Day off.

One of the less endearing facets of this youthwork gig is the working from home. For those who aren’t aware, my wife and I live in a cosy (read, “small”) one-bedroomed flat, which means my office is the desk in the corner of the bedroom. Now, I’m not really complaining as we are fortunate enough to own rather than rent, and we’re bang in the middle of Edinburgh, but it does mean the work/play boundaries can get a little blurred, and it can be difficult to leave the work alone on my (nominal) day off.

So today, and I have every intention of making this a habit, I returned to one of my favourite places: the cinema. Those of you who even slightly try to keep up with my musings here (I make it a point of faith that there are one or two of you out there) will be aware that I like to watch movies, and then I like to babble on about what I thought of them. So here goes…

This evening was my second viewing of Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl. Yup, second viewing in three days. After a summer of resoundingly disappointing filmic ‘entertainment’ (The Matrix: Reloaded, Hulk, T3), this movie made up for it all. Actually, I reckon it’s the best thing I’ve seen at the movies since The Two Towers. Certainly the best summer blockbuster since… well, that I can think of, actually. It doesn’t take itself at all seriously, which is the secret of the fun. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley make a gorgeous screen couple. Geoffrey Rush makes every “Arrr!” a perfect moment. And as for Johnny Depp. Johnny Depp left me with a big kid’s grin on my face throughout the entire film. Every mincing movement, every slurred word was perfectly timed comic genius.

The action doesn’t let up throughout the running time, and the sword fights are spiced up by the frequent waltzes through shafts of moonlight to let the CG guys earn their keep (just go see it - you’ll understand).

I could rant on all night about how much I enjoyed this film. It impressed me so much I wanted to leave this post until I’d seen it a second time to make sure I didn’t lay it on too thick, but… I did get it right.

I may have to invest in one of those UGC subscription cards. The flicks looks like becoming a staple of my time off. What would I do without the cinema?