Tenzing, Godzilla Minus Zero and White Horse Nine

Tenzing is an Apple production, so there is no mainstream cinema release. Fortunately, the Rex in Berkhamsted showed it on one day, and I have never seen it so busy. The expedition to reach the top of Mount Everest (or Chamolangma, as the Himalayan word) is shown from the point of view of the Sherpa, who reached the summit with Edmund Hillary. These two are played by Genden Phuntsok and Tom Hiddleston. The expedition leader John Hunt is played by Willem Dafoe. It was a great idea to focus this film on Tenzing; his childhood and background make a far more interesting story than just the climb. Both lead actors were fine, although the script by Luke Davies was not the best. Fortunately, director Jennifer Peedom has a history of mountain documentaries, and this is shown. The last part of the climb to the summit was awesome.

What I didn't know, and what is shown in this film, is that before Hillary and Tenzing, two other climbers were chosen to go for the top, as they were British. But Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans failed due to equipment failure. It was good that there was so much about the Sherpas, especially the fact that Tenzing was not exactly the same race as them. The cinematography, of course, was fantastic. You were alongside them on that amazing climb. They made it to the top on the 29th May 1953, and it was announced on the 2nd June, the same day as the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. I was eight years old. 

In a way, I thought that Godzilla Minus Zero was better than the previous film. Except that the main monster is King Ghidorah, who is wrecking Japan. There is so much that doesn't involve the monster, as our heroes start preparing for a fight back. There was lots of drama between the main characters. I especially liked Masami Nagasawa as the meteorologist. She has had a long film career in Japan, and it shows. Like the brilliant, hugely successful and 2024 Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One (for which this is a sequel), sometimes the acting is too shouty and over the top for Western tastes, But less so than the previous film.

The special effects are amazing. Director Tamakashi Yamazaki also wrote the script and supervised the special effects. These, combined with the sound and music, make for an amazing experience. There is also quite a lot of humour, just not sure how much of this was meant. Obviously Godzilla does make an appearance in the second half. Is he now the hero? He actually appears on the front cover of this month's Sight and Sound Magazine, and there are twelve pages inside. I have not yet reached these. See my post of 11th March 2024 for the first film.

Mark Kermode said it was "very gripping, very entertaining, thought-provoking and at times heartbreaking". He mentions all the subplots, such as the involvement of the Americans (I didn't expect that) and the family of the heroic pilot. 

Another great movie, this time very different. As you would expect from Martin McDonagh. I have seen all his feature films, from his brilliant debut In Bruges, to Seven Phsychopaths, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Banshees of Inisherin. I also went to the theatre to see his The Pillowman and then Hangmen (Live in cinemas). All very good. And now we have Wild Horse Nine, similar in some ways to that first film, in that it involves two hitmen as the stars. But instead of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, we have John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell. Not hiding out from a hit gone wrong, but visiting Easter Island, where, apparently, the deteriorating Chris wanted to end his days. or not. This is Malkovich in an Oscar-worthy performance. I have to say I have never really liked him as an actor; his manners somehow grated on me. But here he is superb in a brilliantly understated role. Who would have thought. 

So, here we are, in 1973, in Easter Island of all places, with all those stone heads and wild horses. The year is important. Chris's warning to two young female tourists from Chile not to go home falls on deaf ears. One of them is Monika, played by the wonderful Mariana di Girolamo. She is sort of friendly with Chris, whilst the other played by Alicia Ailin Salas is definitely not. We find out why later on. They put Chris right when the heads are called Moia; he is not impressed. When the cast also includes tiny roles for Parker Posey and Tom Waits, it's going to be good. Add in Steve Buscemi as their boss (remember Raph Fiennes in In Bruges, even though I cannot find anyone also making this connection), and we have the best cast. The dialogue is first-class McDonagh, and the music is Carter Burwell. With the exit music of Out Of Time by the Rolling Stones, I was not leaving in a hurry. Even Hadley Freeman in the Sunday Times loved it. 

Coming down in the lift with three older ladies off to see The Mousetrap at the theatre below, they asked me what I was going to see. You are right; they had never heard of Martin McDomnagh or his latest movie. What they are missing. These last three films are why I go to the cinema.

Wendover Woods in November

 

Yesterday was a brilliant sunny day, cold with clear blue skies. I decided on walking the parkrun course in reverse. I had left it a little late in the month to see the beech trees at their best; the paths were covered in their leaves. 

However, some of the views were spectacular. 

There is a new bench halfway down the big hill. The old one I had sat on for many years is on the left.

These beech trees in the distance below are on the ridge of one of my long walks.

It was just a shame I had not been to the woods a couple of weeks ago.

The Misanthrope - The National Theatre Live

 

This adaptation of The Misanthrope is not the first by playwright Martin Crimp. He has a history with this play, when his revivals included those that starred Uma Thurman and Roger Rees in New York and Kiera Knightly and Damian Lewis in London. Now we have this ultra-modern version for the second half of the twenty-first century, swapping genders and where social media is king and mobile phones record all your conversations. So this production directed by Indhu Rubasingham is lively, fast, and intelligent. I occasionally missed what they were alluding to.

Sandra Oh (known mainly in our house for Killing Eve) is the star playing Alice in that role reversal. I liked Freddie Mac Bruce as Allen, who was never off his phone and could not understand anyone who was not. All the cast were great, and you do get much closer on the big screen. I saw it in the small Norman Bragg Studio at the Waterside Theatre. It was interesting to see a play by Moliere (and there was a lot of rhyming dialogue), especially as he turned up at the end of De La Comedie Francaise at the Rex Cinema. Who would have guessed.

Movies at Home: The Fog, Halloween and Kiss Me Deadly

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The John Carpenter 1980 film The Fog is showing its age. Written with Debra Hill, it starred Adrienne Barbaux, Janet Leigh, and newcomer Jamie Lee Curtis. The first of these was excellent as the radio DJ. But the special effects for the fog and what comes with it were disappointing and tame by today's standards. 

Another John Carpenter movie, this time way more scary. 1978's Halloween is the first in what is now a whole industry created around this story. I had never seen it before, and what was impressive for me were the exterior shots of the Haddonfield township, the light, and the cinematography. But this all changes in the dark. We know from that scary introduction why young Michael Myers was locked up, but here we are fifteen years later, and the results of his escape are all so predictable. We see the "deserted" Myers house, and then over someone's shoulder on the evening of Halloween. 

It's a very young Jamie Lee Curtis who takes centre stage. She is very good. And I was surprised to see Donald Pleasance in a major role. I had not expected that. There are shots of children out trick or treating, but only from a distance. But it's that car that we know so well that appears all over the place. It's when it gets dark that it gets scary. In one house a mother cries, "There's no one out there." But we know better.

Kiss Me Deadly was one of the recommended films in David Thomson's book "Have You Seen ...." where he called it "magnificent". It is the first of those Mike Hammer movies from 1955. Directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Ralph Meeker, the cinematography in black and white is quite something. There are scenes that would not look the same in colour with those high camera angles and the exceptional lighting. The acting is quite stylised by today's standards, but the plot rattles along as private eye Mike Hammer tracks down the villains. There is some violence that would not be made today, but what an ending. 

Monty Don's Final Goodbye to Gardener's World

 

Gardner's World on Friday evening said goodbye to presenter Monty Don. He took over from Alan Titchmarsh in 2003 and has led the programme since then, with a break between 2008-2011 due to illness. I have watched most of the episodes over the years, making lots of notes along the way. Originally at Berryfields, he moved to his garden, Longmeadow, 23 years ago, and it's here we have seen the changes he has made over all this time. His gentle presentation came with a highly knowledgeable expertise. 

I have no idea who could replace him. Current presenters Adam Frost, Carol Klein and Joe Swift, along with Toby Buckland, who stood in for those missing years, are not in the same in the same league. I doubt I would ever watch them as hosts. 

In his last programme, Monty was planting tulips for spring next year. So I have just returned from the garden centre with these. Thanks, Monty.

The Social Reckoning, Klara and the Sun and Ghosts:The Possession of Button House

 

I could not believe that half the film was just one set. In 2021, Mark Zuckerberg is being rehearsed for his forthcoming interview at the senate. None of this was particularly interesting. Far better are the scenes where whistleblower Frances Haugen (a brilliant Mikey Madison) meets Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) from the Wall Street Journal. But the film has no real resolution. I think Aaron Sorkin made a mistake trying to emulate the success of The Social Network.

How has Taiki Waititi (writer/director of the superb Jojo Rabbit) somehow messed up the book Klara and the Sun by Ian McEwan? My introducing too much humour into the character of humanoid Klara. She was forever grinning, instead of adopting a more deadpan approach. I'm not sure if the visuals that Klara experiences are worth transmitting to the big screen. Amy Adams is excellent as the mother, but I thought that Mia Tharia as her daughter Josie was miscast. I found Jenny Ortega as Klara also disappointing. As was their New Zealander help. I have to say that the second half was a little better. Wendy Ide in The Guardian said it "does not do the novel justice", and Empire Online said it was "wildly inconsistent". It was not even reviewed in Sight and Sound Magazine. I'm surprised that David Hayman's Hayday Films did not step in as they were let down by the director.  

I guess that a feature film based on the excellent TV series had to do something different. So I should not have been surprised that Ghosts: The Possession of Button House did. It had an ingenious plot, though very far-fetched. I will resist saying anything about what happens, except it involves a lot of young people. The house is in danger, but for anyone who saw the last episode of the TV series, they will know the ending. It was a shame that Alison and Mike were absent for so much. Instead, we get a lot of new characters with the protestors and those children. Thank goodness the ghosts get all the good lines, and I did laugh quite a bit. It just about kept me interested; much is down to the sharp editing as we dodge between the various plots. And Simon Farnaby was predictably brilliant as the Tory MP. 

Standing With Giants at National Trust Waddesdon

 

Yesterday we visited the National Trust property at Waddesdon to see the Standing With Giants installation. Alison took these photos on her phone. They do not do justice to the 1,476 figures set on the hillside. I should have taken my camera.

This is an extract from the website. 

This autumn, experience the moving Standing with Giants D-Day 1476: For Your Tomorrow installation at Waddesdon Manor. Set against the landscape, 1,476 life-sized figures commemorate the lives lost under British command on D-Day, creating a powerful space for remembrance and reflection. New figures for 2026 bring even more individual stories to this poignant installation. The display is created in partnership with Standing With Giants, a community-based project which works to raise understanding and appreciation of our freedom and to remember and pay tribute to those who gave their lives so we could live ours today.

New Figures For 2026

In this third year of display, new figures will be unveiled within the 1,476. These include Beach Masters, Dog Handlers, Royal Navy Officers, Tank Crew, Merchant Navy personnel and Royal Engineers. 

Reflecting the broader story of the Normandy Campaign, 40 additional silhouettes representing British Commando Frogmen and personnel serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps will also be included.