Top Ten for 2009 (part two)

Continuing on with our list of things to dance about in 2009....


3. Damages Season Two
Again, my favourite actors never seem to let me down (well maybe - Blueberry Nights). I only started watching this off by chance, because I adore Rose Bryne since she blew me away in Wicker Park and I went on imdb to see what she had coming up next - and I saw she'd just done a role in a new TV series. I read the premise, and it sounded faintly intriguing: I'm not really one for crime/law/police type shows, but this one seemed to hold a darker agenda, plus, it was about to start on BBC 1, so I thought what the hell. AND IT WAS BRILLIANT! So well put together with the flashbacks moving backwards so it would clash with the present story right in the middle of the series. The writing was great, and top notch actors all suiting their characters perfectly. I especially loved the character of Ray Fiske, and the moment when he shot himself really shocked me. I hadn't seen it coming, it was done right on the screen, and it showed the fragility of every character. In fact, it was one of those jaw dropping moments where you want to discuss it with EVERYBODY, yet no one watches the damn show. Anyway, it was a revelation, and nice because it's so different to the other programmes that I watch. It still has that speciality about it. Season Two is set to be just as manipulative and complex as Ellen's working secretly for the FBI. It's actually just started in the US, but because I need to see season one through again before I start, I'll wait til it comes to the Beeb next month.


4. Diablo III
Now, it's extremely rare for me to get excited about computer games. I'm even a bit over the Sims now (although more to come on that later). BUT, here I make a very big exception. In fact I am so excited about the sometime release of Diablo III later this year that there is even going to be a holiday planned around it, so that we can buy the game, have a long weekend off, and just play, play, play (and eat homemade sausage pizzas). I've always been a bit of a fantasy geek - I loved the Fighting Fantasy books when I was younger (still do...) and we even had a basic Dungeons & Dragons board game at home, which was so fun to play, especially when you made up the adventure yourself. And I adore all fantasy films. Buuuuuut - I never followed through with the gaming aspect of it, mainly because I'm a right girl and wouldn't have a clue how to do combat (where are the dice?!) . Strategy and planning I can do - but not the fighting bit. This is where the boyfriend comes in - because he can do all of that, I can sit and watch and plan strategies, attacks and pretty much everything else for him!
I first got into Diablo through my brother a few years ago, and I got watching him play... and then you get sucked in. I loved how simple it was: a simple, enjoyable RPG (with fighting). And then a couple of years ago, the boyfriend discovered it, and I remembered how much I'd enjoyed it, so watched him play, too. And then the obsession started... I have so many random memories connected to Diablo: sausage pizza for one, and lemon cheesecake; also thunderstorms... it must have meant an awful lot if I can remember such vivid things like what the weather was like and what we ate! It seems a long time ago now, and we need something new. When Diablo III was announced finally last year, we were both immediately excited and wanted it right now, right then! But of course, they keep teasing us with little titbits and no release date has yet been scheduled. Because I don't play a lot of games, I think of this as my one big event, the one thing I can be a bit of a 'gamer' for. And because we don't know when, or if, the game will continue after this, I'm going to savour every moment for what it's worth....