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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think the Opening Ceremony was truely appalling and here's why

500 replies

kate2mum · 28/07/2012 09:49

Danny Boyle - a cool dad in jeans who thinks of the world through the prism of music of his youth. He sees everything through music.
Had Viv Westwood been in charge, for example, the history of the UK would have been seen through fashion.
But, no, a billion people have to listen to the personal playlist of a Nick Hornbyish (oh, they are friends!) music trainspotter.

Shame if you don't see the world through that sort of music - but I guess you had to be there, and DBoyle probably was.

Tribute to NHS!!! Sorry, but I didn't know everyone who works for the NHS were all angels and volunteered for free instead of working for one of the biggest employers in the country. And just remembered this event is about SPORT and the way it can transform, so why oh why demonstrate 100's of "sick" children - to demonstrate how "caring" the NHS is.

Then children's literature done by the man who bought us Trainspotting - initially I thought the scene was still about the NHS turning into a nightmare, but NO, the best way to illustrate childrens' literature is to show how truely scary it is! Yes, reading can be terrifying and books are a fearful place. Not a place of safety, or unlifting, not inspiring, not poetic, just a nightmare (where were all the positive characters???).

Only people Danny Boyle's age would thing Mary Poppins was appropriate..

My children fell asleep; they could have cut most of it, had David Beckham ride in on a motorbike, light the flame, and then have some fireworks.

Lighting designer was good though.

OP posts:
KatieisScarlettinSpandex · 28/07/2012 10:47

Is it my hormones or did Ken look quite hot as Brunel?

FalseStartered · 28/07/2012 10:48

i thought so too katie

Blush
ken0eddie0kennedy · 28/07/2012 10:48

I stole that from the DM website Lillybolero. Who else do you have in mind (not that I think the DM website is the last word) I think it's pretty possible!

elizaregina · 28/07/2012 10:49

i wonder if new zealand opening ceromony could keep us going for all that time with thier musical prowess and other acheivements? what would they fill three hours with?

diddl · 28/07/2012 10:50

I missed it-where can I see it?

Just managed to find the Queen & Daniel Craig-but that´s it!

BrianCoxhasSmellySox · 28/07/2012 10:50

I'm with you OP, but you're not allowed to express anything anti-Olympics without being jumped on (here and in RL)

I found it tedious, a couple of moments were ok, but there were more cringe worthy moments than anything else.

DD enjoyed it though.

I'm happy to be in the minority on this one.

Am actually looking forward to watching some of the sporting events, the rest of the corporate crap can go do one!

handstandCrabForwardRollGold · 28/07/2012 10:50

I thought it was clever, funny and engaging. I liked it didn't patronise the audience like it really could have done.

If not for Danny Boyle it would have been some sub par x factor fest a la the jubilee concert full of cliches. Beefeaters breakdancing? Team gb singalong? Austin powers does the swinging sixties? It could have been dire.

Britain shaped the modern world and continues to. I think the ceremony got that across. fab :)

TeamGBIWI · 28/07/2012 10:51

The language of the Olympics is French, that is why everything was done in French first.

And, OP, it wasn't just about music - it was about the things that have made Britain the country it is now, things that we should be proud to have achieved and the creative talent that flourishes here. So it was about literature, including children's literature, film, television, music, dance and social media - the bit with Tim Berners-Lee was amazing.

How could you miss all that? The commentary (which was pretty dire) explained it all, if you were hard of thinking and needed it to be pointed out to you.

Torch
LRDtheFeministDragon · 28/07/2012 10:51

I thought 99% of it was utterly, drug-inducedly shit, without any artistic sense of style, but still quite fun to watch. It was exactly like Eton Mess, actually - looks awful, who the fuck thought of that, but still nice to eat.

It was embarassingly bad for the 'history' section (and fairly offensive if you like that sort of thing), and just bad for Paul McCartney. The remembrance bit was beautiful.

But I thoroughly enjoyed being gloomy/outraged about it all, and I now have a warm and patriotic pride in my nation's ability to do entertain me for a whole evening's ranting. Smile

lovebunny · 28/07/2012 10:51

oh well, if he's from bury, it must have been alright. i get get to bury by bus. two buses. maybe i'll go today...

MrsApplepants · 28/07/2012 10:51

I loved it. Except Macca at the end.

c4rnsi1lk · 28/07/2012 10:51

Boooo - It's not on the i - player (sulks )

tryingtonotfeckup · 28/07/2012 10:52

Another Ken fan here, I am feeling old but he is sexy, maybe its the sideburns.

tiggytape · 28/07/2012 10:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FalseStartered · 28/07/2012 10:52
ken0eddie0kennedy · 28/07/2012 10:52

There's only so much Crowded House can do in three hours, elizaregina.

yellowraincoat · 28/07/2012 10:52

You know when I hate something I normally just ignore it. I don't make a thread about it and bang on and on and on when there's already 5 million threads about it, oh but no, my unique take on its shitness that I can't stop thinking about needs its own thread because I am so clever.

Stop. Boring. On.

Why are people so happy to slag stuff off constantly? I am not overly interested in, say, golf, but I don't post a thread saying "gold, what the fuck, that is shit with its stupid sticks and its stupid balls and its fucking trousers."

It is possible to take joy from life and more importantly to not ruin other people's by being so arsing negative all the time.

PuffPants · 28/07/2012 10:53

I thought it was awesome in the early parts, funny in the middle, baffling for a while around the NHS (just such an odd thing to make such a song and dance about (literally) in a sporting ceremony), uplifting during the torch lighting and cringeworthy at Macca.

I did note how terribly PC it was on the multi-cultural front. Painting a picture of Britain that I'm not sure is quite as representative as Danny Boyle thinks it is...

FalseStartered · 28/07/2012 10:53

we've just watched it on iPlayer c4rnsi1lk

via the TV not PC though (dunno if that makes a difference)

Gunznroses · 28/07/2012 10:53

Was i the only one cringing with embarrassment when Rowan Atkinson was doing his act to "chariots of Fire" ? it just seemed wrong, i didnt "get it" is Rowan Atkinson meant to represent what Britishness is about ? i was watching it with relatives from abroad and everyone was just silent, it was horrible.

BrianCoxhasSmellySox · 28/07/2012 10:54

lol @ LRD YEAH! A whole evening of sneering at a huge waste of money while the robbing bastard government watched on with gay abandon.

I have had a really stressful and shit couple of weeks, my anger quota was used up last night. I feel light and breezy today.

Grin

Oh and (to people in general) I can still be patriotic and think last night was shit.

EnglishGirlApproximately · 28/07/2012 10:54

YABU - it was a celebration of pop culture. It's called popular culture for a reason.
It was a bit bonkers, a bit messy, a bit noisy - exactly like London.

Torch
TeamGBIWI · 28/07/2012 10:54

Good point well made, yellowraincoat Torch

LilyBolero · 28/07/2012 10:55

Other amazing songwriters;
Elton John
Ivor Novello
Freddie Mercury
John Lennon
Andrew Lloyd-Webber
Noel Coward

for starters!!!

BrianCoxhasSmellySox · 28/07/2012 10:55

yellow it's a forum where people express their opinions. OP is doing just that, same as there are a ton of 'we love the Olympics' threads.

Discussion, it's what makes the country great.

One person's 'boring' is another person's 'interesting'.

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