michael lambe's scrapbook

This movie scared the crap out of me. Not only do I now never want to travel in Russia, I never want to travel anywhere! Yikes! The atmosphere, from the start is sooo intense – you just know that things are going to get bad, and then worse, and then much worse before it’s all over. Woody Harrelson as sweet naive Roy and Emily Mortimer as his morally ambiguous wife Jessie play their roles perfectly. This thriller had me squirming in my seat and calling things out like “Don’t trust them!”, “Don’t go with him!”, “Tell him the truth!” and “Ah! Stop it!”. Great movie but you might need a spare pair of pants.

Transiberian is available from amazon.com on DVD and Blu-ray.
Transiberian is available from amazon.co.uk on DVD and Blu-ray.
Transiberian is available from amazon.co.jp on DVD and Blu-ray.

Having seen the trailer I wasn’t expecting much of this movie.  I was expecting it to be a rather empty-headed action-comedy-caper with quirky old Robert Downey Jr. playing the legendary Baker Street sleuth as pretty much quirky old Robert Downey Jr. But on Saturday Mewby and I went to see it. And do you know, the trailer doesn’t do it justice at all. We really enjoyed Sherlock Holmes. It’s a rollicking adventure, a first-rate piece of entertainment and a very nice retake on the Sherlock Holmes legend! You can still recognize the great detective in Robert Downey Jr.’s performance though his eccentricities are now more obvious and his great genius, so useful for deduction and forensic analysis, proves a source of pain both in his personal relationships and in his encounters with bland society. Given this take on Holme’s nature I think maybe Mr. Downey was the best man for the job. Jude Law’s performance also as the sturdy, loyal, yet irritated companion is a nice foil to Holmes and his invaluable aid and friendship is something Holmes is terrified of losing. And though many have complained about this adaptation – a lot of the details in this movie come direct from the source material you know. There are those who will say “Downey’s not a patch on Jeremy Brett!” but you know back in the 80′s when Brett was on the box my Dad always said he wasn’t a patch on Basil Rathbone! Perhaps because I grew up watching Doctor Who (an obvious Holmes descendant) and have remained a loyal fan through the Timelord’s latest incarnations I don’t mind so much when a new actor explores a much beloved character – in fact I find it refreshing. And let’s not be too precious about the subject matter. Conan Doyle’s original stories are not high literature to be revered and handled like fine china. They are very fine pieces of entertainment at the heart of which lies a legendary friendship. This movie entertains. It’s fun. And in this movie that legendary friendship is given fine expression. I’ve included the trailer here, but you’d be better off just going to see the movie really (some clips in this trailer never actually made it to the finished movie anyway). Mewby and I are both looking forward to the sequel so clearly set up at the end of the film. Who will play Holme’s arch-nemesis I wonder?

Sherlock Holmes books and movies are also available at amazon.co.jp.
Sherlock Holmes books and movies are also available at amazon.co.uk.

Drunk girls love Koji’s pasta!

By not going to any Irish pubs. On St. Paddy’s night Irish pubs in Kyoto are generally full of very loud and drunk young American men – and frankly that doesn’t appeal (no offense intended to all you quiet, mature American types). So I went to Joao instead to try out some of Koji’s famous pasta and of course once the place had filled up a bit the usual hi-jinks ensued.

Some family photos from Britain and Ireland… My dad had two funerals, one in the church he attended for 43 years in Middlesbrough and one back in his home parish of Skerries before being buried in the family grave at Lusk. As you can see from the photos from the reception – I have a lot of cousins (and that’s only half of them!).

Here are some pictures from Skerries, Ireland:

After we got back to the UK, I stuck around for a bit to keep my mother company. We were due to go to Whitby for a day out one day, but the bus that goes there continues on to Scarborough. “Shall we go to Scarborough?” says my mom with a little twinkle in her eye. So we did. My mom loves Scarborough.

On Friday the 5th of March we finally did go to Whitby. “Not as good as Scarborough,” says my mom.

My father, Richard Joseph Lambe, passed away peacefully on Tuesday February 16th. He was a quiet, hard-working man, a keen gardener and his greatest achievement remains his family; five children and three grandchildren. All of his children were able to say goodbye to him before he went and at 92 years old he had a good long life – but as my mother says “It’s never long enough”.