Elle, Logan and Kong: Skull Island

Every critic seemed to have a different take on this extraordinary film. For me it was all about what was in the genes.Michelle's past meant that any assault, whether physical or verbal, although not acceptable, was somehow to be expected. So the attack she endures at the beginning was meant to show that even the ultimate of everything she could endure was still a consequence of that past and therefore something she tries to ignore. Or at least prepare for it happening again.

Isabelle Huppert is extraordinarily good as Michelle. How she did not win the Oscar for best actress can only be because this is a French movie. If she had an ounce of feeling, Emma Stone should have passed the award straight over.There is absolutely no comparison. Very rarely do I agree with Camila Long's film reviews in the Sunday Times, but her five star rating is spot on. She describes the movie as "mad" (a pretty bonkers plot), "wild" (you never know what to expect next), "horrible" (some really sordid scenes), "provocative" (a woman being assaulted is not nice), "funny" (there are a few laugh out loud moments) "dark" (her father's crimes, that are slowly and cleverly revealed, never go away), and "determined" (director Paul Verhoeven doesn't worry about what certificate the film gets).

Verhoeven has made something startling original, part thriller, part satire, part farce. Amazingly, the original book Oh.... by Philippe Djian has been adapted, first into an English language screenplay by Danile Birke before being translated into French. Even by the subtitles we know this is a terrific script and should at least have been nominated for the Oscar. Everything is so daftly unpredictable and, like Camilla, I loved it.

Logan is a weird mix of intense drama and very violent clashes. I remember now that Mark Kermode on the Film Review programme did warn us about the gore. But then, like he said, there was enough clever plotting, good dialogue and themes of aging to keep it interesting. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart show that given the right material, they are very good actors. Somehow they are even upstaged by a fabulous performance from Stephen Merchant as Caliban. Director James Mangold is on top form. He explains about why a different actor played Caliban in the previous X-Men movie. "It’s a funny, messy story of how so often these things are not as coordinated as everyone thinks, I actually had written him into our movie, and they didn’t know [he was] in Apocalypse, and then they kind of wrote it in their movie, and they cast someone in their movie and I had not seen it and was working away on mine.” He refused to alter his casting of Merchant, thank goodness.

Although this is a prequel to the Peter Jackson 2005 King Kong  movie, the helicopters this time come off worst, or is that the other way round? Whatever, we get a lot of tributes to other films as the story progresses. Apocalypse Now and any monster film you can think of have been thrown in. So a reasonably entertaining B-movie with impressive CGI that is probably why some of those scenes go on too long. The high class cast are let down by a hammy screenplay, but that was not why they were here. The craziness is typified by an incredible 70's soundtrack. Even CCR get two tracks. And then there is Vera Lynne. Oh, and I just love the poster.

Your Blue Eyed Boy, The Muse and the Great British Dream Factory

My ninth Helen Dunmore novel and probably the least enjoyable. Your Blue Eyed Boy started out with great promise, but a lot of the first person memories of the back story are fairly boring. But then there are parts, mainly many long conversations that the author writes so well. Dunmore can really produce her best writing dialogue. The theme of blackmail was quite unsettling. I guess it was meant to, but it left my brain a little scrambled.

The Muse by Jessie Burton is a very enjoyable book. Possibly even better then The Miniaturist. I liked the alternating long chapters switching between 1936 and 1967, the former in the third person and the latter in the first. It doesn't take too long to guess the connection, but how exactly is only revealed slowly and tantalisingly. The writing is good: "This is why she spoke ..... with no fear of reprisal; she knew she was soon to be reprised entirely" as was the storytelling and construction of the plot. I don't normally read a book of this length (440 pages) so will look for some more.

I have been reading The Great British Dream Factory: The Strange History of Our National Imagination  by Dominic Sandbrook on and off since Christmas. I cannot pretend I read every word of this lengthy volume as I concentrated on those sections that were of particular interest to me. And there were plenty. I knew nothing about Tony Iommi and how he created heavy metal with Black Sabbath. The piece on J Arthur Rank (amazingly from Hull) was good, and the fact that 1946 was the only year the UK did better box office at the cinema than the USA.

Then there was Chris Blackwell, forming Island Records at 21, and sections on Tom Brown's Schooldays, Billy Bunter, Jennings and Biggles, all from my childhood. Also Harry Potter, James Bond, Coronation Street and a great pieces on Catherine Cookson and Agatha Christie. The bits on science fiction were interesting, I always loved the start of "The Day of the Triffids" when a man walks alone from his hospital bed, and H G Wells "War of the Worlds". I always regret not being allowed to watch "Quatermass" on TV when I was eight years old.

And lastly I loved the sections on "The Prisoner", Elton John, Andrew Lloyd Webber and finally Billy Elliott. The writer of the film Lee Hall never expected to construct the musical alongside his idol Elton John.

Tring Book Club - Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

You have to give credit to the author for turning a very ordinary story about two female fossil hunters in the early nineteenth century into something very enjoyable. I liked how quickly the story was set up, with Elizabeth Philpot and her sisters arriving in Lyme Regis. Then her alternating chapters with Mary Anning, a local girl, worked really well. Mary's blunt language contrasted with that of middle class Elizabeth. We always know who is narrating without being told.

The descriptions of Lyme and the lives of the women were excellent. About half way through, the book changes into something different with the arrival of Colonel Birch. I thought we were in for more of a soap opera, but Chevalier keeps the narrative moving. I wondered if the story might peter out at the end, but instead we get an exciting and surprising conclusion. The author can write dialogue superbly well, and fortunately we get lots. So it was the writing that made this such a satisfying read when, for me, there was so little plot.          

Songs from "Call the Midwife" - Series 6

The Christmas Special

The Trailer: "Happy Christmas (War is Over)" by Christina Perri

"Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man with the Bag" by Kay Starr

"Angel Face" by Billy Fury

Series 6

A new series of "Call the Midwife" and we are in the Spring of 1962. The trailer for this series features "Hit & Miss", the theme from the BBC's "Juke Box Jury" that we watched every Saturday from 1959. It was composed by the incomparable John Barry and performed by The John Barry Seven plus Four.

Episode 1

"A King For Tonight" by Billy Fury and written by Doc Pomus (real name Jerome Solon Felder) and Mort Shuman.  It was the B side of Fury's 1962 hit "Last Night Was Made For Love" that reached number 4 in the charts.

"Money (That's What I Want") by Barrett Strong. Released in 1959, it was the first hit for Motown and written by Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford.

"Stranger On The Shore" by Mr Acker Bilk and the Leon Young String Chorale. Written by Acker Bilk himself, it was released towards the end of 1961 and became a number 1 hit record, the biggest selling record of 1962 and the biggest selling instrumental of all time. On 26 May 1962, it became the first British recording to reach number one on the U.S. chart.

Episode 2

"Love Letters" by Ketty Lester. Just one song this week, but what a song. Although written in 1945 by Edward Heyman and Victor Young, it took until 1962 for Ketty Lester to make this a big hit, reaching number 4 in our charts. The brilliant piano arrangement is by Lincoln Mayorga, I only had to hear the first few notes of the intro to cheer this recording's inclusion.

Episode 3

"Multiplication" by Bobby Darin. Written by the singer, it reached Number 5 in the charts in 1962.

"I Enjoy Being a Girl" by Peggy Lee. Written by Rogers and Hammerstein for their musical Flower Drum Song, this is a track from the 1960 album Latin Ala Lee!".

"Old Ned (The Theme from Steptoe and Son". This instrumental written by Ron Grainger was the theme music for this sixties TV show.

Episode 4

"Fantastico" by Peggy Lee. From the 1961 album "Ole a la Lee"  and written by Jack Keller and Noel Sherman.

"Please let it be me" by The Fashions, it was the B side of their 1961 record "Fairy Tales". Written by Bernie Lowe and Kal Mann. Both available on the album "The Clickettes meet The Fashions".

Episode 5

"Please Mr Postman" by the Marvelettes. Written by Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett,Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland and Robert Bateman, it reached number one in the USA in 1961 but didn't register on the UK charts. Covered later by The Beatles on their album "With the Beatles" and The Carpenters.

"You're a Pink Toothbrush" by Max Bygraves. Composed by Harold Irving, Ralph Ruvin, Bob Halfin and Johnny Sheridan and released in 1953. 

"When My Little Girl Is Smiling" by The Drifters. Released in 1962 it reached number 31 on the UK charts due to competition from covers by Craig Douglas and Jimmy Justice who both reached number 9. Written by the prolific Gerry Goffin and Carole King.

Episode 6

"Save the Last Dance for Me" by The Drifters. Only one song this week, and again it's by The Drifters. Written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman it was released in 1960 and reached No 2 in the UK charts.

Episode 7

"Romeo" by Petula Clark. Based on a 1919 composition by Robert Stolz and with a lyric by Jimmy Kennedy, it peaked at No 3 in the UK charts in August 1961.

"Quando, Quando, Quando" by Pat Boone. With music by Tony Renis and Alberto Testa for this Italian song, it was Ervin Drake who wrote the English lyrics for the 1962 hit for Pat Boone. Although it only made it to 41 in the UK charts.

"Sometime Yesterday" by Helen Shapiro with Norrie Paramor and his Orchestra. The B Side of the No 23 hit "Let's Talk About Love" that were both featured in the 1962 movie "It's Trad, Dad". The composer on the record label is identified as Westlake.

Episode 8

"Bobby's Girl" by Susan Maughan. It's a very long time since I heard this song. Written by Gary Klein and Henry Hoffman and released in the USA by Marcie Blane. Susan's cover version reached No 3 in the UK charts in 1962.

"I've Told Every Little Star" by Linda Scott. Written in 1932 by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein, the 1961 recording by Linda Scott reached No 7 in the UK.

"My Baby Just Cares For Me" by Nina Simone. Just the first few notes from the piano are enough to guess this familiar song. Written by Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn for the 1930 movie Whoopee. Recorded by many artists, Nina's 1958 release made it to No 5 in the UK.

"Once Upon A Dream" by Billy Fury. What a marvelous track to see out the end of the last episode in the series. Billy was such an icon on the eve of the breakthrough of a certain group from Liverpool. This song was written by Richard Rowe and Norrie Paramor and Billy sang it in the musical film Play It Cool" (go to Vimeo to see the clip). It reached number 7 in the UK charts in 1962.

National Theatre Live: Hedda Glabler

It was in 2005 that I first went to see Hedda Gabler. Eve Best took the title role with support from a young Benedict Cumberbatch and Iain Glen. Not only is this new production in modern dress, it has a crackling ultra modern version written by the incomparable Patrick Marber. I still remember his After Miss Julie at the Donmar Warehouse in 2003. Hedda is played by the brilliant Ruth Wilson. All the reviews seem to have a different take on what sort of woman is Hedda. We know she marries Tesman to put her "chaotic" life behind her. Obviously beautiful, lots of men in tow, but still a strong woman in a male dominated society. She craves "power" and will do anything to find a person's secret and turn it against them.

The director is Ivo van Hove and his visual treats are as good as the performances he gains from an excellent cast. Rafe Spall as Judge Brack is a heartless bully, ultimately using his "power" over Hedda to bring about her downfall. He is totally shocked that his actions leave him powerless. The cinema presentation was again superb, great sound, cameras at different angles to the stage and close ups of the actors give the cinema audience something that a live audience miss. To a degree, it makes up for not seeing the play live.

Hidden Figures, Moonlight and Viceroy's House

Hidden Figures is one of the best films I have seen for a long time. A great story, a terrific screenplay, excellent direction by Theodore Melfi and a fantastic cast. Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe are Katherine Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, a trio of Nasa scientists who each played their part in sending astronaut John Glenn (the first American to orbit the Earth) into space in 1962. The mix of comedy and drama works really well, it moves along at a good pace and we are rooting for the three heroines to the last scenes. Excellent.

Why did I not feel that Moonlight deserved the Oscar for best film? It was a good enough drama, with great cinematography and good performances. But somehow the sum of the parts did not add to a fine whole. Although so well made, there was nothing that actually stirred any emotion. It seemed so flat compared with Hidden Figures and Manchester by the Sea.

Inside Viceroy's House was a great story about the final days of English rule in India and the political machinations of partition. But the parallel romantic drama about two young Indians was pure Bollywood and did not fit easily with the main action. I found the screenplay to be lumpy with the starry British cast sometimes seeming to be cringing at the dialogue. Director Gurinder Chadha actually seemed happier with scenes that involved the locals. This was definitely a worthy attempt at explaining a critical piece of history, but one that ultimately could have been so much better.

Milton Keynes Half Marathon

As can be seen by the photo, the weather forecasters got it completely wrong. We were supposed to have continuous rain for the Milton Keynes Half Marathon, but as Angie and I parked the car at just after ten, the rain had stopped. And we didn't have another drop during the race.

It was Angie's first half marathon (Alison was running the 10K so had to leave home earlier) and my third. The course had been advertised as flat, but I would have said it was more undulating. With that nasty hill at the end. The worst bit, though, was the flood under an underpass. Even at the edge it was ankle deep.

Although the weather stayed dry (and even the sun came out later on) it was very windy. Angie did very well, with a time of just over 1 hour 53 minutes and came a brilliant 13th of 106 in her age group. I was pleased with my 2 hours nine minutes, exactly between my times for Oxford and Reading. And second of five mad male runners over 70. Alison had run a good 10K at Winslow a week ago but was predictably slower yesterday. But still a very good 12th out of 43 in her age group.

A WEEK LATER
The following Certificate for 1st Male over 70 arrived out of the blue. The results still showed I was second, but on contacting the organisers, they confirmed that there was an error with the results and I was indeed first in that category. I can't think of a time when I came first in anything.

The Winter's Tale at Oxford Playhouse

Shakespeare's tale of misguided jealousy is not always easy to follow. The production  I saw at Stratford in 2009 made the verse secondary to the action. The thrust stage at the Courtyard Theatre was ideal for non stop comings and goings. Cheek By Jowl are an excellent touring company but were restricted by the proscenium arch stage when Shakespeare plays are far more suited to that used by the RSC. But Artistic Directors Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod have created a visual and emotional production. They have played about with the text, and added some, particularly a very funny Jerry Springer type examination of a young couple's background. The cast were all very good. Orlando James as Leontes is a powerful performance, and I liked Eleanor McLoughlin as Perdita.