Saturday

Home alone - distant telephones ring - answer machines in other apartments mutter - outside voices fade in and out as people walk by. Words you can't decipher. Hugs and kisses. Someone coughing. Buses and cars.

Winter

July: dark weather, interior living, thick clothing, Nothing ahead but August. Cold blue skies, hunkering clouds, thunder, rush hour drenched in blinding rain, headlights running like oil over windscreens, accidents, fallen trees, paper blowing over the city, plentiful as leaves. Days when the light drains shades from everything – concrete colours. People shivering outside nightclubs. Taxis in demand. Cold. Everything cold. Damp shoes, scarves, tights. Achoo!

Movie Review: Black Book

This is a bit of a departure for Paul Verhoeven, better known, perhaps, for stuff like Starship Troopers and Robocop. The satire isn't as strong here, although there's still a bit of Hollywood cliché around - maybe we could just say "tradition" which he plays up perhaps a little bit too much (Verhoeven is not know for subtlety).

The movie is a reminiscent of Polanski?s The Pianist ? another epic story of survival from WW II. There?s no lack of suspense, action, twists and adventure in this flick ? plus its somber tone and historical detail give it the kind of stature you want for the subject matter.

This is worth seeing ? mainly because Verhoeven knows how to make a bloody good film.