Wolfs

My wife and I watched this and liked it. I thought that it was an intriguing film, up until the end, and even then it was still enjoyable. It had action, great lines and chemistry between the two main characters, but the plot started to get too complicated towards the end of the film, and I am sure that thanks to some of the complications, they have left too many plot holes.

 

I would not have been annoyed if I had watched this in the cinema, but I am glad that I got to watch it at home with my wife.  I doubt I will watch it again though.

The Marías

I forgot to post about this. I took Monday and Tuesday off work so I could take my son to see this group. We went with a friend of his who had taken him to see Taylor Swift in June. Well I drove them there, waited outside the concert, listened to the crowd loving it and drove them back.

This time I drove them there and went in to see it. My son’s friend is quite short and was able to watch the concert until María Zardoya walked through the crowd and sang in front of us while dancing with an audience member. After that, the crowd changed and while my son and I could watch it, his friend was not able to see over people and had to watch it on her phone, or that of others who were recording bits.

I love live music, and while I did not enjoy it as much as both of them did, I loved seeing the group. Later, I may post a video from that night on here. 

Heretic

When people knock on our door to try to convert me, I love it.  So much so, they do not knock on our door anymore.  Seriously, we are the only home in Colchester which Jehovah's Witnesses leave alone.  I have had religious discussions on the dog walk when I have been approached by people intent on saving my soul.  

So, I loved the idea of this film, and I have to say, I loved the film itself.  It was clever and sadistic.  I understand why it has caused offence.  But I do not think that the film intended to upset the Mormon community more than The Book of Moron would.  

I watched it with my daughter, I am not sure she liked it as much as I did, but she did like it as well.  But she does not speak to those who try to save our souls...

We will not win the title

The highlights of the match were interesting.  I think that we were the better team, but I do not think that we are going to win the title.  We are too far behind the top two teams to catch up with both.  However, Chelski did score an amazing goal.  Oh well.  We might win a cup...

Colchester foodbank gala

My wife and I went with Nick and Lyndsay to an event last night which was to raise money for the Colchester foodbank. While there I was talking to a couple who volunteer there who asked why we came. I will always remember the sacrifices my mother made when she left my dad and it is thanks to charities like this, that we could. We were in that we never starved back then. Now, far too many people depend on foodbanks. I would love it if we could return to how things were before 2010 when there was far less need for this, but while there is a need, it should be supported. 

Night Hunter

This film has not had the best reviews, but I liked it. In fact, I liked it so much, I stopped watching it to start over and watch it with my wife. Like many women, she loves series’s like this, examples being Criminal Minds. My wife was about when I was watching it and said that this might be a film she would like. While I found it to be new and interesting, she did not and worked out bits of the plot before I did.

While the film had a few issues, one being the change in how the character Rachel changes when interrogating the suspect, I liked it.  I have in essence watched it again and while I doubt I would do so in the future, I did enjoy it and disagree with the review in The Guardian.  I loved how, in bits, how twisted it was.

The Invitation

I would rate this as an average film.  Not the best when it comes to horror and not the best when it comes to Vampire films, but what makes this an average film despite these shortcomings are some little touches relating to race, class and privilege which make this a better film than others.  

If you are watching this film to be scared, do not bother, it is not scary at all.  It is intriguing though as I did want to see what the mystery was and how the film unfolded.  Despite not being frightening, it was engaging.  I do not think that I would watch it again, but I am glad that I did watch it.  

How Labour destroyed homeownership for everyone – even the wealthy

I just thought that I would post these screenshots of a headline on Bing, and the article that is shown once you click on the link.

The bias shown against Labour in the media is not something I expected to see on Bing.  Many would consider me to be silly for having that view.  I suspect that I will be sharing a lot of things like this in the next few years.

How a Trump presidency may show the failings of Reform UK

The USA, when presented with a competent woman decided to elect a man who tried to overthrow democracy. Over the last four years, we have not had to deal with headlines detailing insane ideas in The White House.  It looks like the Republicans are to have a clean slate in that they are to take The Senate and The House of Representatives.

This means that from January, for two years, there will be no obstacles to Trump doing what he promised when it comes to tariffs on goods produced abroad as well as deporting illegal immigrants.  He has made lots of other promises.  There should not really be any reasons why he is not going to deliver.

We have seen how Brexit has stopped political parties in the EU for arguing to leave the European Union, because they have seen what a nightmare it is for the UK.  We will get to see how Trump and his policies will affect the USA.  If they are the disaster that many predict, then parties which make similar promises like Reform UK may face electoral consequences.  

Child's Play

I thought that this was an enjoyable film.  Not too scary though, and if you want a frightening film, there are better ones out there.  It had an enjoyable plot, though I was left wondering how Chucky got back from some of the murder scenes.  I have not watched the original, so cannot compare it to what it was based on, but has a fun gore film, it is worth watching.  Just do not watch it if you want to be scared or are expecting a film with an astounding plot. 

Not being able to avoid inheritance tax by buying a farm

There has been a lot of controversy because of the changes in inheritance tax laws for farmers. Basically, some people have bought farms to avoid inheritance tax. An example of this is Jeremy Clarkson who has been quite vocal in speaking out the changes.  While he has made a TV series about farming and a successful one at that, he did buy his farm to avoid inheritance tax. I obtained quote below from this article, but it was originally in The Times. 

"Land is a better investment than any bank can offer. The Government doesn't get any of my money when I die. And the price of the food that I grow can only go up. "But there is another, much more important reason: I can now have a quad bike. "I have always loved the idea. They are like motorbikes but they don't fall over when you leave them alone, they look great and they bring a bit of civilisation to Britain's rather dreary green and brown bits."

Apparently other have bought farms as a way of avoiding this tax, something I never knew until I heard about it on BBC Any Questions. 

All I See Is You

I liked this film.  It can be best described as a psychodrama but what I liked the most about the film was the way it showed the vision of Gina, the main character, or lack of it, to the viewer.

Overall, I would say that this is an average film, but I have not seen one showing visual impairment so well, both from the perspective of the affected person, but also the helplessness that they can experience.  It had an engaging plot, one that focused on the needs of Gina and the insecurities of Jason.

Coming from a personal family background where abuse did take place, I thought that the issues of control were shown quite well.  I know that many have not liked it, but I think that they overlook the main message of the film, that being the effects of blindness on her person affected and the family along with how recovery can change things. 

Am I glad I watched it?  Yes.  I would have been happy to have paid to watch it in the cinema, and if someone is to watch it, I would recommend it to them if they want to empathise with someone with visual impairment, for when it came to that, it addressed this issue really well.  

The Lie

This is an average film which I will not be watching again. While marketed as a horror film, I would argue that it is a black psychological drama with an engaging plot, but a slow story at times.  While I did find it funny at times, I am not sure it was meant to be so.  Would I have been happy to pay for it? I would not have been unhappy.  But this is a film I doubt I would recommend, as there are so many other films out there which are better. 

Cruel intentions

I liked this film. Not as much as Dangerous Liaisons, but I can see the appeal of this to young adults and teenagers. If you do compare it to its more adult counterpart, only Sarah Michelle Gellar and Reese Witherspoon compare in acting ability. You truly appreciate the skill John Malkovich, Ryan Phillippe not coming close to his skill. Selma Blair again does not match Uma Thurman, but this may be down to the film itself as opposed to the ability of the actresses. 

In its own right, it is great, in places. But if you want to appreciate the story fully as a film, watch Dangerous Liaisons. 

Trump and Article 5 of the NATO rules

Article 5 provides that if a NATO Ally is the victim of an armed attack, each & every other member of the Alliance will consider this act of violence as an armed attack against all members & will take the actions it deems NECESSARY to assist the Ally attacked.

I have stated before that I have concerns that Trump would support nations of NATO if Russia attacked.  Many think that he would obey Article 5.  I think that he would and would take the actions that he felt was necessary to assist the ally which had been attacked. And I suspect that such actions would in essence, be nothing.

 

We lost

Yesterday I was out to a work do. While there, a Chelski fan told me the score. He was optimistic of his results today saying that his team would be above Arsenal in the league. He will not be laughing now. The loss is a shame, as is the red card for Saliba as he will miss the Liverpool game. I know Match of the Day said it was deserved but I disagree.

Anyway, here is hoping we do well in Europe at least. 

My kids and travelling

My son has a concert to go to this week. My daughter has been in London this weekend. My wife and I have realised that we need to make sure that both are better equipped to travel in London.

We both grew up in or close to the city and were used to travelling by The Tube or by bus.  When we took my daughter down to London, we realised that we had taken things for granted as while we were used to travelling on the system, they were not. My daughter now hopefully is better prepared for it, but I am not sure with my son.

My Mum, who lives in London, has asked about my son travelling down to see her. But I had to remind her that it would take him three hours to get to her and three hours to get back.  The train journey from Colchester to Liverpool Street station is an hour, if there is no engineering work, he would have to use The Tube, and then there is the walk to and from the stations at both sides of the journey. Once I pointed that out, she accepted that would not be happening l hopefully we will see her next weekend, but we have to get there early as otherwise a drive of ninety minutes can take three hours in traffic. 

Rapid prosecutions worked with the Farage Riots, just as they did in 2011

Those on the right are in outrage over the conviction of Lucy Connolly. Connolly posted a call for hotels housing migrants to be set on fire and for "mass deportation now" adding, "If that makes me racist, so be it," which is a view that many on the right appear to agree with. In court, the prosecutor stated "She then goes on to say that if she were to get arrested she would 'play the mental health card'." Sadly, she lost a child before, and there are those on the right referring to the mental health card which she played.  This is despite how the wife of a Conservative councillor admitted stirring up racial hatred. Of course, those journalists and politicians who argue for her case on social media ‘forget’ these issues so that they can encourage outrage. 

Those in favour of the Farage Riots have complained about the speed of prosecutions, this being something that helped (Keir Starmer) to stop the riots in 2011.  There have also been complaints that people have been prosecuted for posts on social media, again, this happening in 2011, people being jailed back then even when no disorder arose. 

Others have complained about human rights, but the UK is part of the European Court of Human Rights and that protects us, including the rioters, from having our human rights abused. 

The bottom line is that the methods used to end the riots in 2011 worked this year. The only people I will listen to about this are those who raised concerns back then. 

A bet with my son about the US election

 

I have had a bet with my son about the US elections.  He is sure that Kamal Harris will win.  I am certain that she will win the popular vote, but I think that Trump will win the Electoral College, again.  

While changes to voting laws have been made, and appealed, too many of those on the right are determined not to let the Democrats win again, by fair or foul means.  But, that may not be needed.  Trump is making progress with voter groups which previously voted for the Democrats.  And this will be crucial in the swing states.  An example of this is with Michigan where there are large numbers of Muslim voters who will vote for neither candidate, which means lost votes for Harris in a state she needs to win.  

BTW, the bet is for £10.  And I already owe him money. 

The Gathering

A great cast, but a bad film. It starts of below average and goes downhill before returning to its previous levels. The basic plot was good but failed as the film progressed, the acting was adequate, but that is as good as it gets. In summary, do not watch this film. Watch the trailer instead. 

Newcastle

My wife and I had a few days in Newcastle last week.  We went up on Tuesday night.  I got into a bit of trouble as I was late from work.  We actually went to Durham first, but the hotel she had booked was locked up!  There was a note on the front telling us to ring a number, but there was no answer.  It was just before midnight when we arrived and we ended up booking another much nicer place to stay (my wife got her money back about the stay).  

Come the morning, we saw some of the sights of Durham as we went to Newcastle for her conference.  I had to do a little bit of work and we checked into the amazing room she had booked.  It was a club room, which meant that we had access to the Club Lounge.  We appreciated that on Thursday morning as breakfast was packed and the lounge served breakfast as well.  Not as good as that in the main restaurant, but a good one and one where there were no queues. I spent Thursday exploring Newcastle and I was going to explore the Keep when my wife called me and I walked back to the hotel to have lunch with her instead.

On Friday, I did get to explore the Keep.  While it was a bit pricey to explore it, it is in essence a historical charity and I thought the experience was worth it, and much better than seeing the Black Gate, which was also included in the ticket price.  I was concerned that I would not understand people there as I have had some bad experiences with the accent, but once people listened to me talking, they dropped out of Geordie.  And they were so nice there.  If it was not so cold and wet, it might be a nice place to live!  I say that as we are spoiled living in Colchester which is much dryer than most of the country.

The kids were glad to see us, as was Leia who has been a lot more clingy as she was left at the dog sitters over this time.  

Never Forget

On this day last year, Hamas launched an attack on Israeli civilians designed to elicit a response from Israel. I was shocked and appalled at the attack, and as more details came out, even more so.

Israel is wrong to steal Palestinian land in The West Bank. Israel was wrong to impose the blockade on Gaza (just as Hamas was wrong to fire missiles into Israel). But the barbarity of the attack, designed to murder civilians was inexcusable. Worse, the way that the murders were live-streamed, or recorded and uploaded on Social Media was designed to rekindle the collective memory of The Holocaust and bring about a response from Israel, and also the world afterwards.

There is no longer any reasonable justification for Israel to continue its war in Gaza, other than a desire to bring about Ethnic Cleansing. While Hamas went out of its way to kill civilians, Israel is not targeting civilians, but cares little for civilian casualties. We saw that when they killed Israeli hostages who had escaped, deaths of civilians which would have never been reported if they were not Israeli, as the excuse of them being terrorists would have been accepted by the west. 

Some will think it is silly for me to post these images, but Jews know what happened to them under the Nazi’s when they were subjected to genocide. Hamas wanted to remind the Jewish people of this when they carried out their appalling atrocities last year. 

Penny Mordaunt knew how bad the state of government finances were when she debated Angela Rayner

In June last year, a debate took place which included Penny Mordaunt making a claim about how much Labour would have to raise taxes. Angela Rayner disputed the figures, but there was a difference between the two.  The party who was in government at the time knew the state of the economy, even though they hid it from Labour.  The Conservatives claim ignorance now, but the debate shows that they knew the truth before the election.

The video above is an interesting take on how the Tories have ruined things over the 14 years in government, but as you can see from some of the photos that they have used, they have included a bit too much creative licence and have got a few things wrong as well. 

In summary, I think that the Conservatives broke the economy and I also think that they hid what Labour would have to face once in power.

Not in Clacton

We have not been in Clacton.  

My wife has had her cousin come from abroad with his wife and two children.  We both like him, having looked after him when he was at university and we genuinely got on with him then, and still do now.  What is nice, is that the children all get on, even though ours are teenagers and his have yet to reach that milestone.  His wife is lovely and I spent time on walks with her and our dog Leia.  On one of the walks, which my daughter came along with, my daughter noted that the signs implied that we were in Clacton, which my wife was adamant that we were not in!

To be fair, if we walked far enough, we would have been in it, and my cousin got an idea of what it was like when he and my wife and got a takeaway from the outskirts of Clacton.

Anyway, now time to rest and relax.

Diane Abbott and racism

Diane Abbott has faced terrible abuse based on her gender and her race.  She does not deserve to be subject to racist or misogynist hatred, no one does.  However, she is someone who is prone to repeated gaffes. 

One such one is where she refuses to accept that during the time that Jeremy Corbyn was in charge, too many of his supporters ignored his words on Kinder Gentler Politics.  Emily Maitlis explained that she was subjected to vitriol because of her job as a Jewish female journalist. Diane Abbott dismissed her experience of this saying that she did not recognise the toxic atmosphere that may experienced.  Considering the issues that she has created for herself when it comes to her comments on racism, I am surprised that she decided to ignore the abuse others face.

  

I will admit, I do not like her.  I respect what she has achieved, I respect her apologies for her repeated gaffes on racism.  But she keeps making them and for that, I do not respect her. 

We was robbed

If anyone had told me we would have a point in this game before it, I would have settled for it.  But I ended up disappointed. Last night, we returned to our local pub quiz where we did not even finish in the top three. Afterwards at home, I watched the highlights of the Arsenal game on iPlayer. I put my headphones on in bed, but disturbed my wife with swearing once we went a goal down, then with the cheering for our two goals.  And then lots of bad language as we went down to ten men and then failed to win after SEVEN minutes of time added on.

At work, Larry, who as much as I appreciate him, is a miserable sod with Arsenal, was in a cheerful mood, while I had a scowl instead. We were so close to the much needed three points. Not getting them gives the Team That Rhymes with City the advantage over us.

Keir Starmer, Sue Gray and the perception of corruption

Sue Gray is in the news because she is earning more than the Prime Minister.  It is strange how this story leaked when the main issue I am concerned about are the gifts that the Prime Minister has been given.  

I actually trust Keir Starmer.  Well, mostly.  I know he lied about the party not lurching to the right when it came to the Labour Leadership campaign (which is why he was not my first or even second choice to be Labour leader), and concerns about donations were raised when it came to the Labour Leadership campaign.  But this issue of donations and gifts, does not look right, even if they were innocently given. 

I hope that the leak of the wages of Sue Gray was not a way of (successfully) getting the media to focus on her and not him.  

Snakes on a plane

This is a bad, yet an average film. It does not have the best plot and the direction in places is wanting. I watched it because I had read a lot about it, but I have to say it would not have been that big a deal if I had missed it.  When it comes to films, one way of judging them is if I would have been happy to pay to see it. I would have been annoyed if I had paid to watch it in the cinema. If you have not watched it, don’t bother, unless there is nothing else to do.

On a much better note, I went for a walk with my wife in Brightlingsea today. It has been a while since we have been there and it was lovely to return.

Playing the scum

When I tried to find people at work to discuss this, I honestly had not watched the highlights. I felt that based on the highlights, we were lucky. However, I am not an expert in football and many who watched the game said that Arsenal were the better team.  Of the three colleagues at work who support the opposition, I only got to wind up one, the other two mysteriously were no where to be found! 

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

The children and I watched this today. My son has not watched the first, my daughter had watched it many years ago, and I reminded myself of the plot by watching a trailer and looking at Wikipedia. This was not as good as the first film. I like how it had several threads in the film, but it did not explore them that well. If you hated the first film, you will not like this, but not all who liked the first film will probably like this. 

For the observant here, the GIF is from the first film, but includes an important character in the second. Well, two of them. I am glad I watched it, but I doubt I would watch it again. The original is much better. 

Bereavement

First of all, the film, then an update on real life.

I liked a lot of the film. It had decent acting, and most of the time was out together well.  Some of the death scenes were filmed well, but sadly, some were not and should have been produced better. I loved the sense of despair that the victims had and the depiction of how evil the murderer was with victims sometimes hearing what has happened to the one who has been captured earlier. It could have been produced better and I would have been annoyed if I was one of those who watched it in the cinema.  

When it comes to real life, I will be changing my car and arranged this today. Afterwards we went to see a friend at her home who was not well and ended up getting her to go to hospital. Turned out this was the right thing to do as she is now admitted and is having intravenous antibiotics.  It was a bit scary as she looked so unwell and while my son went to a cat cafe, we took Leia and my daughter for a late lunch and calmed ourselves down. Anyway, fingers crossed for Lynn, we hope she gets better. 

The US presidential debate and gender

I know that loads of people have discussed this. I do not think that it will make much difference to the outcome.  I think that Harris will win the popular vote and that Trump will win the Electoral College.  But while many have focused on the comments about immigrants eating pet dogs, I thought that this was the best and most insane quote from the debate...

I am surprised that this did not get more attention!  But it turns out that it is true, in part. 

I was sad that Starmer did not answer questions

It was sad to see Starmer not answer questions in PMQ’s today and instead evade them. Yes, it is easier to be the leader of the opposition, a fact Starmer forgot last week.

What was more interesting was Nigel Farage defending the rights of those who have been jailed around the time of the Farage Riots for Social Media posts.  People were jailed for the same over the riots of 2011, conviction's which were upheld when appealed. I am not sure if Nigel Farage will call for those convictions to be overturned. 

Winter fuel support cuts and the wealthy

I have to disagree with the government on their plans to make winter fuel support cuts.  In my job, I come across too many elderly people who are vulnerable. While there is some support available for those facing cuts, I do not know if many will claim the additional support, or apply for winter fuel support.  Too many of the elderly that I see in my job have issues with being able to fill in forms, or are not aware that they can.  Many have undiagnosed dementia, too many are isolated and some are not aware that they will be affected by changes.  Having a universal payment will mean that some who are rich will get it when they do not deserve it, but the changes will mean that too many who need it, will go without.

On my way into work today, I was listening to someone who talked about funding it by taxing the 1% more. The problem is that she called, like many do, a wealth tax. Such a term smacks of punishing aspiration. I would prefer a higher bar, maybe the top 0.5% and calling it a tax on the super rich.  

It will be interesting to see how Labour MP’s vote on this. The rebellion over benefits for people with more than two children was punished.  If I was a Labour MP, I am not sure that an abstention would be enough and I would be tempted to rebel over this.  I know hard choices have to be made thanks to the legacy of the Tories. I am sure that this is a choice that should not have been made, 

Munich – The Edge of War

This film was about the journey rather than the destination. After all, we know what happened. I would rate this as an average film. It was well directed and acted, there were no plot holes that I can recall. But the story did not really engage me. What I did learn from it was the desire for peace in a time where people remembered the appalling cost in human life from The Great War.  I doubt I would watch it again, and if it was on TV when channel hopping, I doubt I would leave it on. But it is a decent film. Just not for me. 

Minions: The Rise of Gru

Of the Despicable Me films that I have watched, this was the most disappointing. It is not terrible, I did enjoy it. But I am glad that I watched it on streaming rather than watching it in the cinema.  It is still petty and funny, but ultimately it serves as a children’s film. The original was a film adults would love as well, even so with the others. This is not as good for adults as the others have been.  

Saying that, the first film would always be hard to follow, and it is rare to find a sequel better than the first film.

As for how we are as a family, we have spent the day relaxing, mainly because my wife and I feel awful.  I suspect we picked up a big yesterday. We had visited my mother first of all, then went to my wife’s parents as one of her cousins is staying there. We genuinely love him, he had been studying in the UK many years ago, left to work in Australia and now lives in Sri Lanka. He came with his wife and two children and we spent time with them catching up.  It was truly great to see them again. 

Blink Twice

Blink Twice is an awesome film.  Before I talk about it, the family. My son is still COVID free. My daughter, wife and I are getting better. And I am now testing negative. We are not back to normal, but I was able to go for a decent walk this morning.

Now to the film.  If you are to watch it, don’t read on and don’t watch the trailer. It has been compared to Get Out. This is as good as, or is better than it. It comes with a trigger warning at the beginning of the film. It needs it and people buying tickets to it should be warned that it has some disturbing content.  The beginning starts well, the film intends to become dull and boring, and then it becomes interesting. This will appeal to many and overall is one of the better films I have watched in the cinema this year.

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.