Cinema Paradiso

Greetings, devotees. And a very Happy New Year.

Cicero is extremely apologetic for his absence over the past few weeks. He has resolved to do much better in 2012. He knows how much he has been missed as many of you have told him.

And in 2012 a new strategy is being followed.

If you are interested in listening to Cicero's thoughts on the vicissitudes of everyday living in the modern age and the many many stupidies of the world, stay here to be entertained.

But if you seek enlightenment, stimulation and education leavened with Cicero's raiper-like wit, you will need to look elsewhere for Cicero's marketing thoughts have moved to www.themarketingcomic.blogspot.com. Hopefully this will bring Cicero's enlightened marketing thinking to a wider audience. So bookmark Cicero's new site now. He looks forward to seeing you there.

In the meantime...........

Is it only me...........but cartoons are not films.

Now I like going to the cinema. I like films. And every Sunday when I hide behind the Sunday papers I eagerly look forward to reading the film reviews and seeing what is good at the cinema. There is in my ever so humble opinion nothing to beat going to the cinema to see a good film and escaping for a while from the reality of the Eurozone crisis, the political machinations of the Two Caesars and the stupidity of our Health and Safety Laws.

I was therefore looking forward to some time out over the past few weeks as the revels raged and sales madness took hold to go and see a good film. And according to my considered perusal of the film reviews there was many a fine film on current release.

Imagine therefore my disgust when I checked what was on at my local multiplex-nothing.

Now that was not quite true there was plenty going on but all the films on show were either cartoons or CGI or involved violent car chases and other special effects. All were designed for people of significantly fewer years than shown on my birth certificate; or for folks lacking my quantity of brain cells; or for very young people requiring maters and paters to accompany them.

There was nothing for people of advanced years with a full complement of brain cells. Where were the films likley to win Golden Globes, Baftas or Oscars?

These multiplexes come by definition with mutiple screens. Surely it is not asking too much for at least one of these screens to show at least one film which might be called art instead of films which are more like scribbled graffitti than art.

I know its Xmas but don't the Honchos than run our cinemas realise that people like me might want to see a film too. Maybe we just don't buy enough popcorn or nachos to justify a proper film. Hopefully Steven Spielberg or Frances Ford Coppola might read this and do something about it for next Xmas.

In meantime have a great week.

Sis felix. Et sis fortunatus.