So the tube fare has gone up? Thankyouverymuch London Underground.
Today I ventured into central London and i couldn't believe how quiet it was around Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus. Tourists are so thin on the ground that a couple of the 'souvenir shops' (where you buy the tacky union jacks and big ben replicas) have actually bitten the dust.
Anyway, my main purpose was to see the movie Ghost World, which I was kicking myself for missing as loads of people have put it in their end of year lists. I have to say that I think it deserves the praise. It's basically the story of two recent high school graduates Enid and Rebecca (played by Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansen) who are pretty disillusioned about what to do next. Reebecca takes a job in a coffee shop while Enid takes "a remedial art class for retards and fuck-ups" and ends up making friends with Seymour (Steve Buscemi) a middle-aged loner who prides himself on his collection of 78rpm records. It isn't just a movie about adolescent rebellion, and it's clear that while Rebecca may just be going 'through a phase', Enid's constant striving for individuality and rejection of the mainstream is more than likely going to be a permanent part of her life.
It will also strike a chord with anyone who has read 'No Logo' as it makes a lot of points about mall-life, McJobs and corporate culture (the Masterpiece video store is one memorable scene). The decline of American culture and traditions is one of the main concerns of cartoonist Daniel Clowes, author of Ghost World, the comic book on which the movie was based. This story could be taking place in Anytown, USA where the malls are filled with Starbucks and Gap.
This is a very original and thought provoking film, it's funny too, and the characters are very well portrayed, particularly by Thora Birch.