The Day the Earth Stood Still

This is not the classic old film but the shiny new one starring Keanu. It is actually a decent update. I did not like the idea of it being remade that much. But they had a good twist on it by making it about the fact that we are killing the planet for all the other species tha.t live here and that cannot be allowed to continue.

Unfortunately wha it cannot have is the context of the first flm that was released at the time of the Cold War hence far more paranoid time.

What works well about it though is Keanu. In thiskind of role where he is asked to play uber cool he can do it better than anyone. I liked it but not that much

The greatness of The Wire Part II

I think I Love My Wife

Not a personal comment but just a mention of a film I saw. Starring Chris Rock and written and directed by him. I really like Chris Rock. I love Everybody Hates Chris and his stand up.

The film is basically a story about a bored married man who gets tempted to have an affair with an old friend. It's good and has a lot of resonance about the humdrum nature of life.

It also has cameos from two members of The Wire in cameo roles.

Real Moment in History

Two days ago in America a black man became president. I got up at 4 am to watch his opponent graciously concede defeat and then cried as I watched Barrack give his speech. What moved me to tears was not so much him although the speech was incredible. But the fact that a beautiful black family are America's first family. I long for the day when maybe the Martin Luther King quote will become a reality and people will be judged not on the colour of their skin but on the content of their character.

There is not a great deal more to say. Not much I can put down here can ad to how moving it was. I liked what Maya Angelou said 'I can hardly talk for weeping. I feel like we have grown up.' I don't know if she means black people in America or America itself. I kinda hope its the latter and that this man can take Americans who did not vote for him along with him.

Not Damaged

I visited my parents today. My dad had to drive us to the train stationas the VW garage are still proving not up to the task of fixing my car. As he drove I had the experience of being transported back to my adolescence as we drove past the house of the lady who gave me extra English tuition. It obviously worked as English Language was the one subject I passed in school.

My inadequacy in Engish was recognised at an early age. I was in special classes titled 'remedial' when I was in primary school. Which sort of sounds medieval judging by how we now seem desperate not to label children. This is not a rant about political correctness. I think the motives of politial correctness are sound.

I just think it is worth pointing out that as a child i know I was in a remedial class because I was not good at English. I didn't feel damaged labelled or marginalised by it. I liked being in a small class where we got to watch videos about Peregrine Falcons and other stuff.

Its adults that worry about this stuff. Not kids, they don't give a shit.

High School Musical 3

Before I begin I have to state that I like the High School Musical films. Especially the first one. They are joyous and uplifting. As somebody said recently in the Guardian they are 'sweet without being sacharin'.

This was the final installment and it didn't really dissappoint. All the elements were there. Good songs and dances, Troy and Gabrielle having to amke difficult choices and Sharpay being an inept villain.

It doesn't have the freshness of the first, or the impact that the second one has when it hits the screen but it is still very good. The truer test of how good it is is that my daughter loved it and cannot wait to go and see it again. She was also singing some of the songs on the way home. Her opinion is more important as she is the target.

The Remains of The Day

I saw the film of this book many years ago. I brought it the other day in a charity shop for a pound. Rarely have I spent a pound more wisely. It is a fantastic book. It would have taken quite something to have put such a fine film in the shade but this manages it and how.

In the film Anthony Hopkins gives a marvellous performance as Stevens. In it we get to imagine Stevens' unrequited love for Miss Kenton. In the book we get so much more. We get to understand more Stevens' feelings for Miss Kenton. And she also reveals her feelings for him and his reaction to this revelation. He is such a beautifully well rounded and wrote figure it is impossible not to fall for him completely.

It is interesting that although the book is very powerful there is nothing in it that is able to convey the emotional impact of the moment in the film where he and Miss Kenton separate at the end with their hands parting as the bus pulls away.

Anyway if you enjoyed the film you will njoy the book ten times more.

The greatness of The Wire

Part one;

Good Eggs

I left my phone on the bus the other day and I have to say I never doubted I would get it back. In much the same way as a few years ago I left my wallet on the bus with my cards and £40 in and that was returned to with the money intact. This does not appear to be how many people I have mentioned it to felt. Most seem to be staggered at my miraculous good fortune.

I don't honestly get this point of view. I am sure everybody who I spoke to would have handed in the phone so why did they think that whoever found my phone would not hand it in ?

I guess it is down to the commonly repeated view that people, these days (always these days) are horrid and willing to rip you off at the drop of a hat. Well I don't buy that. I think most people are basically good and I have seen nothing to make me feel otherwise. So there.

A Word about the Blog Title

It is a tribute to that peerless comedy show Seinfeld. Oh crap I just found out that there is a blog called No Hugs and No learning. But the guy has not poted there for two years and then he only posted twice.

Anyway this was apparently the motto of the show and it sums up perfectly for me why Seinfeld reigns supreme. I is a show that never once nodded its head in the way of sentimentality while never being nasty or unkind.



It is also the reason why Srubs is not as good as it likes to think. It has funny moments but they ruin it every episode with moments like the one below.



In that scenes you can bet we go on to a sentimental montage about how Dr. Cox screwed things up blah, blah, blah. But in Seinfeld, George is a cward and no apology is made.

Living Without

Due to the incompetence of the VW garage and my phone dropping out of my pocket the other day I have found myself without my phone for four days and my car for eight now. I was trying to work out earlier which I miss most.

I have decided that I miss my phone more. I like the convenience of a car obviously. But I have found that once I got used to the buses they are ok really. The car tricks you into the notion that it is impossible to live without it but ths is not really true. It just means that yu have to plan your day better. I have to say that travelling on the buses is a great deal more pleasant for me as I get to read on them.

I do miss my phone though. I think it can be best summed up by saying I really don't mind catching the bus to the gym. But I hate not being able to text my wife when I come out to say 'just finished w8ing 4bus cusoon x'

Ordinary People

This is one of those films that I am supposed to refer to as a 'guilty pleasure'. Because it has a reputation of being a somewhat sentimental film. It also is saddled with the misfortune of being the film that prevented Raging Bull winning the Oscars it supposedly deserved. It is therefore reviled by many film fans. I think unfairly.

It is a very good film that does exactly what it says on the tin. It tells the story of a group of Ordinary people living through a tragedy. The tragedy in question is the death of a family's eldest son Buck. His younger brother survived the boating accident that killed him and he has attempted suicide some months before we begin the story.

He is saddled with the guilt of surviving the accident, his mother is grieving the loss of the son she loved more than he one who lived and dad wants to try and mend his broken family. The three leads are outstanding. Timothy Hutton gives a great debutant performance as the traumatised Conrad, who loves and fears his mom who he is so much alike. Donald Sutherlan does superbly in the role of the dad who is the only person in the family who wants to actually heal the pain they are in. However the true star is Mary Tyler Moore. Playing the matriarch Beth who must maintain appearance above everything else even though her heart is clearly broke in two.

The scenes with her and Tim Hutton, where he tries to talk to her about their shared grief, are the most poignant, beautifully played I have seen in cinema. Alongside that is the beautiful scenes with Sutherland and Hutton at the film's close and the scene where he goes to see Judd Hirsch, a psychiatrist who is helping his son recover. Hirsch is also excellent.

So there may be film fans out there who have not seen this film. To them I say, forget what you read, go with a clear mind and enjoy a beautiful story, well told and acted.

Just read it

Not sure if anybody will read this but if you do, enjoy and feel free to comment. I will not list what is about. That will become clear.