In the early noughts there was money in education. The government of the time wanted to “improve” education, whatever that means, and so they pumped money into the education system. Yes, a lot of that money was on the back of the upcoming crash and deregulation of the City that the government had allowed, but it was still money. Every year post Labour has been a real terms decrease in funding for schools. This boon in training of staff allowed me to spend a week at the Kennedy Space Centre learning about using space and space exploration to encourage learning. It was during this trip that I met and had dinner with Al Worden of Apollo 15. He was the command module pilot and while he didn’t step foot on the moon he did orbit it many times.
Meeting Al Worden
Later in 2004 there the group that had taken me to Florida for the education training also brought a real life astronaut over the the UK to meet school children and hopefully inspire them. As I was part of the team from Kent I got to bring a bunch of pupils to see him talk and also I had dinner with him and his family in the evening. There was about twenty of us at the dinner and I didn’t want to crowd him so I wandered into the dining room somewhere around last place but ended up sitting opposite him, his wife and kids. I had a great time chatting to them all.
Meeting Mark Kelly
The NASA astronaut I met was Mark Kelly. He and his twin brother had both been in space a number of times and now Mark Kelly is a Senator for Arizona in the USA Senate. He has recently been arguing with the Head of the DoD as Kelly is on the side of rationality and sense whereas his boss is not.
The year was 2004. It feels like an absolute age ago now!
I went to see a film, hoping it would be better than the last couple I watched. To be fair it was a Statham film and so I knew what it would be like and it didn’t disappoint. Let’s get the formalities completed now. The tide was low as I entered the cinema but was definitely higher when I left so that means it was flowing. I rated this film on IMDb and it’s important you see the communication that covers the scoring system.
Shelter 6/10 IMDb
This film was exactly what I expected. Except it was dark. And I don’t mean story type dark I mean filmed to be dark. This could be just me, I didn’t find Iron lung to be particularly bright but then to be honest it was set in a submersible. Shelter was different and it could have been bright in some places. Maybe I’m just getting old. Look, it’s an action movie but with feelings. There are conspiracies and Bill Nighy. That’s about it. Statham does Statham.
Part way through this film I realised it was a lot like Hanna, a film and TV series. I’ve recently watched the series on Amazon and it was much better than this film. It is a well-made well scripted, if confusing at times with all the double crossing, TV show. It’s worth the watch. Plus it’s got that Joel big bloke person in it from that other thing you saw him in.
Smith and I went to see Ashbury Heights last night. I had seen them before at Mera Luna but this was the first time I had seen them headlining their own show. This was a new venue for me and the easiest way to get there was to drive into town. I booked parking at the Tufnell Park Tavern, which, when looked at from street view, looks like a shit pub. You know the type, Sky sports wall to wall and Farage voters inside. But, I have to say the pub was really nice and welcoming, we had a drink there after the gig and it was lovely. One of the staff explained that if I park there again then if I have a drink the parking is free – something I’ll think about for the next time I’m in this area.
While driving to the venue I noticed a lot of Arsenal Football Club fans and realised I must have been close to the stadium they use. They weren’t too much of a problem although there were some local road closures to ensure people could move between the transport links and the stadium safely. I didn’t mind this. I did mind being held at a T-junction by a police motorbike. It turned out I was stopped to allow a convoy of big vehicles through. I don’t know who it was, probably either the Prime Minister or the Prince Of Wales. I was annoyed because I don’t think anyone is important enough for a convoy like that. People are equal and I don’t care what anyone else says. I have just googled where the PM was and Facebook seems to think he was at the match. I guess being in a Range Rover isn’t as cool as the helicopters I saw flying Barack Obama when I was in DC.
Before the gig we ate at what I described as a bakery with a cheeky restaurant at the back but it turned out to be a Greek street food café type thing. It was genuinely really nice and good value it was called Pitta Republic but it was hidden in the back of Intrepid Bakers. We then found the venue and it was quite standard. Black painted walls, a bar, a merch area and basically an open space, hall shaped that can fit 300 people. There weren’t really any quirky aspects to the venue, which was actually nice. The sound system was good and the set up was well balanced. The only slight issue was any lighting from the front didn’t seem to be working, otherwise, impressive.
Promenade Cinema – Downstairs At The Dome
First band up were Promenade Cinema who were already playing when we arrived. It was fine. There was a keyboardist and a singer. The songs had no real variation in them, no tempo changes or melody changes. Like I said it was fine. I did find myself wondering what to do with my arms during their set. I wasn’t clapping along so my arms just felt oddly in the way, I didn’t know where they should be. I tried behind my back, crossed, hands in pockets but they just felt “in the way” during this band. I think that means I was bored.
Ghostbells – Downstairs At The Dome
Ghostbells were up next and before the gig they handed out a load of plastic bracelets that had pinkish- red lights in them. The whole crown had them on their arms during this set and I thought that was a really nice touch. This band were better, their songs had variation and guitars. The singer had really good microphone control to make her singing fit with the music and changes in volume – I don’t know why I noticed this but it made me happy. I enjoyed it. I’d see them again quite happily.
Ashbury Heights – Downstairs At The Dome
The headliners were amazing. Musically excellent, great personalities, really seemed to be enjoying themselves. I could stay close all through the set as my neck started aching and given it’s been rough for over a month I moved towards the back to relax and be able to move my head a little easier. Ashbury Heights played a lot of bangers. Songs I’ve heard before and some off the album I have by them. It was an impressive display of musicianship from a band who have been around a long time. I really enjoyed it.
I made the wrong choice of film to watch. The whole weekend was a disappointment of cinema attendance. I watched Iron Lung – one man in a submarine for two hours – and then I went to see Mercy instead of Shelter. The tide was low as I drove to the showing. After the film I rated this on IMDb and I gave it four out of ten. There’s a communication somewhere way back that tells you how the scoring system works.
I spent some time during this film wondering whether to leave or not. I was miffed at watching another film with just one person starring in a single location. It didn’t look good. Yes, there was the AI judge but it’s AI so doesn’t count as a person. I though Judge Maddox was looking rather Starbuck like during the film and I wonder if that’s the hairstyle and look Hollywood now associates with strong female characters.
Amusingly this film was financed by Amazon and it effectively is an argument against AI. The irony was not lost on me. The main actor, one of the Chris people, was OK in all this but hardly a likable character. A violent drunk who’s only conviction is that he wouldn’t hurt his wife. It’s OK the film tells us, there’s a good reason he’s a drunk. Bullshit, say I. You can’t write this stuff and make the guy likeable. I don’t think I mind him being an alcoholic, but he is a cop and a dick. Worse than that he’s an american cop and that makes him very dodgy. I didn’t care if he got killed or not by the state.
I was hoping to see an action film with stupid stunts. What I saw was a cheap film with no discussion of the morals of AI usage in the real world. Just the explosive outcome at the end of the film. Why would an AI judge have a face? Why would it be white? Why would it have emotions? Why would it glitch? Gosh, it’s a bad film.
If you know me then you would be very much aware that this is probably a rant about how we need to become vegan socialists. However, this isn’t about fixing society. This is about things I need to fix in the home. I’m currently concentrating on the bathroom and I have got a list of issues that’s quite long. I don’t think any of them are urgent so I am going to do these things over time, do something every other weekend or so.
First I painted the radiator. It wasn’t looking good and needed some rust treatment. Then I spent a weekend getting two decent coats of titanium based paint onto it. I think it looks alright. It hasn’t made that much difference to the bathroom but I notice and it makes me happy.
Recently I am working on the ceiling. I have quite a bit of paint flaking off and some bubbles where the paint is definitely leaving the surface. So, I am in the process of scraping all the loose stuff off and then sealing the surface ready for paint. I think the paint will be over the next few evenings as I’m working on the sealing of the ceiling. Taking this little by little approach also keeps me happy as there isn’t too much disruption to my normal life.
I don’t like decorating. I don’t like the idea of having to move everything so that I can slap some paint on a surface. I don’t like the disruption. But, I have been telling myself that the end result will be pleasing and so I’m coping with that. I do not know what colour to do the walls in that room. I’ll leave that decision for another day.
I went to the cinema to watch this film. I didn’t really know anything about it before I went except for submarine in sea of blood made by some You-Tuber. So, formalities first. The tide was very low when I entered the cinema, all of the mud banks were visible along with a few birds just having a rest. After watching this film I rated it on IMDb. The rating is below but before complaints there a communication here that explains the system.
I didn’t walk out. Nor was I particularly interested in the character. I didn’t particularly find it scary or full of tension. I think I stayed because I was curious as to what devices they were going to use to keep the film moving. I think they succeeded in making me curious enough to see what happens. There were definitely times during the film that I was inspecting the lights on the walls of the theatre instead of paying attention because I don’t think much happened.
Why blood? I get it that this was based on a game. But blood does nothing to add to the film. Almost any liquid would work. Maybe blood is scary? I don’t know, I just wasn’t bothered by it.
I had another midweek journey to the cinema. It’s a nice thing to do. I enjoy the journey there, I enjoy the views near the cinema and I, hopefully, enjoy the film. While I’m waiting for the trailers to be over I read a book on my phone and at the moment I am reading about NASA’s contributions to flight since the inception of the NACA. I have completed the chapter about aerodynamics and this covered the contribution of Whitcomb including: the area rule for transonic drag reduction, the supercritical wing for transonic efficient flight, and the winglet to reduce induce drag. I’m now on a chapter about helicopters and NASA’s contributions to human knowledge about those machines.
For historical reasons I have to mention the state of the tidal part of the Medway here and I could see that the river was low so the tide was out. This seems to be the tidal-state for the last few times I’ve been to the cinema so I’m starting to think there might be a conspiracy. After watching this film I rated it on IMDb, there’s a communication here covering how the scoring works. While I was watching this film I really wanted to give it 8/10 because I really enjoyed it. But, according to my own rules I have to award it 6/10 because I’m probably not going to sit through it again.
I really enjoyed this film. It was touching, emotionally satisfying and overall just well made. There were a few times where I laughed out loud, the first time seemed inappropriate given that no-one else made a sound but I don’t care, it was funny. Japan looked amazing and even the rougher areas of Tokyo seemed exotic. It’s stunning to see Mount Fuji in the background of a few shots, I knew it was there but it’s shocking to see just how looming and pretty it is. The story of this film is happy and I enjoyed the characters journeys. It is a touching film that doesn’t moralise too much, although it does highlight the problems with strict social status and entrenched “traditional” views on society – I shan’t rant today.
I went to the Cineworld cinema to see the latest instalment of the 28 Days Later franchise. A wasn’t really that interested in seeing this a few months ago. There’s only so much horror films bother me and I find them mostly stupid. But, over the xmas break I watched all the previous 28 Days films. I think they were on offer on iTunes or whatever Apple call their video store and I bought them remembering that 28 Days Later was a great film from the distant past. There were a few things I could remember about 28 Days Later that stuck with me – wandering around an empty London, dodgy army people and the final cottage and aircraft flying by. So, over xmas I watched the first three films. 28 Days Later is still amazing and for me was more a story about human survival and the human condition than being a pure zombie flick. The second film wasn’t great, standard zombie stuff. But 28 Years Later was amazing. An excellent film about humans and how they might react and cope post apocalypse.
So to the most recent film. The tide was very low as I drove the river road to the cinema. But I will say it seemed even lower a few hours later so I’m not really sure what’s going on with that. It was dark both times so maybe the reflections – how I judge the river level – were playing tricks on me. I really enjoyed this film and rated it 8/10 on IMBd afterwards. You should read this communication from the before-times to see how the rating system works.
The zombies were playing a secondary role in this film, much like the previous one. This was really a story about human survival and how things could go after a catastrophic event. What happens to an eight year old when everything they know is torn apart? What happens to a doctor when they lose the world? I really enjoyed this film. It’s really well made. It looks great. I will say there are some scenes of torture that seemed a little much but then nothing was explicit and the actual violence was mostly implied. Two people walked out of the cinema shortly after the barn scene. I think the inclusion of the scene is justified as it shows what the Jimmys are capable of.
The absolute best scene was with Dr Kelson pretending to be the devil and putting on a show for some visitors. The music first of all was perfect. I’ve been a huge Iron Maiden fan and to play Number Of The Beast loud and unapologetically while Dr Kelson sings and throws fire around was absolute film making at its best. I loved that scene. Stunning.
Spoiler Warning.
The final scene opening with a cottage and subtle views of a Landrover excited me. Probably because the first film was in my recent memory. It was great. I sat up straight and enjoyed it immensely.
This film is highly recommended for the humanity displayed, the cinematography and the overall story. Just excuse the torture porn.
I decided to have a cheeky midweek visit to the movie house. Of course I went to the Cineworld cinema at Rochester. It’s probably not the closest cinema to me but it’s the one I’ve been going to since the late 90s and the parking is free, the river is pretty and it’s not in Maidstone. While driving next to the river I noticed there were many birds sitting on the mudflats. So, I think this happens when the tide is about halfway. I’m not sure why this would be their behaviour, I’ll have to look into it. I would also like to point out that I haven’t seen this is daylight, I’ve only noticed it recently and in the dark so it could be something else entirely. I will post photos next time there’s so sunlight showing the scene rather than reflected street lighting from the East Kent side of the county
I like writing these communications after seeing a film as it gives me an extra way to interact with the film. I can react to something and wonder how I will explain that in my way in my words. I sometimes think that there’s a particular scene or phrase I need to remember as it was really something I wanted to write about. I expect I forget most of these as I don’t make notes in the theatre. I rated this film on IMDb and before you complain about the score you need to know there is a system and it is explained in this communication from 2014. I rated this film 4/10.
This was not a good film. I rewatched the first film before christmas and thought it was kinda ok. The story seems quite routine but it was visually stunning. I’m not sure what I would have rated it after seeing it at the cinema. Then I also watched the second film while wrapping presents and generally chilling out on christmas eve. I really didn’t like it. I stayed watching it because I had paid for it and I sort of wanted to see what happens at the end. That is the reason I went to see this current film. I could spend some time in a warm building where someone else is paying for the heat – the UK is currently in a cold snap – and it would finish the story off. I was NOT wanting to sit through over three hours of film.
The visuals had been done before and so I don’t think anything need be said about those. I’m going to concentrate on the storyline. It was shit. Derivative. Boring. Entirely ordinary. Borderline terrible. I hated it. The whole world knew how the story was going to finish by then end of the second movie. There might be a few minor details you wouldn’t have predicted but overall it ends how you expect it to end. The natives win the big battle. Everyone cheers. There isn’t a sense of loss over those who died in the battle. No discussion about the future. No plans to stop the sky-people. Utter shit.
This film also explains so much about the current state of capitalism on planet Earth. When leaving the cinema people should be thinking about how companies are tearing up the planet for the sake of money for the few. Because more money means more power and more power means more money. These ideas are a cancer to the long term efforts of humans and Earth as a whole. Just because this Avatar story is set on a planet a few trillion miles away [which was mentioned in the script but it’s probably not a correct number but there’s a definite CBA about fact-checking it] it clearly is meant to show the exploitation of other countries for the enrichment of our own. If you leave this film feeling slightly sorry for the natives and the creatures of that world then perhaps you should think about who the fuck you vote for at the next general election.
A few aspects of this film that made me super annoyed should be noted. The first thing, and that isn’t just this film but part 2 also was Jake Sully making his kids call him “Sir”. I am going to maintain that if you make your kids call you “Sir” then you are an arsehole. I understand that he is training them for war and he wants them to understand how to fight but be a human-fucking-being about it. They are your children. You are their dad. Let them call you dad. Oh, by the way, that’s not the only absolutely toxic masculine trait that Sully manifests. So much of this movie glorifies fighting and battle it’s an absolute testosterone fest. Absolute bullshit. Proper American grade wank fest of jingoism.
I was annoyed at the potential sacrifice scene that occurs about two thirds of the way through the movie. It was a logical move but man, they didn’t need to play it so Abrahamic. Let’s head out into the woods to slaughter a child for the sake of the future of the blues. If this film had any guts it would have killed that kid and dealt with the consequences of that. But it chickened out. The film didn’t want to face tough decisions. It wanted to glorify fighting for what you believe in against a much larger force, against the USA. Maybe this film was an analogy of the white invaders to the Americas causing death and destruction. I mean, it’s not that subtle really if it is that. I wonder if general white USA will notice?
While the blues fought off the sky-people do they really think that they are safe given the value of the natural resources on their moon-world? Of course you aren’t. Humans have such need for greed in the current system. We are burning our own planet because we can. We will burn it all down just so a couple of people can be extremely wealthy. Until the mega rich are prosecuted and sent to prison there will be no peace and no fixing of the problems of this world.
This film was not really disappointing. I wasn’t expecting much. It lived up to my expectations. I didn’t leave the film feeling despondent. There have been plenty of other films I’ve really wanted to be good but were utter shit. They left me feeling rubbish for ages. The Phantom Menace broke me. Alien – Prometheus did the same. Such excellent promise ruined by bad film making. I’ll leave you with one good thing about this film – The first time I looked at my watch was two hours into the over three hour movie. I didn’t get uncomfortable in my seat which happens when I am really bored. So maybe this film held my attention for most of its runtime.
