Seen at the cinema:

Slumdog Millionaire
Seven Pounds
Valkyrie
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Franklyn
Watchmen
The Boat That Rocked
The Damned United
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Star Trek
Terminator Salvation
Public Enemies
Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince
Moon
Inglorious Basterds
The Time Traveler's Wife
Passchendaele

Trailer:



\O/ Woo! So glad this got a release - even if its a very small one in the UK - in London only (this is why its great to live in London I might add). Paul Gross - your really rather talented. For those that don't know he wrote, directs, and stars in this (oh and wrote a song for the end credits). I admit I lurk far more than I participate in Paul Gross and due South fandom but that doesn't mean I love it any less than those fandom's I am more active in. It feels like an old fashioned kind of romantic war movie but with modern cinematic photography - it is beautifully shot and the battle scenes are horrific as they should be. The best thing about this movie to me is its tone - it is careful not to judge. I perhaps went in thinking it would be pro-Canadian patriotism - and whilst that wouldn't be wrong given the historical story and in some parts it is - I was pleasantly surprised to find the hero of the story at odds with the propaganda its own army was dishing out to recruit young men in Canada to fight in WW1. It bought home how young men at this time would really have no way of understanding or knowing the true horrors of war and close range battle.

I still don't understand why Gross is not mega famous outside of Canada for his talents...

Movies 2009 - Seen at the cinema:

Slumdog Millionaire
Seven Pounds
Valkyrie
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Franklyn
Watchmen
The Boat That Rocked
The Damned United
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Star Trek
Terminator Salvation
Public Enemies
Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs



I could watch Scrat and his acorn antics for hours on end I swear. Still my favourite character. I've not seen Ice Age 2, but have seen the first one, and really the reason for the cinema ticket this time round -Buck the weasal voiced by Simon Pegg. Oh Simon, Buck is the most charming bossy and mad character I've seen in animal form :) I loved his over excited talk of the BEAST and DEATH. And the 'come on chop chop' English bossy boots talk of the weasal but not annoyingly so. Also Buck is the second character I've witnessed able to pick up clues by licking things.

Exhibit A - Buck
Exhibit B - Constable Fraser

(except with Buck it makes more sense :P )

I think I laughed the hardest at brocolli and the mobile phone/rock which only really makes sense in the context of the film so go and watch it! There's more ... but I can't remember it all. Oh, I loved Manny with the eggs - I thought that was such a simple idea but effective in symbolising how scary the responsibility of looking after babies must be. I saw this in 2D format. I've yet to see a 3D release (except in IMAX format).

Favourite Quote:
Crash: What's that noise?
Buck: It's the wind. It's speaking to us.
Eddie: What's it saying?
Buck: I don't know. I don't speak wind.

( May 16th 2009 )

^ Few people would look at this wine and be reminded of a Chicago cop who works with a Canadian mountie *dork*

stolen from sam80853. This has had me giggling for the last 15 mins:



Don't know who Paul Gross is? Maybe the first line from Wikipedia will help you understand:

Paul Michael Gross (born April 30, 1959),[1] is a Canadian actor, producer, director, singer and writer.

\O/ Yes, he really is all of those things. So your missing out if you've never seen any of his work.

Go to destroyerzooey journal for an article in which Edgar Wright discuss' his next movie based on the Scott Pilgrim comics here.

I went to Toronto last year visiting due South filming locations. What's the bet I end up returning to do the same thing for the Scott Pilgrim movie ;) Loved the city.

So yesterday I was so tired I actually slept until 4pm! Am I guilty of sloth? I wasn't feeling great mid week but still forced myself into going to work. My manager was ok with me taking a day off next week with short notice. I've only had 5 days off this year.

On Thursday I went to see a play directed by my good friend Jo. It was at the Brockley Theatre, and the play was Can You See Me Yet?, by Timothy Findley. Not a playwright I am familiar with but I really liked this. And yay for being introduced to some more Canadian culture. There was a reference in the play to Passchendaele which distracted my brain with thoughts of Paul Gross' upcoming movie about that event. Very exciting that it is opening the Toronto Film Festival this year. I hope the movie gets a UK release.

Talking of Paul Gross, been watching Canada TV's best export, due South DVDs and some episodes I've not watched in a while. Those being Mountie & Soul (love Ray K in this) and Bounty Hunter. It's making me want to go back to Toronto damn it.

Is anyone on my f-list going to RCW 139? It sounds like it will be a great event.

Posting a link to the yearly due South questionnaire. If you are a fan of the show please complete:

The Big due South LJ Fandom Poll 2008

This fandom was one of the reasons I joined LJ :)

Torchwood was great tonight. Love a bit of time travelling romance :) Best ep so far this season IMO. also, ( spoiler hidden under this cut )

Also, calling all talented Hot Fuzz fans - someone make a Nicholas Angel video like this one done for Benton Fraser. Simple idea, but a great one, and funny!. I really like it, I think you could easily do it for Angel too :) x-posted to sandfordpolice

DAY 5

Final day. Headed out on a streetcar to The Beaches and took in a final due South filming location nearby.

( Water plant - or a prison if you've watched due South. )

( The Beaches + Kew Gardens )

For the rest of the day we covered as much of Queen Street and Younge as we could though the weather was lousy with heavy rain. I found a great comic book shop and got myself a custom made t-shirt from Bang On - I chose a North West Territories design - it somehow seemed fitting ;)

( Comic book fans click here. )

We headed out to Yonge to find Sam The Record Man only to be sad to discover it had recently shut down. I've never even visted and felt sad reading the well wishers messages on display in the window. We had an early flight back the next day and so ate at the nearby restaurant of The Salad King as suggested by deepsix - thanks for the tip, never would have noticed it otherwise and much nicer than the fast food chains on Yonge. And then it was time to call it day, pack and get ready for an early flight back. The flight was fairly uneventful - I tried to sleep most of it and I was exhausted but had a superb time in Toronto.

That just leaves me with a message for all those at ds_noticeboard for all the advice, this one's for you:



Hope you enjoyed the photos/write up :)

More holiday snaps!

DAY 3

This was possibly the most geeky part of the holiday in walking what felt like miles in an attempt to find Fraser's 'apartment'. Ended up getting off at least 5 stops too early and walked what seemed like endless blocks along Bloor Street to get there but we did eventually. In fact my friend spotted the building before I did! It was an interesting walk however past university buildings and was a nice contrast to the other end of Bloor with all the expensive shops. Plus a celebrity sighting! Click cut below.

( Bloor Street. )

( 'It's central, convenient. I can walk to work in seven minutes.' 'Not without backup.' Fraser's apartment. )

Next was a visit to Casa Loma. It was interesting but I have to say I prefer the castles I've visited in England and Wales used for defence purposes - much more exciting. We chose not to go inside which you had to pay for to do so and I was saving my money for shopping the next day.

( Professor X's School For Gifted Youngsters )

From here we made our way to Spadina/College Avenue to find the Elmo Cambo bar that I'd seen mentioned in the Southbound - due South documentary. Famous in its own right for gigs by numerous famous bands. But along the way I got a sense of deja vue and spotted another due South location - see cut below.

( Ahh, so you want me to blend in with crowd. )

After grabbing some lunch at the nearby Red Room we took a streetcar through Chinatown and headed for the Entertainment District to take a look at the Canada Walk of Fame. I'd read that Fraser Sr. aka Gordon Pinset had been given a star but couldn't find it :( I did however find:

( Very nice people, these Americans. You hear these stories. )

After that we headed towards Nathan Phillips Square to discover that the Cascade of Lights Festival event was taking place. So instead of heading back to Chinatown to eat we stayed to watch the fireworks display. Very pretty it was too.

( Nathan Phillips Square area + fireworks. )

DAY 4

Spent shopping - mostly at the Eaton Centre. Ate the best chocolate croissant I've ever tasted from Kitchen Tree Market? ? Ate at Fran's Diner in the evening - excuse the ignorant tourist but for desert I had apple pie with the option of ice cream or cheddar. Cheddar? Cheese with Apple Pie?! Is that a Canadian thing? I've never seen that combined before! Watched the last 10 mins of the Grey's Cup final which seemed to be all anyone was talking about. The highlight for me though was seeing two real mounties on the telly delivering the cup to the winning team. I won't pretend to understand the game of American football. I much prefer watching ice hockey or even better nba basketball.

To be continued...

I'm back from Toronto! I had an amazing time, as did Lorraine who came with me. I will need more than one journal entry to cover all the details/photos. This is the first one. Am going to split the photos per holiday snaps and any that relate to my fandoms under the cuts to save bandwidth.

DAY 1

Mainly involved flying over there. Check in and out at airports was quick and easy - yay for travelling off peak! Watched The Simpsons Movie on the plane - much better than I expected it to be. Won't post more to save on spoilers. It was snowing when we arrived at Toronto and the cold temperature made me glad I'd packed my scarf and gloves in my hand luggage. Was pretty late when we checked into the hotel so we ate there and got an early night for the next day.

DAY 2

Early start on a very cold morning -6 degrees. But we headed on the subway to get to The Patrician Grill as suggested by carole_london, and nos4a2no9 for breakfast. We hit the morning rush hour but it was fun watching the locals get their usual orders etc. Can't say I envied the chefs being shouted at for endless orders. It wasn't until coming back and watching due South DVDs that myself and Lorraine realised the guy barking the orders was the same guy serving in Victoria's Secret! Shame we didn't realise. Although if I'm honest I'd of been too shy to ask anything about the filming, and he was a tad intimidating if only because he was making sure all his customers got served quickly.

( Where are you...going? - due South - Patrician Grill )

Next, we headed on the subway down to Union Station. Another filming location, but well worth a visit in its own right. I was hoping to visit the train track platforms just because it is the location of one of the most dramatic scenes in due South but sadly couldn't visit one without a train ticket. :( Whilst at the station we saw some filming take place for what was clearly Toronto standing in again for New York City. I guessed that because the scene we saw being shot involved an actor wearing a NYPD uniform. ;) It was all shot very quickly so not to get in the way of the public.

( Come with me. Union Station. )

Did the classic tourist location next and took the PATH system to the CN Tower. It actually took about 1 hour of queuing to get to the top. I'd hate to think how long it takes during peak tourist times. I was mildly amused by a pushy mother in front of me taking her son & daughter on a trip who did not stop talking once. Her daughter dared to ask her, "Why do you keep asking me so many questions?" Her reply, "Well honey, I know we are all on holiday but we must still learn new things and raise your I.Q." Felt sorry for the kid. It was worth the wait though to get to the top for some great views - see photos.

( CN Tower )

And sadly, these are the only mounties I came across during my stay:

( Everyone says he was the last of a breed. It's not true. You are. )

Next we decided to brave the cold weather and walk down to the Harbour Front because although it was cold the skies were clear and we hoped to get some nice photos of the area. And of course it's another due South filming location. :)

( Toronto Harbour )

We did plan to go The Beaches, but it was just too cold out by the lake to stay out for long so instead we decided to visit Queen's Park. We were too frozen to even walk back to Union Station to catch the subway so we got the next streetcar there instead. This actually turned out to be quite exciting because I had no idea that streetcars also ran underground which this one did to get back to the train station - A genius method of transportation. And avoids the traffic!

( Queen's Park )

Having walked through the park, my guide book recommended taking a trip to The Roof - a bar on the 18th floor of the Park Hyatt hotel for another great view of the city. So we did just that. And yes, I was aware that this hotel lobby may have also appeared in an episode of due South but its not the most exciting of locations so I didn't take any photos. The view from The Roof however was lovely. We were guided to a table to sit at. What my guide book failed to tell me was that the minimum table order was $60! I felt it was too late to back out having already sat down but I asked the waiter if this applied at all times. I think he could see we were not the average business customer that usually comes to the bar and because it was quiet allowed us to just order what we could afford. I thanked him kindly for that. And in returning am telling all who are reading this - go and visit and treat yourself to an expensive martini cocktail at this bar whilst enjoying the view. The martini was almost as good as the view, best I've tasted.

( The Roof - view of Toronto )

This photo is taken from The Roof and may amuse Spaced fans:

( And now I'm scared of dogs and lightening. And bamboo. )

Seeing as the hotel was on Bloor Street East I decided to walk further down towards Bay in the hope of finding Bay Street Video store. Thankfully it wasn't too far a walk and I managed to find it by following the instructions and recommendation given to me by deepsix as the place to buy my due South DVDs (for those wondering, I was specifically after the Canadian DVDs which provide subtitles, unlike the UK releases). You were right! They had all four seasons in stock which I immediately grabbed off the shelves with glee. *thank you* - without your advice I'd never have found all the seasons from other retailers.

( Thank you Kindly - due South DVDs )

After that headed back towards midtown to eat. Walked past a chain of The Pickle Barrel which I remembered had been suggested by meresy so decided to eat there despite the 30 minute waiting time. Talk about a big menu! Served everything under the sun so I can see now why its popular. Thanks for the tip :)

To be continued...

As of tomorrow I will have 8 consecutive working days off work. This will be the longest break I've had since Xmas last year. I'm ready for it. Even better on Thursday I travel to Toronto, Canada \O/.



thanks to the lovely due South fans over at ds_noticeboard for the tips. Can't wait :)

...about other fandoms.

Simon Pegg - I was not expecting this Pegg's Fatboy tops UK box office but it's great for all those involved in the movie :) Must've been the shorts ;) P.S. To the movie distributors - Please invest the profits into some nice extras for the DVD release.

Superman - so Smallville might not be my favourite Superman tv show but you gotta hand it to them for getting great guest stars. Looking forward to this one:



due South - recorded the Paul Gross movie Buried on Sunday - have managed to get half way through watching it, and will try to finish it! It's er, odd to say the least. Paul looks waaay to pretty, and young!

Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip - still loving this show, and Heroes though having to record both this week as am sooo tired and should get an early night.

Latest ponderings on my fandoms under the cuts.

( You know you really shouldn't smoke Miss Lane: Superman )

( Life on Mars )

( I first came to Chicago...: due South )

( Peggmeister: Frost/Pegg/Wright )

So I had a go at making some multi-fandom icons:

Hot Fuzz meets due South:

Sadly the first one is above 40K so not available for LJ use. Damn :-| its tough keeping the file size down!



Superman meets Doctor Who:



What'd you think? Does the concept work?

stolen from sam80853

Character Pairing Genre Bob: You're going to shoot a Mountie? They'll hunt you to the ends of the Earth. Fraser/Thatcher: They snog on top of a runaway train. Seriously. How much more romantic can you get? Crackfic: Okay, clearly due SOUTH falls into the genre of magical realism, and the magic's the important part. Do the meme!