Posted by Growing up, our home town had one cinema, which had two screens. If you wanted to watch a film, you watched what was on. That’s the only possible explanation as to how we once found ourself watching Far and Away, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
Towards the end of the film, just as the plot was reaching its climax, the cinema lost visuals. The sound remained, but the picture went, returning some time later for about a minute of denouement.
No-one complained. Not one single person. Make of that what you will, Ron Howard.
We mention this only because today’s semi-final between Sri Lanka and the West Indies feels like the exact opposite of that. The Windies were well behind the run-rate, but that’s the way they pace a chase, counting on the Sammy factor to make up the shortfall in the last few overs. However, the match was rained off with our man at the crease, not having faced a ball.
Enter hero, music swells, film ends.
Meh. Rain was forecast. They should have adapted their strategy.
Still, nothing will beat Sammy hitting that six to beat Australia.
There is no possible Duckworth Lewis calculation for T20., because of its inherent unpredictability. Why even try?
There is. You just need to remember to carry over that factor of two.
that is a horrid way to decide a semi, and a horrid way to exit a tournament… but it won’t be the last time i’m sure. very disappointing though, the target was gettable under the circ’s
If the hero was being held over a pack of sharks, basic gravitational calculations should show that they died. This could then become the official ending.
Love the double use of “far and away” in this short piece, KC.
I noticed.
What was showing on Screen Two the day you chose to see Far and Away?
We asked ourself that very question but come up with nothing. We can only assume that it was an 18.
I miss our local cinema. I saw “Watch Out We’re Mad!” there as a child, possibly the greatest Spaghetti Western Dune Buggy Race film ever made. On the off-chance you don’t know this film (really?), two fellows share the prize of a dune buggy won in a race. I will let Wikipedia take up the story, as it adds more than I possibly could to the film’s atmosphere.
…Finally they decide to bet it in a “beer and sausages” duel in a luna park pub, in which “the first one that blow up lose the car and pay the tab.
The challenge is roughly interrupted by “Boss” henchmen, a building profiteer that wants to demolish the luna park for being able to replace it with a skyscraper. At the order of a henchman to “come out from the car, otherwise i will destroy this jalopy”, Ben and Kid disobey trying to fleeing, but instead the buggy is rammed by another car, being destroyed.
Resoluted to reclaim a new buggy (same as the destroyed one), the two come in the Boss restaurant, and here they say “…otherwise we’ll get mad!!”. After the two go away, the boss is disposed to buy a new buggy to compensate them, but is discouraged by the “Doctor”, a German-born Freudian psychologist: he believes that Ben and Kid are two spoiled children that think the boss is their father. To give in to their demand would be a bad psychological fallout. The Doctor exalts Boss wickedness, but he recommend to use it for something unsensed, unuseful.
Gloriously, it would appear that the whole film is available on YouTube…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xWEYFIrbZg
Magnificent! Thank you. I picked half-a-dozen scenes at random, and in every one the big bloke with the beard was punching someone, most likely a henchman. You know it’s a classic when you can do that.
(By the way, I do hope I haven’t spoiled the ending for everyone with the detailed explanation above. The exalted use of unuseful Freudian wickedness (German born) is truly special.)
Bert, So many good scenes in this film. I have been mesmerised for the last 30 minutes. I love the jousting scene around the hour mark and the casual disdain with which the bearded man toys with his opponents.
So, Virat Kohli. Lord Megachief of Gold elect.
don’t mention the c-word
Steady on, Cent old chap. There’s no need for that sort of talk.
who me? but i didn’t mention it {all innocence}
(hey, like it or not the saffers are well and truly stuck with that tag)
Virat Kohli,
Scores quickly not slowly.
He’s also regarded as a monumental pain,
by all of South Africa, especially Dale Steyn.
I love Clerihews, Spencer – well done.
Except there is a small flaw in yours, if I might be pedantic about it. Lines three and four are regular, which is highly irregular for a Clerihew.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerihew
Contributor Spencer
Made a posting worthy of a member of Mensa
Yet still some pedant accused him of Clerihews
Abuse
Faf Du Plessis
Is also worthy of a Clerihewesque essay
Because choke he and his Saffer team did
After being told “It’s not your night, again, kid”
Spencer thought his slightly Rioja influenced attempt at verse
Wasn’t bad,indeed could have been worse.
So off he went to bed,
Only to wake and find its defects in form and metre rightly pointed out by Ged.
Spencer’s rhyme
He thought was sublime
So he went off for a nap
Only to wake up to Ged pointing out to the world that his use of meter was crap
His use and spelling of it as well
A quick check reveals that “metre” is the correct British spelling, whereas “meter” is American. I feel dirty now.
Bert
Felt like dirt
When he learned that his orthography
Was more appropriate for transatlantic geography
Ged
Doesn’t own a bed.
Judging by the times
At which he posts comments on others’, and composes his own, rhymes.
Ged’s beds, to be precise
Are either king or emperor sized.
It’s just that Ged is hyperactive, not lazy
Much like Daisy.