Seen & heard: August

Seen...

1. I'm a complete and utter sucker for musicals.  Where some people cringe at the cheese, I revel in it.  And I adored Pitch Perfect, which is a sort of Glee-goes-to-college movie, and therefore amazing.  Anna Kendrick and Skylar Astin were great as the romantic leads, but of course Rebel Wilson stole the show as Fat Amy ("I call myself that so twig bitches like you don't do it behind my back").  Definitely the best film of the month, in a month of excellent films.

2. Sarah recommended Robot & Frank a while ago, and it's a lovely little film.  Set in the near future, Frank is an ageing cat burglar whose children worry about his memory loss.  The answer?  Employ a robot as a healthcare assistant.  Frank initially resists this idea, but when he discovers that the robot has not been programmed to regard burglary as wrong, he realises that he might have found the perfect partner in crime...

 3. I watched Whip It for about the sixth time because I wanted The Boy to see it.  I never get bored of this film, and when I stopped to think about it I realised that one of the reasons I love it is that is smashes the Bechdel test (as does Pitch Perfect, when I think about it).  Yes, main character Bliss spends some of the film thinking and talking about a guy, but it's by far the least important plot strand. Her journey to becoming a roller derby star is the heart of the film, and her conversations -  about derby and about life, but rarely about love - with the strong women she rolls with are key.

4. You know when I said I'm a sucker for musicals?  I really, really meant it.  I LOVED Rent when I saw it on stage years ago - so much so that I went three times in a week - and I also love the film.  My idea of a good night in on my own is pyjamas, popcorn, laptop propped on my knees in bed, and the Rent DVD.  I start crying during the opening number Seasons Of Love and usually weep on and off through the rest of it, culminating in wrenching sobs when (SPOILER!) Angel dies and during the last song.  Yes, maybe I am weird to so enjoy a good cry, but it's cathartic no?

Heard...

I'm still obsessing over Arctic Monkeys new material, this month Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?  All of the singles from the new album are SO good, I can't wait to hear the whole thing.

I've also been listening to a lot of Smashing Pumpkins and Hole.  Trying to reclaim my youth maybe?