30 Days of Night

An average film, well, just below average. It actually had a decent plot, the acting suited the film and it was directed well.  I only have a few issues, this being that before thirty days of night, I would not expect as much daylight as there was. Also, I am not sure how the survivors lasted as long as they did, this involving having access to food, water and disposal of human waste.  Overall I would rate it two out of five, possibly a three though. 

When it comes to family, my son is still free of the plague.  We are all recovering, though I think that our dog is taking the longest to do so.  I took her for a socially distanced walk today, which she found frustrating as she could not interact with other dogs or walkers.

Hopefully we will be back to normal tomorrow.

Draw like a young girl

My daughter said I “draw like a young girl” which offended me. Not because I am terrible at drawing, but because she could have said I draw like a young child.  I thought I had taught both my children that the use of gender in insults is wrong. It appears that she needs a reminder. 

When it comes to all of us, we are getting better. Fatigue is still an issue and I have yet to test negative. Due to this, I have done the dog walk at night when I do not meet others to risk infecting them. My son is still free of the plague and I may have to pay up on the bet I made with him about catching COVID! 

The Kill Room

My wife picked this film for us to watch at home while we are recovering from COVID. I loved it. Compared to the other films I have watched, this was like a breath of fresh air for my brain.  

This will not be for everyone, in fact, I doubt that most will like it.  If you liked American Fiction, you will probably like this.  Both have a twisted sense of humour, though here the laughs are a lot more bleak at times.  I will admit that I do not understand modern art. I like what I consider beauty, but there is a lot of art that I have no hope of appreciating. This film both pokes fun at and also explains art. The Guardian did not like it, but I suspect that the person reviewing it is able to see beyond what I can visualise when looking at contemporary art. 

When it comes to family, my son is still plague free and the rest of us are improving. I am not sure I will be able to work tomorrow, but if I can, even if it is from home, I will.  

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

How to lose a guy in 10 days starts off bad with the names of the characters and the passion of one to do meaningful work (well why not apply for another job and why did you apply for this one in the first place). But I will admit, grudgingly, it gets better. It has a generic format, both being office workers in the city.  A lot of the film is predictable but I will admit to being wrong about when they got together. When it comes to the end, it was not the plot ending I thought. But it is a generic one common to many similar films. 

When it comes to family my son had his induction day. The build up to it was a bit stressful for him. That and him trying to avoid us to stop getting COVID from us.  He is hoping that he has avoided it. I hope he is right. I started the day not feeling too bad, but have ended it feeling worse. Both my wife and daughter are on the road to recovery. We actually think our dog, Leia, has been ill as well. Yesterday she was not as active as normal. Today she has been better, but again is not back to her usual self.

Alien Resurrection

I am not sure where I would rate this film compared to the rest of the franchise. Certainly not in the top three.  I would describe this as not as good as Aliens, though in the same genre of horror and science fiction as that film. No matter what my mood is, it is better than the Alien vs Predator films, but those two are terrible. 

From a science fiction purist, I do not like the way that Ripley was aided by genetic memories which were never mentioned in previous films. There is no explanation as to why it took two hundred years to try to clone her. And some of the accuracy when it comes to shooting is inconsistent, being amazing in one scene and not so when fighting an Alien.  Would I go out of my way to watch this again? No.  But I might watch it if I came across it when channel surfing.

When it comes to family, my son is hiding in his room as he tries to avoid catching COVID. I have got it now and feel bad. From what has happened with my wife and daughter, it will get worse, but while both are still ill, they are improving. Fingers crossed that he is fine for his Sixth Form induction tomorrow. 

Alien 3

At the time it was made, this was the worst of the Alien films, but those which have come since, in my view are worse.  

It lacked in special effects, but basically I think that this was a good film. Despite its detractors, I think that it was directed well, with decent characters and an acceptable plot. I am glad I watched it again, but I doubt I would watch it any more times. 

Family wise, by wife and daughter are still unwell, but both appear to be on the mend. Sadly, I am not 100%, but I am hoping that I get better tonight. 

I feel sorry for Aston Villa

Arsenal were lucky to beat Aston Villa.  Last season they did the double over us.  They could have made it three wins in a row but they missed a great chance. The second chance was kept out by an amazing save.  

I have had discussions about who is the best in goal for Arsenal. I think I lost that debate yesterday. 

Luck is important in football, but a team cannot rely on it throughout the entire season. 

Aliens

For many years, I have considered this to be the second best in the franchise. So far, that view stands. 

I can only think of two major issues. One is the approach to Acheron (LV-426). In the original the setting was lit in a more realistic manner. In this film, there was what appeared to be a nebula in the background and the ship was lit more as a result.  The other issue was when the face-hugger as destroyed as no acid came out.

The film did meet the odd stereotype, but kept the suspense up until the alien is encountered. A down side of watching this on streaming is that some good bits have been cut out, but despite that, this was worth watching again. 

The house of plague

We have the plague again. My daughter, when in Spain stayed in a hostel with someone with COVID. Now she and my wife are unwell. My daughter has tested negative to COVID, but my wife has tested positive. My son is now isolating himself in the bedroom. While I have felt a bit unwell, I do not know if that is my mind playing tricks on me.

We all were healthy enough to go out for a lunch to celebrate results which we all enjoyed. In addition to being proud of our children, we are also proud of the way my son helped one of his friends on Thursday. His friend had not got a grade to study at the Sixth Form College, so he rang them and sorted things out for him.

Anyway, now my son and I are hoping we stay well. At least it is a long weekend…

Alien

In space, no one can hear you scream.  An awesome line for an amazing film. It is filmed so well. Watching this, it is easy to see how the other four films fall far short of the standards set here.

When watching this, you are reminded how we have moved on when it comes to workplace standards, one of the crew has naked pinups stuck up for example. But going back to the film, it manages suspense really well. It has a great plot and is directed well.

This is the template of how a film in this franchise should be filmed. The original is the best and has not been beaten.

The Best People

The speech by the Obama's was amazing.  Listening to The Rest is Politics and The Newsagents has been interesting as well.  

An issue that has been raised is how many people who have worked with Trump no longer support him.  While this advert is out of date, in that some people have repented and have Kissed The Ring, the essence is correct in that so many people who have worked for Trump no longer support him.

But the main thing I want to focus on are the Obama's, both of whom are excellent communicators.  Both had excellent and very memorable lines.

If you get a chance, listen to the entire highlights above.  I will see if I can listen to the speeches of both in their entirety later.  But the bits I have focused on are the two most memorable lines.  And for one, hand gesture...

Rick Gates: Convicted.
Paul Manafort: Convicted.
George Papadopoulos: Convicted.
Mike Flynn: Convicted.
Michael Cohen: Convicted.
Roger Stone: Convicted.
Steve Bannon: Arrested.
Donald Trump: Impeached.

— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) August 20, 2020

The best people. pic.twitter.com/kFLduz0pPJ

— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) August 20, 2020

Results

I am hoping that today ends better than it starts.  My daughter rang in the early hours as when at a club in Barcelona, the friend she had travelled there with had her phone stolen.  They went to the police station, but could not report it stolen as they did not have the ID information on it.  They were assured that they would be able to report it at the police station at the airport however.

So this morning, after waking up late I when on the dog walk, I got a message about not being able to find the airport.  I sent instructions to them after a quick Google search.  When I got to work, my label printer was missing labels, but there were no labels to find.  Also, needing sleep, I needed coffee, but there was no coffee!  I did find both in the end, but ended up starting work late.  Later, my daughter's friend lost her wallet!  Fortunately, they are both home now.  

My son also got his GCSE results.  Apparently, he is not too pleased with his Chemistry and Biology results as he is hoping to study both subjects at A-Level.  He has enjoyed the rest of the day with friends.  

Anyway, I am off home soon and will hopefully be relaxing with no more drama!

Alien: Covenant

Another good film.  Much better than the versions featuring the Predator, but not as good as Prometheus.  As a film, it flowed so much better than the first two.  Like with Prometheus, not all the red shirts had character development but it had enough to make you relate to many of the characters.  The relationship between them also added to the sense of loss that the crew felt when one died, if not for the deceased, then for the partner who was living (until they died).  I loved the start when it looked at creation, but I will not spoil that part too much.

As a sequel to Prometheus, it was great.  As a prequel to Alien it was not.  There are a lot of unanswered questions, notably, how the eggs in Alien ended up on the ship.  I am glad I have watched it, and I may watch it again one day.  

Distraction

Results day is tomorrow for my son. Today we took him out, kept him active and started to watch a film. But then a friend of his called. Apparently, according to a friend of his, the grade boundaries for A-Levels changed by quite a bit. He is worried the same will apply with him and that his grades will be not what he wants. Fingers crossed that he has nothing to worry about. 

My daughter is still in Spain with a friend and will be back tomorrow. Hopefully it will be to good news.

Prometheus

I liked this much more that the earlier films.  It humanised the characters much better than the previous two films and was not rushed in the way that both came across as being. 

It had a few flaws. At the beginning of the film, where life is to be introduced to Earth, you see plant life in the background. Also, thanks to evolution, we would have evolved to look like our masters on a planet of such genetic diversity. Idris Elba would have been better served having a British accent and the Silica storms that occurred would have caused a lot more weathering to the structure which was investigated.

If you like science fiction and/or horror, this is certainly worth watching.

A Fossil Fuel company told us Don’t Look Up

Many doubt the reality of climate change and global warming. However Exxon scientists predicted the changes our planet is going through. This means that those who doubt the harm fossil fuels cause our planet are either ignorant or are lying.

Sadly, most have fallen for the lies of the fuel lobby. It will be interesting to hear what they think of this article. If any read this post that is.

Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem

The good thing about this film is that it makes Alien vs Predator look better. As with the earlier film, there is little effort to humanise the characters. It has been rated as highly as a B film, but I do not think it would have been good enough to even reach that standard.

The biggest plot hole is why the Aliens invade a town when they land in a forest full of wildlife to infect.  As with the earlier film, the time for the face-hugger to fall off is much shorter than the original film, along with the gestation of the chest-burster and the time taken for it to reach maturity.

If you want to watch Aliens vs military forces, yes, watch it. If you want to watch Aliens fighting against Predators, watch it. But in either case, switch your brain off.

Alien vs. Predator

First of all, Arsenal. We won, our goal keeper made an outstanding save and a great pass (which came to nothing) but did make a mistake. Havertz played really well, but was lucky not to get into more trouble than he did for an incident where he ended up being ‘accidentally’ strangled.

We have tried to keep our son distracted as he is getting nervous about his results later this week. We finished watching My Lady Jane. It will be interesting to see if there is a second series.  Our daughter appears to be enjoying France and has sent us some photos about what she has been up to.

The next bit is the film.  I watched it as there is a new Alien film coming out soon. I have decided to watch them in chronological order, as I am hoping it makes more sense to do so. I had watched it in the cinema in 2004 and felt it was a bad film then. I think that it is still one now.  However, I think that I like it a bit more than before. I rate this two out of five, the first part of the film is rushed. The aliens mature much too fast, one moment being a chest-burster, and within a few minutes it is a fully grown adult. In addition to this, the time the face-hugger is on much and off the host much faster than the original two films.  In addition, there is little effort to get to know most of the characters. In the first two films, you have time to learn bits about those who are to die, in this one, there is little effort to humanise both. The ending is wanting as well, in that we have to assume that the Alien going down to the bottom of the sea will not be able to survive the ordeal. Last of all, the main character finishes the film in a thin top, not really suitable for Antarctica.

In addition to this, there is also the issue of the pyramids.  The film states that pyramids across the globe were constructed to worship the Predators and also for breeding Aliens to hunt.  If that is the case, why the differences in the pyramid interiors across the globe to the one found in Antarctica?

I am disappointed that I decided to watch this again. 

Two-Tier Justice and Just Stop Oil

Many supporters of those convicted for engaging in, or inciting the riots, have complained that we have a Two Tier Justice system. The thing is that many in the environmental movement agree.  

Earlier this year, some environmental protesters were convicted under laws brought in by the Conservatives, and sentenced to lengthy jail terms. Many considered the terms to be harsh at the time. 

It will be interesting to see if those in favour of what many term the Farage Riots will call for the Just Stop Oil protesters to be released along with those locked up for assault, incitement, looting and arson. 

Family update

Just a quick update on my daughter, who right now is on her trip to France with a friend of hers.  She has her place at Bristol University but is trying to find out if she can postpone her place for a year. 

Waiting

The house has been more stressful of late. My daughter finds out her A-Level results today. My son gets his GCSE results next week. Yesterday we tried to distract both, mostly my daughter. That included taking them out for dinner.  My wife booked a pub called The White Hart. I thought it was a brave decision, but she has has fun in the sun there before having drinks with friends.however, their menu was not that appealing and my daughter had forgotten her ID when it came to having a drink.

So, after necking a non-alcoholic pint, we nipped home, got my daughter’s ID and went to a pizza place in Colchester. That was amazing. Probably the best pizza’s in the town. The dog was welcome and they made us and the dog feel very welcome. We will be returning.

Anyway, fingers crossed for later today. Many at my work want to know the results as my daughter works there and has charmed many who are there. I have been told that I might not be told the results if they are bad…   

Will the European Court of Human Rights protect Far Right rioters?

Twitter has been a nightmare recently. There has been a lot of far right hatred on it, much spread by its owner. What is interesting are the “concerns” of those on the Far Right that Starmer will crack down on our civil rights.

From what I understand, that is not possible, unless we withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights. 

As for the powers being used. They were taken up by the government by the darling of the right of British politics, Suella Braverman. 

The Instigators

I would refer to this as an average film, this being three out of five. It appears to have got bad ratings which I do not think it deserves. Many films which I consider to have worse issues with continuity (there were a few issues here) have been rated better. I only noted a few plot holes and I think that this was an enjoyable comedy. 

Yes, it is slower than others and I would not consider this to be a typical American film, by which I mean that as a compliment. While not a classic, it is certainly worth watching and I am glad I did so, 

Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting are women

There has been controversy about Imane Khelif taking part in women's boxing.  This video explains what has happened.

Basically, she failed a gender test after beating a Russian, the test was requested by an organisation that many consider to be run by a Russian, and after she was disqualified, the Russian was officially unbeaten. 

While Lin Yu-ting did not have the same issue, it may have been that her crime was that she represented Taiwan. 

Sadly, it appears that these two women are casualties in the increasingly polarised binary stance on gender and gender identity, as well as being the victims of fake news, deliberately spread by what many consider to be a corrupt organisation. 

As with all my posts, I am genuinely interested in what views are held on this matter and feel free to let me know what you think.

Two Tier Policing

It is strange to see those who support the riots, arson and looting which have occurred agreeing with the Black Lives Matter movement that says that Two Tier policing is an issue that our nation needs to solve. 

A big difference is that the fast track sentencing which is taking place now, also happened after the riots in 2011.  And guess who was in charge of prosecutions then? 

The Handmaid's Tale

This was a good film. Produced in the 1990’s it has to be watched with that in mind. It compares both well and poorly to the series which I am watching with my daughter. Some parts, notably ‘The Ceremony’ is more horrific in the film when compared to the series. That with the drive towards racial purity which was very absent in the series. 

When it was produced, according to Wikipedia, Owen Gleiberman, writing for Entertainment Weekly, gave the film a "C−" grade and commented that "visually, it's quite striking", but that it is "paranoid poppycock — just like the book". John Simon of the National Review called The Handmaid's Tale “inept and annoying.”

While many now compare this to the loss of women’s rights in America, it is more accurate to compare it to how women are being treated in Afghanistan. Which means that sadly, this film is not paranoid poppycock. 

I suspect that if I only had to watch one, I would watch the series, but this is certainly worth watching as well. 

Labour and white working class girls

Angela Rayner left school at the age of 16, pregnant and with no qualifications in 1996.

Then Labour was elected in 1997.

Change did not happen instantly, but change took place, change to ensure that people would be given more opportunities to reach their potential. 

She was one of those who took these chances. Now she is Deputy Prime Minister.

While the Conservatives have made things worse for the working class since they have been elected, it was Labour who made things better and I am confident that Labour will make things better again.

So if people say Labour does not care about white working class people, remember Angela Rayner, 

I predict a riot

Well things have got worse. Disorder has spread, in Sunderland, a Citizens Advice Bureau was set alight. Which means that idiots, pretending to be patriotic, have harmed those people who the centre was going to help.  In my job, I direct people to the Citizens Advice Website as well as sending them to the local offices. I know that they will help those in needed.

There is no excuse for breaking the law. I understand that people have concerns, but rioting is not the answer. It just harmed communities when this happened in 2011, it is just going to harm communities now.  

British Patriots fought against the Nuremberg Laws that the Far Right love

Britain makes me proud.  We have democratic values, we have laws against sexism and racism.  Our multicultural team are completing in the Olympics in Paris, and at the time of typing this, we are 5th in the medal table. People across the globe listen to our music, listen to The World Service, watch our TV shows like Dr Who and while many do not like our country, many do.

Yes, we have aspects of our nation we need to be ashamed of, but there is so much more to look at with pride and while it is important to learn where our nation has fallen from the ideals we treasure now, it is also important to look at what our small nation has done.

One of the many things that also makes me proud is how the community of Southport came together to clean up the mess left by rioters from outside the community.

Hate has been part of our history.  Examples include the persecution of Jews and Catholics.  Sadly, I see that the hatred towards Islam has increased.

Riots across our nation are not justified, be that in Harehills or Southport.  I hope that we have seen the last of them.  I fear that we shall see more.

Deadpool & Wolverine

An awesome film. We watched it yesterday as a family in our local cinema. When I booked the tickets, others were being booked while I was doing so. When we got to watch the film, it was more full than usual and the audience laughed, proof that it was not just our family that enjoyed it. 

So many films could learn from this. Excellent dialogue, great acting and a well put together film. I was concerned that this sequel would not live up to the other two films. It did. Basically if you like the previous Deadpool films, you will like this. But if you are someone who did not like the other two, stay clear of it.