My week so far has been fairly quiet, most likely owing to the fact that the cold I've complained about in the last few posts will not surrender! I've caught up on some uni work, and spent some time with some friends, and during the week I had a day in watching movies with Szilveszter. We watched The Talented Mr. Ripley, which was reccommended to me by someone who knew my favourite novel was The Secret History, and once I'd watched it, the connection between the two was apparent. The Talented Mr. Ripley, to give you a quick rundown (as I think I'll be putting up a full review of the book when I finish it), is an unsettling story which takes place in panoramic Italy. Tom Ripley, surprisingly and excellently portrayed by Matt Damon (... ^_^ ...), is something of an impressionist. By chance, he one day impresses the father of a young, rich playboy (a young Jude Law, just in case Matt wasn't enough for you) named Dickie Greenleaf, and he is sent on a mission to retrieve the hedonistic Dickie from his Italian abode.

But once Tom arrives in Italy, he becomes enamoured with the life that Dickie leads, and Dickie's charmingly sweet partner Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow). Oh, yes. And Dickie. Tom becomes obsessed with Dickie, and Dickie responds by seeking to put distance between the two. Tom reacts by killing Dickie in a brutal and savage fashion. From hereon in, The Talented Mr. Ripley becomes as complicated as another of Matt Damon's films, The Departed, as Tom takes on the identity of his obsessee, and continues on a chilling murderous streak in order to protect himself. Matt Damon absolutely enthrals as Tom Ripley. He is both repulsive, in that his obsessions are pathetic and needy, and endearing; his naivety and vulnerability, expressed separately from, and in conjunction with, his obsession, are charming. Ever since seeing Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting (and forever quoting "DO YOU LIKE APPLES?" for about the next week), I have been a loyal fan of his, but of all the films I have seen him in so far, I think he did the best job of Tom Ripley. If you liked The Secret History, this film is about as close as you'll get to cinematic portrayal of that hideous, creeping sensation which refuses to leave you after having closed Donna Tartt's wonderful novel. But let me stress that The Talented Mr. Ripley is its own piece, and was written long before the former.

So I'm currently seeking out an omnibus copy of The Ripliad, which is the title of the series of crime/mystery/psychological thrillers written by Patricia Highsmith featuring Tom Ripley. I have located singular copies in Borders, but because they're rather hard to find nowadays, they are quite expensive. Sigh. So onward with the search, perhaps the internet will be my saviour!

What a life I lead, I know! However, there are a few things coming up for me that I'm looking forward to, including Jason and Gracie's engagement party, and Riverfire with the girls from work (wait til you see the footwear that night... :p ).

Hope everyone else has had a lovely week.

Thanks for reading.

claire.x.