Ogres don't live happily ever after

[alexsarll]

Took a half day yesterday, wandered along the Mall and found the wartime HQ of the Free French in Carlton Gardens. I feel rhodri should relocate there in the interests of historical accuracy and utter luxury. Made my way up through the heart of town to the British Museum. I have never made any kind of systematic investigation of the Museum because when you have ready access to it, that would seem to spoil the fun; instead I make occasional semi-random forays. Last time I was amazed to discover the Sphinx's beard, an artefact I would have thought should be the subject of an Indiana Jones or Lara Croft expedition rather than sat quietly in Bloomsbury. This time, I wanted to take a look at the (fairly disappointing) exhibition of badges (not, as the information desk thought I had asked, an exhibition of badgers - "though if you do have one of those I'd love to see that too"). But as I wandered around I discovered they had a whole room of exhibits from the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. When I learnt about the Seven Wonders, and that six were destroyed, I had thought them destroyed; I didn't expect I'd one day find whole friezes and statues within walking distance of work. A few allegedly significant stones, maybe, but they have a pretty much intact 20 foot tall statue of Maussollos - a man who died more than two millennia ago yet still has a Manics song named after him. No wonder he looks vaguely self-satisfied.

I also saw Shrek 2. Most of you seem to have seen this, and I don't want to spoil anything for the remainder (who ought to go and see it immediately, if not sooner) so I shall restrain myself to saying that while I liked the original a lot, this I loved; it's up against Laputa for Best Animated Film I Have Ever Seen.

Comments

[guntrip.livejournal.com]

Based soley on seeing both only the once, I far more enjoyed Shrek 2 than the original.

[violentbec.livejournal.com]

i've been to the mausoleum of harlicarnassus. it's kinda disappointing and enraged me that the damn christians stole the best bits to build their freakin castle. peons.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

As in, you've been to the original site?

The Christians do have an awful lot on their conscience, architecturally.

[violentbec.livejournal.com]

aye yes, in bodrum, a ferry ride away from didum.
where i shall be a week today.
DUDE!

[angelv.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Shrek 2 was fantastic! Can't believe some people thought it actively Bad and Wrong. Peons. No offence, Martin.

[thermaland.livejournal.com]

I thought it was just good but not great. Terrible soundtrack though, terrible, apart from a couple of disco classics.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

TOM WAITS! NICK CAVE! (Both of them hybridised in one PIRATE body!) 'Changes'! 'Funky Town'! 'Ever Fallen In Love With Someone You Shouldn't Have Fallen In Love With'! You're so wrong it shines with a black and terrible light.

[martylog.livejournal.com]

I have already been slagging it off again below, actually!

[angelv.livejournal.com]

I saw, yep - think we will just have to wrestle agree to disagree with this one.

[martylog.livejournal.com]

All this Shrek 2 love is making me feel like the most miserable curmudgeon in the world as I thought it was an appallingly lazy piece of work. Didn't really care for it at all, though there were some decent gags towards the end.

I've not seen Laputa, so can't comment, but here's a list of animated feature films which I consider vastly superior to Shrek 2, off the top of my head, in no particular order:

Pinocchio (Disney)
Sleeping Beauty (Disney)
The Thief and the Cobbler
Toy Story 2
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Secret of NIMH
An American Tail

I could go on.

[pippaalice.livejournal.com]

I don't understand how ANYONE could not love it. Madness. ;)

[martylog.livejournal.com]

Sorry for being evile!

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

The two Disneys and American Tail I remember fondly but have no urge whatsoever to see again. I adore Nightmare (goth!) but think of it too much as part of Christmas to assess it indepently. I've not seen Toy Story 2, though I'd very much like to, or the other two there.

I was so impressed that they'd managed to make something which references all the old tales and films knowingly, yet without sacrificing the sense of wonder. It's not often anyone beats Alan Moore on home turf but having recently reread Smax, which attempts a similar mishmash of fairytales in one setting, I think this managed it.

[martylog.livejournal.com]

I suppose part of my problem with Shrek 2 (and the first one, which I also mostly disliked), is the button-pressing, the way the filmmakers lazily throw in feel-good pop songs when we're supposed to be feeling good etc. All the topical references are going to date the film very quickly indeed, and the level of cynicism (admittedly more pronounced in the first one than this one) just strikes me as unnecessary in a family movie.

But I won't rain on the parade any longer -- I suppose I'm just a bit old-fashioned and it's down to personal taste. I prefer a timelessness in animated cinema, and a sense of escapism and wonder - animated cynicism and spoofery have their place on the small screen in things like The Simpsons or South Park.

[rentaghost31.livejournal.com]

There are bits of the temple of Artemis left too. I've been there.
Got your email, thanks.

[violentbec.livejournal.com]

ooh yes me too!
when did you go?
i'm going to turkey next week!!! stoked is not the word!!!

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

In Ephesus? Yes, I've seen that. Very fragmentary, and I expected the other five would all be that way...a few sorry ruins. Seeing so much of the Mausoleum intact amazed me.

[rentaghost31.livejournal.com]

Ephesus itself is pretty amazing though.

(I was there a few years ago, bec.)

[tintintin.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed S2, although I am loathe to say it's the Best Animated Film EVUR or anything (because it's not - DUMBO is the best animated etc etc, or maybe SPIRITED AWAY).

As for the Mausoleum, it's an amazing piece of statuary and was the thing that turned tombs from functional icons a la the pyramids into grandiose and utterly decorative works of art.

No bugger knows exactly what it looked like, though. Basically it's boxy with columns and friezes and statues, and that's all anyone's got to go on. Hawksmoor had a good go with the spire/steeple of St George's Bloomsbury (the same spire that appears in Hogarth's GIN LANE), which is a representation of the Mausoleum. Good old Hawksmoor - putting pagan iconology onto some of the most important churches in London (see also: the obelisk 'spire' atop St Luke's).

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Dumbo was influential, sure, but even watching it as a child I wasn't moved like I was watching Shrek 2 last night. I've not seen Spirited Away yet but am very much pro-Miyazaki so I'm sure it deserves the props.

Hawksmoor was an utter genius, clearly, and the obelisk atop St Luke's is probably the best knob gag in history.

[rhodri.livejournal.com]

I always thought that this was the London HQ of the Free French. You learn something every day.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

They were based in a 404?

Actually, my one may just have been where they were founded. I just liked the idea of you moving your operations there in the name of continuity.

[kitty-collar.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the Shrek 2, but everyone keeps going on about it and saying it's ace. This happened a while back with Shaun of the Dead, which I never got to see. A pattern emerging there, marvellous.

xxx

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I am sure plenty of people you know will purchase DVDs of both so you shall get your chance!

[papamoomin.livejournal.com]

I've been forced to watch Shrek too many times to make the prospect of watching Shrek 2 overly exciting. I'd like to throttle that donkey...