MONDAY

Well, exams are over but getting results back has proven more stressful than doing the exams themselves. All the things I looked forward to doing after exams don't seem so fun anymore and instead of adopting a 'Hey it's the end of year, let's bludge!' attitude, school has opted to get straight back to work.

Replaying levels of Crysis Warhead has probably marked the high points of my past few days. I've also managed to watch some movies. Straight after 4U maths, I went with everyone else to see Harry Potter and I thought it was pretty good. I actually felt Dobby's death scene was incredibly sad. At home, I also managed to watch Gattaca, The Seventh Seal and Singin' in the Rain.

Gattaca is a science fiction film, about a future where people are discriminated by their genetic makeup. The protagonist has ambitions of becoming an astronaut but is unable to because of his genes. Straight after his birth, the doctors take a sample of his blood and predict that he has a 99% chance of getting a heart condition and a life expectancy of about 30 years. I actually first watched this movie back in the good old days of commerce with Mr Flood but only saw the first half hour or so. Anyway it's thoughtful stuff with effective cinematography that lends the film a subdued yet uplifting tone.

The Seventh Seal is set in medieval Sweden, where the bubonic plague has taken hold of the country. It begins with a knight striking a deal with Death over a chess game. Their continued game over the course of the movie serves as an engaging plot device. Strong arguments on religious faith and existence are made, which reflect the director's (Ingmar Bergmann) own questioning of God. Sounds difficult to watch but it's an entertaining movie. I'd recommend it to people who like watching this kind of stuff. (I know that sounds kind of stupid, but you know what I mean.)

Leaving my favourite until last, above is a scene from Singin' in the Rain. If there's anyone who feels bad about staying up late, then this video will hopefully make them feel better. (You can watch it without seeing any movie spoilers.) Gene Kelly, who plays the main character here is an unbelievably good tap dancer and there's some seriously cool videos if you look him up on Youtube.