Arts

Film: Belleville Rendez-Vous

"A new dimension in boredom," declares MarcoB on IMDb. I can see where he's coming from. If you're looking for a dizzily paced cartoon packed with sight gags, stick to Pixar's output; a film with less than ten lines of dialogue is never likely to lift you from your slumber.

On the other hand, if you stick with it, you may find Belleville Rendez-Vous is a real treat: a dark, toe-tapping film animation made for adults.

Try not to go into this one with too much hype in your head. Relax, tap along in time with the music and I dare you not to be captivated by Bruno's doggy dreams.

Arts

Film: Intolerable Cruelty

One view on this film: "The trailer wasn't so hot, but it's the Coen Brothers and that's all I need to know."

Personally I don't think I've seen enough of the Coens' work to hold them in such high respect as others do. (Wait: this is the fourth film of theirs I've seen; maybe it's time to make a judgement call.)

So here it is... a glamorous, beautiful screwball comedy. There are a few missed cues (the character of Herb Myerson pushed taste boundaries a little too far for me), but on the whole it's a wonderful, well-paced film.

Personal

Another artistic weekend

The return match, Nicola's been in Woodbridge this weekend finding out what it means to live in the flatlands. (But at least Suffolk's not as flat as Cambridgeshire.)

What's on offer when you visit Angel Lane for a long weekend, then? This week's specials included two films, two walks (three and eleven miles), two National Trust properties (of which one was educational, the other inspirational) and a sophisticated evening out. Season that with a little home cooking, rather more eating out (hmm, best fix that next time), some fine wine, exceptional conversation and a dash of Skye's best.