We Have Always Lived in the Castle

I doubt that I will watch this again. Based on a book, I suspect that the film is aimed at those who have read it. When it comes to direction, the film flows well, I have no concerns with the standard of acting and you do feel for the characters. But as a film, the film is ponderous and slow. I would not have paid to watch it in the cinema and would have been disappointed if I had.  However, based on the film, I suspect that the book is as good as the reviews (see earlier links) say it is.

As for yesterday, it was a slow day. I have had a few days away from work and today I felt the benefits of taking things easy. We took our son to Gaia, had a brilliant brunch, but then I spent the day ferrying the family about. While not exciting, it was what I needed. My son and wife went to a Jo Malone evening in town, my wife also went to book club and while she was away I bonded with my son by taking him to ASDA. I am feeling my stress reduce and am glad of the day. 

Barbie and Maria Elia

First of all, the film. I am not going to watch Barbie ever again. If I remember right, my daughter was not impressed by it when she watched it.  In fact, it has mixed reviews, some liking it more than others.

Like many films with a lot of hype, it had a lot to live up to. But I am not its target audience. It is aimed at teaching/reminding women and girls across the globe that it is okay for women to be different and that they can do what men do.  Watching it how also is more interesting with the outcry over how the poor woman from Cornell has been treated. Barbieland, a place where women make the rules is discriminatory to men, but even then is not as bad as our world is to women. A more serious film would not have had the appeal this has had, and this means that the message which it did give has a wider reach than otherwise. If a sequel is released, I suspect I will not be bothered to watch it.

Anyway, time with my wife. We went to a meal hosted by Maria Elia. She has events hosted on her property and this is the second that we have been to. Like before, this was amazing. We met a lovely couple while waiting for it to start. The only downside of the event being how the weather changed to being seasonal and therefore cold. They did have a fire-pit, but being fussy, maybe two would have been better. That is the only negative about the evening. The food was awesome, and at the table, as before, we were fortunate with the company we had. The lady I sat next to knew Maria Elia and had cooked for her in her home. My wife had fun with the couple next to her. As the lady I was sitting next to said, a meal is not just about the food, she was right and she, along with my wife and Maria Elia (who signed her books) made it such a fabulous night. 

The October 7th attacks

It is strange to post on this the day after the anniversary of the attacks but this way I can reflect on the coverage.  Let me say that while Israel has every right to defend itself and retaliate against attacks against it, it has been too heavy handed by essentially levelling Gaza, increasing its ethnic cleansing of The West Bank as well as its actions in Lebanon.

I understand the desire of Palestinians to strike back against the oppressive rule of Netanyahu, one of the chants I do not engage with on the Sunday weekly protest (when I attend) refers to the right to resist. The October 7th attacks, while genius in the way they were carried out, were a war crime against civilians and had to be punished (within the remit of international law). It was not just the targeting of civilians, it was the atrocities carried out during the attacks. They had tried to do things peacefully, and after coming to an internationally acclaimed agreement, Israel ignored it. 

But the actions of the Israeli government have been inexcusable. There are too many crimes resulting in death in Gaza as a result of this. While Israel claims that the IDF takes every precaution to avoid civilian deaths, two examples show just how much of a lie this is. One is the killing of some escaped hostages by the IDF who had a white flag. The IDF only investigated this once their identities were discovered and if not, they would have been labelled terrorists and the way they were killed would never have been looked at. The other is the ambush, murder and attempted disposal of evidence when Palestinian paramedics were killed by the IDF which had to keep changing its story as more evidence came out.

In The West Bank, IDF soldiers stand by while the violence of “settlers” continues, essentially enabling civilians to carry out ethnic cleansing. 

Sadly, too many people appear to turn a blind eye to the horrors inflicted by Hamas, or the current Israeli government. 

So, in summary:

I believe in the right of Israel and Palestine to exist honouring the Oslo Accords (but with West Bank settlements coming under Palestinian rule).

Israel has the right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza and Lebanon 

The blockade of Gaza by Israel before the attacks was illegal 

The ethnic cleansing of the West Bank before and since October 7th is a violation of international law

The response of Israel to the attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah has been disproportionate and both should be investigated as the war crimes they are.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

I had not realised that I had missed this when watching the series. I found it by accident, this being released after the remake series finished. 

I loved the original series. As bad as it was it was great for the child that I was back then. The remake series was great.  It is not a brilliant film, it is made for fans of the remake series and I doubt it has any appeal to anyone who has not watched it. Watching a film about genocide today was in hindsight, surreal. 

For me it was good to watch it again. But I would not recommend it to anyone who has not watched the remake series. I do think that there were some plot holes, but not having watched the series for many years, I cannot be certain. 

Suella Braverman had better tell the England team that they have players who should not be part of the team

Suella Braverman is an interesting person.  I have discussed nationality before and sadly it is time to do so again.  She is right to state that she is not ethnically English.  But she should also be clear that she is English.  I am biased over this.  As an Arsenal fan, we have had many a player who represents our country who is not white. Bukayo Saka is one of several Arsenal players who play for England but are not white.  If Suella Braverman had her way, a lot of the England team would not have played against Croatia on Saturday.  Something many Croatian fans would have been pleased about. 

The bottom line is that there are some people who do not consider King Charles to be British because his father is considered Greek.  I am glad that they are not applying double standards, but it does show how silly they are to hold such views.

Toy Story 5

My wife and I have just watched this.  Our son made a choice not to do so, he stated that he is too old for this.  Which has been a theme for several of the films in the series.  

I did enjoy the film.  It was lovable, but parts of me were annoyed, notably by battery life and toys being waterproof.  (Sorry about the spoilers.)  It was great to watch it with my wife however, as it brought back shared memories of our children, including how my son played with a box with wheels on over his actual toy cars once.  While it is the worst film in the series, it is still a good film to watch.  I would possibly watch it again, but overall, I am glad we watched it at home instead of in the cinema.

It turns out that I am a racist

There has been an interesting proposal from the Green Party.  Let me say that although I am not a Jew, I can be considered to be a Zionist as I support a two state solution, which means that I want a Palestinian State to exist alongside Israel.

My view is that the Oslo Peace Accords should be honoured and that any settlements in The West Bank should be transferred to be administered by the Palestinian Authority. 

I guess it all comes down to what people consider to be Zionism.  Despite the claims in the video below (if it works), there are Israeli's who want a two state solution.