The Gap Between The Pauses

I've been rewatching the first series of Game Of Thrones. There's an extended scene in episode seven "You Win Or You Die" that properly introduces the character of Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance). I don't know the books and I see online that there is much to be made about the fact that Tywin is skinning a stag and that it is the sigil for House Baratheon, so there's plenty o' symbolism for those who want it, but I thought it was excellent for other reasons. Doubtless my vegetarian and vegan friends will find the whole thing a turn off, doubtless anyone who has ever skinned a game animal would say Charles Dance was make a right hash of things, but showing Tywin doing something so ordinary with a connection to death was solid television story-telling.   We often see hunting in fantasy/medieval drama but rarely do we see the mundane and bloody result. To see Tywin just going at his task while lecturing his son Jaime was more or less the equivalent ...

It's Friday, my 7.30am to 7.30 pm work day. I get home, eat dinner and fall asleep on the sofa. I wake up hours later and 27 DRESSES is on the telly. I've never seen 27 DRESSES. And it turns out that Katherine Heigel's character has somehow ruined the wedding of Malin Akerman's character. Judy Greer is there also and although this usually means her character was to blame somehow, it seems no, this time it's Katherine Heigel. This accords to my own movie tastes because Katherine Heigel is pretty much the worst thing that can happen to a movie. I never believe in any of her characters for even a nano-second. I am sure I am projecting here, but all Heigel characters seem to be a thin veneer over the real Heigel who is beaming out this message, "Get a load of me in that last scene? Cool, huh? I grabbed it and nailed it, baby. " I am willing to concede that her inner monologue probably isn't quite so influenced by Sinatra's Rat Pack as I...