I may never sleep again thanks to Charlie Brooker and Black Mirror

Did you watch Black Mirror? It was certainly the most interesting thing on tele this weekend and possibly the most talked about. Have no idea what I'm on about? Let me help you.

Black Mirror is an original drama mini-series on Channel 4 written by Charlie Brooker. It is satire for our contemporary media saturated society. The first episode, called The National Anthem, begins with the Prime Minister being woken in the wee hours to find that the nation's sweetheart princess has been kidnapped. Obviously this is a national crisis and the PM must respond. But the demand of the kidnapper is unusual to say the very least; the Prime Minister must have sex with a pig on live national television. The rest of the episode tells the story of how the Prime Minister, the press, and indeed the nation handle the crisis.

Scene from The National Anthem in 10 Downing Street

I usually think of Charlie Brooker as quite funny. But funny this was not. That's not a criticism. It was gripping, fascinating, emotional, realistic, confusing, disturbing, dramatic, thought-provoking... and on and on. I felt sick watching most of it. But I think that's the point. I think Brooker has done a good job here, not by creating a great piece of entertainment, but by telling a story that forces the audience to react. A story that, at the very centre, is about our relationship with media and the internet. It shows that in our world of Twitter and YouTube, the public is often flippant, and at worst cruel, about how our actions online affect the personal lives of public figures. In the end, (sorry spoiler!) the PMs career survives but his marriage does not. He's had to act to appease the public and in doing so ruined his previously good relationship with his wife.

There is so much more that can be said about Black Mirror. I think this first episode was truly amazing and I am still processing my own reaction. I'd certainly recommend that you watch it. But that also comes with a warning that it can be uncomfortable viewing. If you're in the UK you can watch it on 4OD here. And you can tune in to Channel 4 next Sunday at 21:00 for episode 2. If you're not in the UK, I'm really sorry because it is good television. I'm interested to see what next week will bring us.

Life's a Fillet of Fish... Yes it is!

Here's a video that put a great bit smile on my face.

Kermit the Frog is one of my all time favourite celebrities and probably always will be. He and my Dad share the same Birthday so I kind of feel a special connection to this wonderful green amphibian. Bret McKenzie is also pretty funny. I hope this made you as happy as it made me. Anyone else excited for the Muppets Movie?

A Single Earring

You know when you have those days when nothing seems to go right and everything is harder than it ought to be? Well, I've been having that day for the past month. Today seemed to be my absolute breaking point when I lost an earring. This sounds ridiculous, I know. In fact, it doesn't just sound so, it IS ridiculous.

But seriously, few tragedies are worse than losing a single earring, a single glove, a single sock. These things are meant to be pairs! My lost earring was one of my everyday pair. The pair I put on every single morning just after fumbling for my glasses and just before brushing my teeth. Yet today, as I walked home from the grocery, I realised that one lobe was completely bare, its usual decoration unhinged and discarded, lost somewhere between the way-too-shiny-veg aisle and the surly cashier. And I broke. How is my life to continue without two earrings to put on in the morning?

I could be happy, I would be happy, if only I had two earrings to wear every day, more money in my bank account, fluffier pillows on my bed, newer shoes, a trendier coat, more books, better glasses; I could be happy, I would be happy, if only I were stronger, smarter, taller, more attractive.

Then I saw this beautiful film made by a group of Dutch film makers during the 48 Hour Film Project in Utrecht. It's called Page 23. Things don't equate to happiness, or any sort of meaning at all for that matter. Stuff is just stuff and we all kid ourselves into thinking that a pair of earrings to put on in the morning [insert your own equivalent here] makes our lives complete.

"Amazingly beautiful, yet hopelessly impractical"

In the end, I think I'll be ok with a single earring.

Being a West Indian

Yesterday I traveled all the way home to my lovely little island in the Caribbean. It is a long journey but one that is totally worth it! I love my island and I love the feeling of coming home.

On the plane on of the films they showed was Fire in Babylon. I've been meaning to see it since I first saw the trailer a few months ago. But it did a really stingy tour of UK cinemas and I hadn't had the opportunity. So obviously I was really excited that they were playing it on the flight. I've got to say, it definitely lived up to all the expectation. It is a fantastic film! If you have any interest at all in the West Indies, cricket, sport, racial tension, regional identity, or team dynamics, you should definitely give it a go. Watching this film made me so proud to be a West Indian. It reminded my what the spirit of our region is about. It is about working hard, defying prejudice, exceeding expectations. It is about forging a culture out of a complex history but not conforming to colonial pressures. We may be small islands but we are not insignificant and we will not be ignored. I'm not going to give a summary of the film because you can find a better one here and here. And you should just watch it yourself anyway. One of my favourite quotes was this (and I'm paraphrasing a bit because I can't remember exact wording): Babylon is not a place. It is a condition. It is a state of being in which unjust actions are cast upon a people who do not deserve it.

from here