Friday

I'm home alone.

Matt's going to the pub, someone's leaving party. I'm working tomorrow so I'm not meeting him as I can't be trusted and I haven't had any grog for over three weeks now and would probably cause a scene! Going out on the lash tomorrow night, so will have a monster hang-over all day Sunday.

Our house buying is going to plan, the searches aren't finished but I've boxed up nearly everything I own (left out a stack of unwatched DVD's though). I'm so excited about moving and have got so many ideas for the rooms in the house. Think it's going to look very retro but not in a cheap, repro, lava-lamp kind of way. I've even been buying stuff off of ebay, items which aren't film related for a change.

Is Pete Burns really ill? After hearing stories of him running about in his knickers and his fight with a hotel leaving him in a mental state, I certainly hope not. I tried to listen to the interview he had (so I gather) on Capital FM (with Richard Bacon) but couldn't find it. I can't wait to get my hands on his book; 'Freak Unique', hope there's loads of 'never seen before' photos. My mate Julie sent some of hers to the DOA web site and I hope they publish them.

Aarrgghhh there's a whole load more DVD's and CD's been released that I must have. Lots of Peplum films have come out now in Europe, the majority of them with great picture quality, but only in the 'country of release' language. I've managed to get my hands on quite a few, thanks to ebay but wish that America would source these films and give them legitimate releases. I'm half way through watching Ed Fury in 'Ursus in the Valley of the Lions'...

Cooker's just broken, bloody hell. I bought some fat oven chips too.

Sundays indoors

Well, I haven't been here for a while. Been kind of busy doing nothing really.
Yesterday we hired a van and David drove us a hundred miles to Norfolk to pick up a kitchen seating unit and table we'd won on ebay. Our van was enormous and way too big for what we wanted, but better to be safe than sorry. Stopped off in Newmarket to get fish and chips (yay!) on our way back. The unit is so brilliant and was so worth all that effort, it's going to look great.
I've been boxing more and more stuff up for our eventual move, which I've enjoyed for some reason, maybe because I can't wait to leave this flat.

Stuff we've watched:

The first season of 'Department S' - totally in love with this show and I love all the characters, though how Jason King was ever considered a sex symbol is beyond me.

'Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla 2' ('Gojira VS Mekagojira' Directed by Takao Okawara 1993)
Brilliant except for 'Baby Godzilla', who was annoying (was he meant to be Godzuki?). Enjoyed seeing a Godzilla film again, as it's been a while. Rodan's there too and goes all glittery helping Godzilla after an attack from Mechagodzilla.

'Klondike Annie' (Directed by Raoul Walsh 1936)
Another Mae West film. Usual campery and fun. Love watching her walk and her facial expressions, she's hilarious.

'Superman 2' (Directed by Richard Lester 1980)
I love Ursa (Sarah Douglas) in this film, shame she doesn't get to scrag Lois Lane more often.

'To The Devil A Daughter' (Directed by Peter Sykes 1976)
I've seen this Hammer film a number of times, years ago but this was the first time I've viewed it on DVD. It's cool, yeah the ending is slightly rubbish, but you do get Honor Blackman (in a weird cloth headband), baby sacrifice, talk of witchcraft, evil Christopher Lee (as a deranged Satan worshipping ex priest), a quivering Denholm Elliott as the father of Nastassja Kinski (who gets her kit off), gorgeous Anthony Valentine oh and exploding pregnant women. DVD features a nice interview with most of those involved.

'Spartacus & Die Zehn Gladiatoren' ('Gli Invincibili dieci gladiatori', 'Spartacus and the Ten Gladiators' Directed by Nick Nostro 1964)
Possibly the most homoerotic sword and sandal I've ever seen with Dan Vadis and his nine merry men (fellow gladiators). Nice picture on the German language only DVD.

'Zimmer 13' (Directed by Harald Reinl 1964)
Okay-ish Edgar Wallace tale, usual stuff... with a very cool soundtrack though.

'...e tanta paura' (Directed by Paolo Cavara 1976)
With Corinne Clery and Michele Placido. Lots of nudity but little standard giallo stuff.

'Death Walks In High Heels' ('La Morte cammina con i tacchi alti' Directed by Luciano Ercoli 1971)
Watched this before but that was a dodgy bootleg with a real crappy picture, so it was a real treat to see it and it stars one of my favourite euro ladies, Nieves Navarro (as a stripper no less!). Great imagery, sets, costumes, scenery and a wonderful score. DVD released by NoShame (US) in a gorgeous box-set along with Ercoli's 'La Morte accarezza a mezzanotte' and a CD of superb tracks by Stelvio Ciipriani.

Victoria Wood's omnibus edition of 'Acorn Antiques'
Which I think is possibly, still, one of the funniest things ever.

"...all's well that ends well"

Well yes, that's me, I need another cup of my delicious home made tea...

DVD's

Thought it was about time I typed something here...

I'm busy at work and have had lots of laughs this week with David. Someone tried to break-in last night at the shop, it was quite exciting this morning - seeing all that broken glass everywhere. What could they possibly steal that anybody would want?
Emma is in town, I called her while she was in a changing cubicle, probably trying on warmer clothing than the clothes she's been used to in Abuja, the weather in London has been putrid this week.
Pete Burns autobiography gets published next month (yay!), I hope it's full of rare photo's and bitchy comments from Pete. (That's a safe bet).

Anyway stuff we (or I) have watched recently:

'Colpo in canna' ('Loaded Guns' Directed by Fernando Di Leo 1975)
Certainly one of the weirdest Italian crime films I've yet to see. It's a comedy really, but a pretty unfunny one. It starts off okay but gets more and more comedic. I had to fast forward the long drawn-out fight section at the fun fair and the plinky-plonky happy soundtrack grates (surprisingly for me) on your nerves. That said, you do get to see Ursula Andress fight, scheme and look foxy. Marc Porel is there too, looking cute but his role is wasted, he's a boxer turned acrobat and has a great apartment with a trampoline for a bed. DVD has a featurette with the director, who loved Andress, while the other technicians didn't.

'Sette orchidee macchiate di rosso' ('Seven Blood-Stained Orchids' Directed by Umberto Lenzi 1972)
Have seen this before, but not the German DVD edition (in the Edgar Wallace collection 8). What a fantastic giallo this is! It's got all the trademarks you want including a gorgeous soundtrack. Stars a fantastic looking Marisa Mell as twins, Uschi Glas and hunky Antonio Sabato who frowns a lot.

'Belle Of The Nineties' (Directed by Leo McCarey 1934)
God! This film is old. Very camp Mae West vehicle which sees her as a singer (guffaw) moving to New Orleans to perform. The usual gags and drag costumes but always a treat to see Ms West and her famous smutty lines.

'Hercules and the Princess of Troy' (Directed for TV by Albert Band 1965)
Another peplum I hadn't seen before. It was weird watching this as it's filmed in English rather than Italian and dubbed badly. Anyway it was a pilot for a show that never took off (well, it never started), starring more than capable Gordon Scott as our hero Hercules, this time involved in saving Troy (and it's Princess) from a make-and-do sea monster and some evil guys. Forgettable. Well, apart from the monster.

Mixed bag

Things seem to be ticking along nicely with regards to the house buying. Going to visit it again and check out their 'white goods' they want to sell to us.

Our friend Emma is back in the country soon after her stint in Nigeria (she's being posted to Delhi in a month). No doubt we will have evenings of drunken nonsense and catch up with her tales. Our other friend Bex (who was in Nigeria with Emma) is off to Azerbaijan for a year, which will be sad as we don't get to see her that often anyway...

I've got to extend my tattoo voucher as I'm not going to get inked in time, before it runs out. Aaarrrgghhh! Have decided I'm going to get Ursus done on my shoulder with some more cheese plant leaves, a skull with a bowler hat, some more wasps and possibly Guiron (of Gamera fame). Of course, this could all change. I am fickle after all.

Have won more great stuff on ebay, namely two Italian Brad Harris posters ('Gangsters per un Massacro' and 'Zambo'), plus a set of four large Italian lobbies for 'Ursus Gladiatore Ribelle' starring Dan Vadis. It's about time I wasn't outbid on some peplum stuff! Also have some DVD's, resin paperweights and more posters to come. Yippee!

Last night we watched the fantastic 'Horror Express' (Directed by Eugenio Martín in 1973) Have seen this plenty of times before, but not on DVD, the copy of which I picked up in Germany last year. I love this film! Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Helga Liné, Georges Rigaud and Telly Savalas and a defrosted alien caveman monster - what more could you want?