(no subject)

Was supposed to have filling. It turns out that I need a root canal. Woe is me.

Presently trying to mess up my sleep schedule some more so here are my responses to two surveys going round.

( Fanfic survey pinched from Stasia )

( General Survey pinched from James )

Mostly Gladiator, devolving onto rugby, football and wrestling

Bought Gladiator. Watched it. Cried. Am now even more hopeful over his new Crusaders one. Sorry, I'm an absolute mark for epic, battle-scene filled films with swords. If words like honour and nobility and philosophy and regret get involved I normally end up as a puddle on the floor.

Each time I watch it I fall more in love with the design of the film. All the little intricate things.
And the score. How did Hans Zimmerman not win the Oscar for that? Okay one of the themes is rather similar to 'Mars - Bringer of War' from the Planets suite but that's about the only fault I can find with it.

And the characters because they're all so good. I don't care what anyone else thinks Russell Crowe deserved that Oscar because most of what he did was physical rather than spoken, and yet it works.

And then Commodus who you hate with a fiery burning passion and then there's sudden moments when you feel so incredibly sorry for him.

Or his sister or the finely wrought Senators or the other gladiators, every speaking part has their own character.

The one real marvel is his wife, who we see for all of maybe 3 minutes and yet we know how fantastic she is and how caring and kind. Even the way the actress playing her wasn't this stunning ex-supermodel worked, she looked like the kind of wife Maximus ought to have.

So, all this being said, I'll never understand those fanfic writers who chose to give the film a different ending. Mainly because as far as I can see it has the one of the happiest endings of any major film I can think of -
- Maximus's duty to the Emperor is fulfilled, Rome will be handed over to the Senate
- Maximus's duty to his family is fulfilled, he has avenged them and killed Commodus
- Lucius and his mother are safe
- Juba gets to go home to his wife and child
- He's finally getting to go home to his family

It is an astonishingly happy ending, for all that I cry at it.

(PS - I'm this squeeful before hearing Ridley Scott's commentary, I'd beware of me afterwards)

The link to rugby is this - Every Good Friday St. Helens play their local rivals Wigan in the big derby match. Normally there is violence and incredibly good rugby. This year there was less violence than usual (mainly because Mick Cassidy has gone to Widnes) and better rugby than usual.

The old enemy unfortunately won, but that being said two of theirs really did shine because they carried on playing even when they were injured and it looked like they were going to lose.

There was Kevin Brown (http://www.wiganrl.com/SquadMember.asp?teamid=1&id=70) who is this skinny little 20 year old but he's good and he did something to his ankle so bad that he was ruled out of their next match - it had to have been bad, with the injury crisis Wigan are having it's anyone who can walk and hold a ball can play - but for the rest of that match he carried on playing and had a stormer of a game.

And then there was Terry Newton (http://www.wiganrl.com/SquadMember.asp?teamid=1&id=65).

Now I should say a little about him, he's Wigan's enforcer if you will, he's the one who waits for the referee's back to turn and then punch you. He is the master of the underhanded knuckle to the face in the tackle. He provokes and niggles and generally causes trouble.

I, and every other Saints fan, have spent about six years calling him every name under the sun, and then some, and cursing him, his mother, his father and anyone who ever had anything to do with him.

So it is with some amount of baggage to overcome that I say this - Terry Newton I salute you.

Basically what happened is that one of ours landed awkwardly on him in a tackle and he was holding his arm, looking as though he was going to have to go off. The Wigan bench was full with players who were already beaten up around the edges and then Saints made an attack. Keeping his other arm tight to his front he then proceeded to tackle the player to prevent him scoring a try.

Okay, I sat there thinking, he was bound to do that, there was no time for there to be a replacement, he'll come off now. But he didn't. He stayed on and played the better part of 40 minutes of rugby basically with one fully functioning arm. And despite the pain he it must have caused him, judging by his expression, he carried on tackling with both arms.

Players like that are the reason we didn't win.

In the football, Austria made another of their late, late, late (87th minute) showings to beat Wales 1-0, but it might not be enough since Northern Ireland didn't beat Poland (Poland 1 (86th minute) - 0 NI).

Saw about five minutes of Impact. Saw Johnny Devine wrestle. I can see why you lot like him.