Enten, eller, begge eller ingen.

Jeg som synes jeg har blogget så mye i det siste… Det har visst vært på bokbloggen alt sammen.

Slike jenter (en blogg som anbefales) har funnet seg et meme som jeg jo like gjerne kan stjele:

Bok eller magasin
Bok. Surprised?

Kompis eller venninne
Ja takk, begge deler. Jeg har alltid hatt gode venner av begge (jeg hadde nær sagt “alle”) kjønn.

Kjole eller bukse
Bukse. Liker å gå i kjole, også, men det blir mest bukser.

Løst hår eller i strikk
Hvis det er langt nok: Strikk. Men nå klipper jeg det før det blir så langt.

Kaffe eller te
Kaffe.

Sminke eller ikke
Ikke. Jeg har sminke. Jeg bruker den sikkert i hvert fall én gang i året.

Billige eller dyre klær
Både óg. Jeg betaler selvsagt helst minst mulig, men er villig til å betale mer for kvalitet og for bærekraftighet (økologisk og/eller fairtrade). Jeg kjøper lite klær, så det er viktig at det jeg finner varer en stund.

Fredag eller lørdag
Lørdag. Men fredagsfølelsen er fin, den også.

Pyntet eller casual
Definitivt casual.

Gulost eller hvitost
Gulost.

Gå eller kjøre bil
Gå. Jeg har ikke førerkort.

Letttbrus eller sukker
Jeg drikker lite brus, men når jeg gjør er det med sukker.

Brød eller knekkebrød
Mest brød.

Nytt eller gammelt
Helst gammelt.

Square-eyed

Or not.

How many of these best-picture Oscar nominated movies have you seen? Bold the ones you’ve seen, regardless of whether you saw them in the cinema, on TV/video, or on a plane years after they came out.

1980. Ordinary People, Coal Miner’s Daughter, The Elephant Man, Raging Bull, Tess

1981. Chariots of Fire, Reds, Atlantic City, On Golden Pond, Raiders of the Lost Ark

1982. Gandhi, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Missing, Tootsie, The Verdict

1983. Terms of Endearment, The Big Chill, The Dresser, The Right Stuff, Tender Mercies

1984. Amadeus, The Killing Fields, A Passage to India, Places in the Heart, A Soldier’s Story

1985. Out of Africa, The Color Purple, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Prizzi’s Honor, Witness

1986. Platoon, Children of a Lesser God, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Mission, A Room with a View

1987. The Last Emperor, Broadcast News, Fatal Attraction, Hope and Glory, Moonstruck

1988. Rain Man, The Accidental Tourist, Dangerous Liaisons, Mississippi Burning, Working Girl

1989. Driving Miss Daisy, Born on the Fourth of July, Dead Poets Society, Field of Dreams, My Left Foot

1990. Dances with Wolves, Awakenings, Ghost, The Godfather Part III

1991. The Silence of the Lambs, Beauty and the Beast, Bugsy, JFK, The Prince of Tides

1992. Unforgiven, The Crying Game, A Few Good Men, Howards End, Scent of a Woman

1993. Schindler’s List, The Fugitive, In the Name of the Father, The Piano, The Remains of the Day

1994. Forrest Gump, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Pulp Fiction, Quiz Show, The Shawshank Redemption

1995. Braveheart, Apollo 13, Babe, Il Postino (The Postman), Sense and Sensibility

1996. The English Patient, Fargo, Jerry Maguire, Secrets & Lies, Shine

1997. Titanic, As Good as It Gets, The Full Monty, Good Will Hunting, L.A. Confidential

1998. Shakespeare in Love, Elizabeth, Life Is Beautiful (La vita è bella), Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line

1999. American Beauty, The Cider House Rules, The Green Mile, The Insider, The Sixth Sense

2000. Gladiator, Chocolat, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Erin Brockovich, Traffic

2001. A Beautiful Mind, Gosford Park, In the Bedroom, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Moulin Rouge

2002. Chicago, Gangs of New York, The Hours, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Pianist

2003. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Lost in Translation, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Mystic River, Seabiscuit

2004. Million Dollar Baby, The Aviator, Finding Neverland, Ray, Sideways

2005. Crash, Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Good Night and Good Luck, Munich

2006. The Departed, Babel, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, The Queen

2007. No Country for Old Men, Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood

2008. Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader

(Via)

So, uhm, not terribly surprising that I got the most hits in my years at Uni, perhaps. Also not so surprising that I seem to have stopped seeing any movies at all after 2003. I have seen some movies after 2003, obviously, even at the cinema, but I no longer get along to seeing even the ones I want to see, never mind the masses that people tell me I ought to see or that we end up randomly picking because it happens to show at the right time. And I don’t seem to find the time to sit down to watch a whole movie at home much these days, either. There’s always a book I’d rather read when I have time and energy to concentrate.

Silly music meme

But then, we do love silly memes, don’t we? (First seen here.)

Directions:
1. Put your iPod, iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3.YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS

IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
You Suck (The Murmurs) – rather rude, really

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant (Billy Joel) – sounds like there’s a lot going on, at least

WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
Minibar (De derre) – a guy with a built in minibar would be useful, I admit

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Sleigh Ride  (Johnny Mathis – seasonal) – uhm, better than a roller coaster ride, possibly

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE PURPOSE?
I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing (Aerosmith) – that’s the best fit so far

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
A Winter’s Tale (David Essex – seasonal) – a very boring motto

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Whisky You’re the Devil (Robin Laing) – so, do they think I’m the devil, or do they simply think of whisky when they see me?

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Skip back a track and replay (Robin Laing) – I’m that good, am I?

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Forgiven (Alanis Morissette) – not very often

WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Kjell Opseths 9. (To Rustne Herrer/Jonas Fjeld) – good job getting one with a number in the title on this one, don’t you think?

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Me and My Shadow (Robbie Williams & Johnny Wilkes) – fitting

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Frosty the Snowman (The Jackson 5 – seasonal) – can’t possibly be complimental, can it?

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Den stora, stora skillnaden (Michael Wiehe) – I doubt I’ve made that much of a difference

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU GROW UP?
I Don’t Care (Shakespear’s Sister) – I am grown up. I think.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Only the Good Die Young (Billy Joel) – feeling naughty, obviously

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Bad Medicine (Bon Jovi) – We didn’t, but I guess we could have. It’s a rather difficult one to waltz to, though.

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Slave (DumDum Boys) – ahem

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
A Bottle o’ the Best (Robin Laing) – or the opposite

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
God ain’t gonna getcha for that (Shania Twain) – he sure ain’t

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Tak’ a Dram; A Wee Deoch An (Robin Laing) – yes, please have one, if you like

SONG THEY WILL PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Underneath Your Clothes (Shakira) – unlikely

Another list

Well, you *know* I’m a sucker for these… (Found here, check out the designs while you’re there.)

Bold the things you’ve done:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (I’m assuming fish count?)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Castles in the air

Tigtog at Hoyden about Town choses 8 dream homes, apparently the meme is in reference to the McCains’ eight (or so, no one seems to be entirely sure) homes. Anyway, it got me thinking, so I thought I might as well note down my thoughts…

1. Large, oldish villa in one of Trondheim’s quieter areas, preferably with a view of the fjord – Singsaker would be good, except it’s overrun by students on a regular basis, so I guess I’d go for someplace else.

2. A roomy cottage somewhere in Scotland, on an island or near the coast. On Skye, for example, conveniently close to L&P in Balmacara, or on Islay, conveniently close to Ardbeg and Lagavulin.

3. Edinburgh – a flat. Scotland street would be fun.

4. London – a bedsit would do, really. Who wants to spend time inside when in London? We’d need a big bed and a kitchen large enough for tea, coffee and bacon-and-eggs. Though come to think of it, a separate sleeping space for the lass would probably be nice. So now we’re talking two-bedroom apartment, aren’t we? Anyway, in Islington, Camden, Kensington, somewhere with good pubs nearby, but to be honest that sort of includes most of London. Still, it’s worth mentioning, I guess.

5. I’ve always wanted to try living in New York – in “the village” in particular – despite never having been and despite not really wanting to live in the US. So studio flat in the village it is.

6. Somewhere I could keep horses. Iceland would be fun. Possibly also quite cheap just now. This home would have to come with (a lot of) staff, as someone would need to take care of the horses when we’re not there.

7. Somewhere warm, but not too warm. A place that has a beach and which will mostly have temperatures of around 20-22 degrees celcius when we have minus ten here, somewhere to spend January and February.

8. A posh flat in one of the more interesting European cities, Paris, Prague, Barcelona, Vienna. We might change this one every other year or so…

Also, I think I’m probably overly ambitious, but I signed up for NaBloPoMo. Perhaps I can breathe som life into the 365 days thing at the same time. We’ll see.

Surrendering to the joys of anticipation

I guess it’s a natural byproduct of reading foodblogs that your mouth starts watering… A Spoonful of Sugar has done that before and does it again, as well as setting my heart a-racing and my stomach a-fluttering when I think that in a very short while indeed (though not short enough, never that) I will be in Scotland. Yay.

Anyway, on to the British 100, and the rules, should you choose to play along: 1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions. 2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten. 3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

1. Grey squirrel (they’re the invaders, aren’t they? In that case, I would certainly like to try them.)
2. Steak and kidney pie
3. Bubble and squeak
4. Spotted dick (must be doused in proper custard)
5. Hot cross buns
6. Laver bread
7. Toad in the hole
8. Shepherds pie AND cottage pie
9. Scotch egg (being the scottophile that I am, I really should try them, shouldn’t I?)
10. Parkin (I beg your pardon? Ah, I might just have tried it, but I’m not sure.)
11. Welsh rarebit
12. Jellied eels (Uhm. No, I don’t think so.)
13. Stilton 
14. Marmite (And didn’t I wish I hadn’t)
15. Ploughman’s lunch
16. Cucumber sandwiches
17. Coronation chicken 
18. Gloucester old spot (not knowingly, anyway)
19. Cornish pasty (Love it, love it. love it! Still have plans to try making my own.)
20. Samphire
21. Mince pies
22. Winkles
23. Salad cream
24. Malt loaf 
25. Haggis (Mmmmmmmmmmm)
26. Beans on toast
27. Cornish clotted cream tea
28. Pickled egg 
29. Pork scratchings
30. Pork pie
31. Black pudding
32. Patum Peperium or Gentleman’s relish
33. Earl grey tea
34. Elvers
35. HP Sauce (not a fan, though, but the husband is)
36. Potted shrimps
37. Stinking bishop (the pear or the cheese? I’d try either or both)
38. Elderflower cordial 
39. Pea and ham soup (I don’t like peas, so that’s a bit of a non-starter)
40. Aberdeen Angus Beef
41. Lemon posset
42. Guinness  (Why is Guinness on a British 100?)
43. Cumberland sausage
44. Native oysters (Not keen on trying oysters, native or otherwise)
45. A ‘full English’ 
46. Cockles
47. Faggots
48. Eccles cake
49. Potted Cromer crab
50. Trifle
51. Stargazy pie
52. English mustard
53. Christmas pudding
54. Cullen skink
55. Liver and bacon with onions
56. Wood pigeon
57. Branston pickle
58. Oxtail soup
59. Piccalilli
60. Sorrel
62. Chicken tikka masala
63. Deep fried Mars Bar 
64. Fish, chips and mushy peas (though I normally pass on the peas, but I have tried them)
65. Pie and mash with liquor
66. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding
67. Pickled onions
68. Cock-a-leekie soup
69. Rabbit and Hare
70. Bread sauce 
71. Cauliflower cheese
72. Crumpets
73. Rice pudding 
74. Bread and butter pudding
75. Bakewell tart
76. Kendall mint cake
77. Summer pudding
78. Lancashire hot pot
79. Beef Wellington 
80. Eton mess
81. Neeps and tatties
82. Pimm’s
83. Scampi
84. Mint sauce (And staying away from it thenceforth)
85. English strawberries and cream
86. Isle of Wight garlic
87. Mutton
88. Deep fried whitebait with tartare sauce
89. Angels on horseback
90. Omelette Arnold Bennett
91. Devilled kidneys
92. Partridge and pheasant
93. Stew and dumplings
94. Arbroath smokies
95. Oyster loaves 
96. Sloe gin
97. Damson jam
98. Soda bread
99. Quince jelly
100. Afternoon tea at the Ritz (on my list of things to do)

The Big Picture

Apparently, this is a meme: Pick your favourite movie from each year you’ve been alive. And since I haven’t posted for a while (again) I will. Caveat lector – I used IMDB’s view by year and 100 most popular in the main for this. Also my memory, which is very faulty. I may, therefore, have forgotten films that I would have placed higher than the one(s) I have chosen.

1974: Both Murder on the Orient Express and The Great Gatsby are pretty good, but both are better as books. Hm. Emanuelle? No. Perhaps not. I know: Herbie Rides Again. Gotta love sentient VW Beetles.

1975: Ah. It was a very good year. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Those were the days. However, there is really no contest, the winner HAS to be Flåklypa Grand Prix. Dra meg baklengs inn i fulgekassa!

1976: Uhm. Not so much. Of the IMDB top 100 by total votes I’ve hardly seen any. I’ve seen part of The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, but as I quit watching because it bored me, it hardly qualifies for a “Favourites” spot, does it? No, I didn’t think so.

1977: Pete’s Dragon! No discussion.

1978: I guess I’m going to have to go with Grease. I saw it first when I was around twelve, and liked it, except I preferred the pre-makeover Sandy then. Yes, I was probably a bit of a goody-two-shoes. I think I’ve changed my mind, now, though.

1979: I have a soft spot for Moonraker. Not quite sure why.

1980: The Blues Brothers. Though it’s closely followed by Herbie Goes Bananas, the first Herbie movie I saw (and loved). It occurs to me that I probably need a Herbie box set. Really.

1981: Gotta love The Fox and the Hound, I think it’s the first film that ever made me cry, and I was 7 in 1981 and not yet the sappy sentimental fool I seem to have turned into in my old age. Luckily The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy AND Brideshead Revisited are both tv-series, or this year would be a tough one to call. Though maybe not, I don’t suppose I could ever admit to anything beating Brideshead Revisited. (That new movie? Looks like a complete disaster, and no, I haven’t seen the trailer, I don’t dislike my brain that much, when I read that Emma Thompson was playing “a leading role” I knew they had seriously messed up already, as there is no female “leading” role in BR. Nope. Not. Lots of “supporting” roles, yes. But whatever.)

1982: Well, the competition is stiff: An Officer and a Gentleman? Annie? The World According to Garp? Victor Victoria? Perhaps not the latter, though I liked it in my Julie Andrews period. (What? What do you mean “Julie Andrews period?”? Doesn’t everyone go through a Julie Andrews period?) And The Last Unicorn! I had forgotten all about that film. And I think the fantastic going-down-a-cliff-on-a-horse scene was i The Man From Snowy River, Jamelah, which almost puts that film in the top spot. But I think I’m going to have to go with The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, actually. Partly because it has that song. But mainly just because.

1983: Back then: The Outsiders. Now? Either The Big Chill, WarGames or Flashdance, though it’s been a while since I saw either.

1984: Who’ you gonna call? Lots to choose from (Ghostbusters, Footloose, The Karate Kid, Against All Odds, Police Academy, Romancing the Stone)  but the winner has to be Ronja Rövardotter. It made me want to live in a draughty castle or a cave in the forest, and a daughter of the wilderness I am not, so it must have been pretty convincing.

1985: Back then it would have been The Goonies, hands down, no contest. The Color Purple is very good, though. And I recently watched Back to the Future with great enjoyment. Ooh, and White Nights! But still, The Color Purple it has to be.

1986: Children of a Lesser God made a deep impression, I seem to remember, but I’m going with Jumping Jack Flash, because, well, Whoopi Goldberg, you know?

1987: I like The Princess Bride, I really do, but I have to go with Jamelah on this one: Nobody puts Baby in a corner. I loved it then, I love it now (though for slightly different reasons, it must be said).

1988: Oh no. There can’t be just one for 1988, because there were at least three “Best film ever” candidates that year, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, A Fish Called Wanda (Don’t call me stupid!), and Die Hard.

1989: In 1989 I would probably have been willing to bet obscene amounts that Dead Poets Society would be my favourite film forever and ever. Good thing I didn’t. I later discovered Peter Greenaway, but The Cook, the Thief, his Wife & her Lover isn’t my favourite Greenaway film. I can watch Look Who’s Talking over and over, it’s one of those braincandy films that classify with chocolate in the comforting department. However, the best film made that year was probably A Grand Day Out, but since that’s a short, I’m going with The Fabulous Baker Boys, because it’s, well, fabulous.

1990: Die Hard 2 is my favourite Die Hard film (well, ok, so I haven’t seen the last one yet) and a strong contender. Three Men and a Little Lady still charms the pants off me (though not literally), so does Home Alone. I’d go all intellectual and say Rosenkrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, except I saw an amateur production of it live a few years ago which made the film look rather silly and tame, so Die Hard 2 it is.

1991: This is the year of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Fisher King and Hook.  The latter two are simply really good, the former… Ok, so you have a Robin with an american accent, but then you also have Morgan Freeman. Yes, you do. And Alan Rickman as the sherrif, managing to be quite creepy, absolutely pathetic and yet sexy (well, it IS Alan Rickman) all at the same time. AND you have Sean Connery in a sort of very noticeable cameo.

1992: Aladdin. There you go, that was easy. Except then my eyes continue down the list and find Home Alone in New York and Strictly Ballroom. And at the very bottom, Peter’s Friends. And Peter’s Friends it’s got to be. Stricktly speaking I suppose it’s rather clichee in all manner of ways, but the actors are so good they pull it off wonderfully. Which in itself makes it almost more impressive than if the script had been really good to start with.

1993: This is the period when I really saw A LOT of movies (quite a few of them as “press”), and so chosing just one is getting harder. Schindler’s List was chilling, The Fugitive adrenaline-inducing, Sister Act 2 quite charming, Cool Runnings funny, Shadowlands oh so sad and Trois Couleurs: Bleu impressive. But the film I loved in 1993 and which threw fuel on the flame that was my love of Shakespeare, for which I can only be grateful, was Much Ado About Nothing.

1994: Priscilla – Queen of the Desert it is, but if you’re looking for recommendations you might also like to try Nobody’s Fool, Shawshank Redmption, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Hudsucker Proxy, It Could Happen to You, Leon, Quiz Show, Clerks, Clear and Present Danger, True Lies, The Flintstones (for a laugh), Reality Bites (at least if you’re around 20, or were, in 1994) and The Lion King (if only to watch Jeremy Irons as Scar), roughly in that order.

1995: Well, for once I have the same film in the top spot as IMDB’s voters, namely The Usual Suspects. Toy Story is, of course, also great and I still like Clueless and Sense & Sensibility, too.

1996: Kenneth Brannagh’s Hamlet.

1997: As Good as it Gets.

1998: An increasing number of films that I planned to see one day but obviously “one day” hasn’t come round yet. I’m going with Blues Brothers 2000.

1999: Fight Club made an impression, that’s for sure, but Toy Story 2 just beats it, if for no other reason that I’ve seen it several times, and it stands up to it, whereas I’m hesitant to watch Fight Club again because I fear that it just might not work second time round. Also, the Danish Den eneste ene is pretty much the bees knees.

2000: No big, earth-shattering experiences, out of the main contenders (Chicken Run, The Wonderboys, Billy Elliot and Coyote Ugly) I’ve seen Chicken Run the most times. If that counts for anything.

2001: So much better, Shrek beats LotR – FotR, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Monsters Inc, Bridget Jones’ Diary and Moulin Rouge. I also saw, and hugely enjoyed, The Princess Diaries and Save the Last Dance, but, hush, don’t tell anyone.

2002: Bowling for Columbine totally knocked me off kilter, but it’s hard to call it “a favourite”. The usual suspects may be Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and LotR Two Towers, but guess what? I REALLY like Bend it Like Beckham.

2003: I’m going to go with Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World. There may have been better films in 2003, but this was a very good attempt at filming the unfilmable, and I do love Jack and Stephen – with a passion.

2004: Flip a coin: Shrek 2 or Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban? Also, A State of Mind (which I saw in 2006), is VERY good.

2005: I’d waited for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for so many years it seems a pity not to mention it, but Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was better. And Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was good, but not scary enough (it’s much scarier in my head when I read it). Narnia – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was good, too. Four of my favourite books filmed and all actually quite good. How often does that happen?  

2006: Another year of films that I meant to se, but somehow… Well, of the ones I did see, I think Ice Age 2: The Meltdown was the best.

2007: Hampered in my movie-going by the lass, I didn’t see very many films in the cinema (or at all) in 2007. I saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which was very good. Looking at the IMDB list of 100 most popular now I’m wondering if perhaps I didn’t miss much. There aren’t that many titles that seem interesting. Was 2007 a bad year for film, or what?

2008: I hate to admit it, but so far this year I’ve only seen one (1!) new film: Prince Caspian. It was good, though, so I don’t mind calling it my favourite.