Be my Frankenstein!

"I followed nature into her lair, and stripped her of her secrets! I brought torrents of light to a darkening world! Is that wrong?"

The flattery of shade hides a multitude of sins. 

Life-long friends, a wealth of relatively pointless literary knowledge and an over-whelming sense of mediocrity: these are the things I took away from my undergrad in English Literature.

"Waste of time?" you may ask. Not at all, I mean it may not have set me in any stead to actually gain employment or enter the work-force and grow up, but by GOD have I read some amazing books.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is without doubt one of my favourite texts of all time. (Yip, I'm one of "those" that get's unreasonably galled by those who mistakenly call the monster Frankenstein - FOR SHAME)

This masterful gothic tale of creation and rejection horrifies and captivates the reader. Shelley's ability to evoke sympathy for the the helpless creature, horrifying as he may be, and address a multitude of issues still current, instantly affirmed this as a classic.

So you can only imagine my absolute delight in discovering that Danny Boyle is bringing it to the stage in but a week. Boyle's production of Nick Lear's play version of the timeless story hits the Royal National Theatre on Febuary 5, and it looks set to be ruddy good. With Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller alternating in the roles of Victor Frankenstein and the creature, and musical accompaniment from Underworld - I'd frankly sell a kidney to go and see this.
Any takers?

Cumberbatch (easy for you to say) and Miller

Couple a showponies - Underworld

The man, the myth, the legend : Boyle

Rock, paper, scissors - rock ALWAYS wins!

Maybe should've stayed at home with the X-box eh?

I write this still shuddering with tremors of anxiety following last night's screening of 127 Hours. In all honesty, although I'm a huge fan of Danny Boyle, I had my reservations about the story of a climber stuck (quite literally) between a rock and a hard place. I had anticipated tedium, desperation and gore. Foolish Carlin, it's SO much more than that.

Boyle delivers the story of overly-ambitious outdoorsman Aron Ralston with the trademark style, pace and originality seen in Slumdog Millionaire and 28 Days Later. Using the same team from Slumdog clearly pays off; everything from the music to the split-screen action engages the audience from start to finish.

For those entering the cinema knowing the plot, the over-whelming sense of dread of what's to come is constant, but is frequently reduced to more of a dull pang during scenes of humour and poignant flashback. Any film that keeps the audience urging on the protagonist even on the cusp of inevitable horror is, quite frankly, ruddy impressive.

James Franco gives an outstanding performance in what is fundamentally a one-man show; conveying a spectrum of emotions convincingly, with just the right amount of humour and charm to keep the audience captivated and rooting for him.

It's impossible not to mention "the scene" - the one in which Ralston is forced to tear off his own arm with a blunt knife, in a state of dehydration and delirium following five days trapped in the canyon. I think it's safe to say not one person in the full cinema sat comfortably through this scene. There were gasps, squeals and jackets at eye-level for the entirety. Upon exiting the cinema, everyone looked suitably exhausted.

Those of a nervous temperament/ with high blood pressure should perhaps give this one a miss - anxiety junkies will be in their element!