Hugo

In an ethereal Paris between the world wars, a slight orphan boy lives a hidden life within the mechanisms of the clocks in a railway station.

Lemming

Handsome French couple Alain and Bénédicte Getty invite Alain’s new boss Richard and his wife over for a meal. Their guests run so late the handsome couple are about to give up and have a quickie on the sofa when the doorbell rings. Richard is very embarrassed but agrees to continue with the evening, returning from his idling car with the emotionally skelletal Alice, who lurks narrowly behind her sunglasses at the dinner table until mentioning her husband’s penchent for whores, hence their tardiness. Richard is very embarrassed, unsurprisingly, as are their hosts. Then she throws her wine in his face. Dinner ends abruptly. That night, Alain finds a dead lemming clogged down the kitchen sink U-bend.

Yet Another Three Reviews

The now customary triliogy (as I used to put it) of InMadrid-aimed book reviews – recorded here for posterity in order of appreciation by me. The last such set for the time being – life is too busy to spend on something so trivial as high literature…

Push

A special young boy escapes the clutches of a shadowy and strangely powerful organisation only through his father’s ultimate sacrifice – for this specialness runs in families and this is the only way the boy can break free from their oppressive attention. Many years later the man he has become ekes out a living on the street using his own strange power: telekinesis.

Basic Instinct 2 – Base Instincter

I barely remember Basic Instinct, apart from a doggy-style and an ice pick. I think I saw it out of the corner of my eye while revising at university – I’m sure it was total shit though, and I listen to Bill Hicks the way credulous people listen to God, so don’t ask me to justify the assumption.

Sunshine

There is much to be admired in the Danny Boyle/Alex Garland sci-fi spectacle Sunshine, but when it got to the end I was a little disappointed. It looks gorgeous throughout and the awesome opening sequence is a real scene-setter. I often say we can expect flawless effects as a basic minimum now and Sunshine does its bit here to perfection – very nicely realised, if a little reminiscent of The Core in the closing minutes…