bristol

before falling asleep, hbo afforded this last night. and i enjoyed it! a complete turnaround from the usual hollywood romantic or teen comedies, it tells the story of brian jackson, who grew up in a seaside Essex watching university challenge. set in university of bristol, starter for 10 had very witty lines, lots of interesting characters and 80's soundtrack. as one rottentomatoes review said: "This is expertly crafted entertainment that follows all the beats of a traditional romantic comedy, but it’s done with such sincerity that it’s difficult to begrudge the odd descent into cliché. plus this is james mcavoy's landmark film, he carried the movie very well." no wonder he turned in fine performances in succeeding films like atonement, the last king of scotland and wanted. i'm a fan!

some of the memorable quotes:

[Brian has just head-butted Patrick... and knocked himself out!]

Rebecca Epstein: Of course what we witness here is a basic misunderstanding of the principle of the head-butt. [Brian groans and rubs his nose]

Rebecca Epstein: You're meant to hit the soft part of their nose with the hard part of your forehead, not the other way round.

Julie Jackson: The people that really care about you don't mind if you make mistakes. It's what you do next that matters.

Brian Jackson: I admit it. I'd made some mistakes. Okay, some big mistakes. Loads of them. But you can't hide in your room forever feeling sorry for yourself. It's not practical. At some point, you've got to get back out there, face up to things, and confront your demons. Ever since I can remember, I'd wanted to be clever. Some people are born clever, same way some people are born beautiful. I'm not one of those people. I'm going to have to work at it, put in the effort, and if I mess it up, I'll learn from it. Besides, sometimes it's not about knowing the right answer. Sometimes it's about asking the right questions.