nothing offensive, but weird. I'd ignore it, but I'd like to know where this joker got my name from... Anyone else had anything like this?

I complained via the website a week ago. No reply. Yesterday we got our first post for seven days - but still no sign of two magazine subscriptions. We rarely get anyone else's mail, and to be honest this is the first prolonged period where we've had problems.

OK - "most" films might not be shot digitally, but they are certainly edited digitally. So - shot on celluloid, transferred to digital, then transferred back to celluloid. As for CGI animation, yes, if projection is digital, then no "film" is ever involved. And, as for "Man on Wire" - film of the year, mate, film of the year.

Jeremy - that's right: almost all films these days are shot and/or edited in a digital format, so putting them back onto celluloid is kind of a retrograde step. I've seen Iron Man, Wall-E and Man on Wire in digital, and they were all fine. Crisp images, very bright colours, no dust specs, no reel-change-jumps. For Wall-E I was in the front row and had no issues with the projection/image quality at all.

Going off-topic a bit, but my recent experience of digital screenings (in the West End) has been excellent. I would make an effort to see the digital rather than analogue screening of a film if at all possible.

"For Pete's sake! What could he do? Threaten to paper cut you with a ticket? If you're being shortchanged in any way when it comes to service, complain, there and then! Get real." Ha ha. "What could he do?" Good question. I just like to start my morning without having a row with a bus driver, if that's OK with you.

I have noticed this several times. Hate to hassle the bus driver about it though, as he could then make my journey hell.

Now there's a challenge. Can't make this week, but might be tempted next week. What prize(s) are on offer?

Only time I went to the peckham 'plex it was full of kids using their phones. Grrr. Have never been since. Have things improved?

"The inquiry is at 10am on Tuesday 29 January 2008" Well, that's convenient. Should ensure that ninety per cent of the people who would like to go, don't.

Congratulations. With that out of the way, time to remember the wise words of John Peel RIP. When offered an honour, his first reaction was to think "I will turn it down". He then had visions of himself sitting in the pub in later life, regaling the assembled company with "They offered me an OBE but I turned it down..." Assembled company: "Yeah, right..." Don't turn it down.

Here's an idea - how about more pubs/bars NOT Having DJs? Just a thought... Quite like the Upland on Sundays...

-- moved topic --

Now that sounds good, *bob*. Glad it's not just me who gets tired of: a) only one veggie "option" b) ****'s cheese c) spinach and ricotta pasta d) roasted vegetables. I think a place like Eat and Two Veg on LL would be splendid.

Goat's cheese and red onion marmalade. It's the 21st century version of veg lasagne.

Green and Blue, eh? Never actually been there. Will have to try it. Thanks.

The first rule of vegetarian club is: no goat's cheese. The second rule of vegetarian club is: NO GOAT'S CHEESE. So, does anyone know of any decent veg food on LL? Our experience so far has been pretty dire. Ate at the Plough last night, or tried to... mmmm... "garlic" mushrooms with no garlic, lentil and spinach burger burned to a crisp, horrible fries. Recent veg sunday roast at the Uplands was smothered in meaty gravy. I find it hard to believe that our only options are the tex mex place (which I do like, but it's hardly a night out) the greek/turkish place whose name I forget, and a pizza in the EDT, Magdala or Gowland. Any suggestions?

"cut and pasted it from an e-mail sent to us by our Senior Partner"... Sorry, but that just makes it sound even more like a hoax, to me. It's the most senior members of staff in my place who fall for this sort of thing every time. Agree with the poster who gets annoyed with banks ringing us and asking us to prove who we are. You rang me, FFS!

Anyone know any more about this? I spoke to a PCSO on Wednesday night (28th) and he said, "the official line is - there has been a burglary." He would say no more...

Funny Bones is one of those films I have always wanted to see and never gotten round to... one day... Another classic that was on TV again recently, is Grosse Pointe Blank. So many great lines, brilliant action, excellent stuff all round.

For an opposing POV on the original Funny Games (haven't seen the remake/photocopy)... I really really hated it. It's patronising, insulting to the audience's intelligence, and pretentious. The director wants to have his cake and eat it: ie he depicts nasty violence throughout and then castigates his audience for watching violent movies. Fine by me, Michael: if you'd rather I never paid to see any of your films ever again, so be it. He clearly has a loathing for his audience and instead of not making films any more, and doing something more useful, he just carries on churning the stuff out for the same middle classes whom he so obviously hates. Without whom, of course, he'd be out of a job. Poor chap. All that said, I actually thought Hidden was rather interesting (though still packed with self-loathing)...

Often quite empty during the week, very full on a Friday. The decor is naff and tatty, the food is not exactly haute cuisine, but I still like it.

It's a fine, unpretentious place. I have no idea if "real" Mexican food is anything like this stuff, having never been to Mexico, but I like it anyway. Cheap and, indeed, cheerful.

The Bourne films really are good, aren't they? Can also recommend (from recent releases) Children of Men, Zodiac, Volver, Pan's Labyrinth, The Counterfeiters...

I loved This is England. Film of the year, far as I'm concerned. Brilliant acting, music, direction, dialogue. "What's wrong with yer trousers, love?" "Look at the ****ing size of 'em!" Thought Rataouille was rubbish. Hey! It's a rat who's also a chef! And he hides in a chef's hat and pulls the guy around by his hair and gets him to cook! FFS... Charlie - have you seen Lady Vengeance? What did you think?