Anticipation

Time is flying past a little too quickly to my liking, but with one advantage: my annual leave has finally begun. :D

Another 3 hours to go before I finish up the night shift, then I'll have a whole week off. Granted, it's going to be spent cleaning house, running errands and catching up with administrative work, but at least I won't be at the hospital seeing patients.

Sure, I enjoy emergency medicine, but burnouts are occurring at 3-monthly intervals these days, so I welcome the much-needed break.

Of course, I won't be working the entire week. Will watch Company whenever I can ( it's addictive stuff! ), maybe visit the zoo ( my favourite local attraction ), meet an old pal for dinner ( our friendship's 10-year anniversary ), do a bit of Chinese New Year shopping, and clear the stack of magazines and books stewing on my shelves.

There's also the U.S. Presidential Inauguration on Tuesday, which I'll be watching.

DVD-wise, am really disappointed with Hellboy II: The Golden Army. I dozed off during the movie - DOZED OFF! The first Hellboy film was tonnes better in terms of plot and direction. The sequel reminds me of The Mummy Returns - lots of noise and little else. At least the guy who plays Prince Nuada is fun to watch, especially when he launches into wushu mode. :)

Am still contemplating which movie to catch before the end of the month, when my vouchers expire. $20 worth of free tickets is no small matter, man. At this rate, looks like Doubt's my best bet. Unless I'm game for some super-mindless entertainment, like Inkheart.

Recently rewatched Kevin Spacey's Beyond The Sea, and again, I'm surprised by the new perspective I've gained. The last time I saw this film was probably in 2005, around the time I first met Peter Cincotti. I liked the movie then, and greatly admired Spacey's musical talent, but wasn't profoundly blown away by it.

A couple of nights ago, it was a completely different story. Perhaps it's because I played the DVD on my laptop, in the privacy of my bedroom, with all the lights switched off and headphones plugged in ( previously watched it in the living room with my parents nearby ).

The effect was INCREDIBLE.

I can't really explain it, but I was mesmerized from beginning to end. Spacey's fantastic performance came across much more clearly this time, and I couldn't help wondering why Bobby Darin's biopic hasn't hit Broadway as a musical yet. If Jersey Boys can revive interest in Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, then Darin's huge arsenal of jazz hits would be a shoo-in. Maybe Spacey can even star in the lead role during the initial run before handing over to another actor?
Wishful thinking, I know. But that's what I'm good at. :)

I can't access the YouTube clips from work, so check out the next best thing - the movie trailer on movies.com.

Peter Cincotti has a prominent role as Dick Behrke. A big reason I'm thrilled to have chatted with him twice - shaking his hand is almost like shaking Spacey's!

The closing 10 minutes is a big band number with a whopping dance sequence, absolutely awesome!

I shall end this post with a link to some good reading material - countless rave reviews of Raul Esparza's various Broadway performances. Those about Company are right on the money.