Easy Retirement

Thursday, 26 March 2026

The Lawn Treatment in March

The photo above shows how the lawn looked on the 4th March after the moss killer had taken effect.

This week, after the lawns were cut, it was time for the trusty power lawn rake. It comes out of its box once a year and still does the job of removing the moss. I had help this year to collect the moss into piles and take it to the green bin. (See previous photos on this blog). Afterwards, the lawn always looks a little bare in patches.

Next up was the spreading of the lawn food: the ProKleen Grass Green granules that have a slow-release formula. Now all I have to do is sit and wait for things to happen.

Wednesday, 25 March 2026

Sight and Sound Magazine - April 2026

Editorial

Mike Williams is interested in when pop stars fail in movies. (David Bowie in The Man Who Fell To Earth is definitely one). Also mentions Mick Jagger in Performance and Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard. Then a long study about Charli xcx having a go.

Opening Scenes

Thomas Flew is at the Berlin Film Festival, where it's all about politics. Even the surprising winning film, Yellow Letters. But this is interesting. The winners of the acting award were Brits Anna Calfder-Marshall and Tom Courtney for Queen at Sea. This is sixty years after they performed in Hamlet together. Also a mention for one of my favourite actresses, Isabelle Hupert, for The Blood Countess.

Editor's Choice

There were sixty-five films at the BFI's Flare festival. Then a piece about the soundtrack for The Testament of Ann Lee, and finally the BFI Southbank features The Cinematic Life of Boxing.

Nothing of note in News in Brief and In Production

Behind the Scenes: The Devil's in the Details

A look at all the technical aspects for the film Sinners, most of which I did not understand.

In Conversation

Jonathon Romney talks to Icelandic director Hlynur Palmason about his new family drama, The Love That Remains, shot in barren southeast Iceland.

Obituary: Robert Duvall (1931 - 2026)

His "spellbinding performance" in Apocalypse Now starts Tom Charity's article. He was only on screen for eleven minutes but gained an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. Then a run-through of all his many films, including The Great Santini, for which he was nominated for best actor at the Oscars, as he did for his labour of love, The Apostle (1997), which he wrote and acted in.

Mean Sheets and Readers' Letters: nothing remarkable.

TV Eye

Andrew Male looks at the TV spin-offs from Game of Thrones (Sky) and the Marvel films (Disney+). But I don't pay for these channels, so they are of no interest.

The Long Take

Pamela Hutchinson talks about generative AI, whatever that is. This article is of no help. A platform called Showrunner is planning to fill in missing scenes from The Magnificent Ambersons. But why?

Pamela says we are not ready for AI.

Flick Lit

Nicole Flattery dismisses these sports films: Marty Supreme and The Color of Money (1986), while extolling the virtues of her favourite sports film of the year, Saipan. (I will wait to watch on TV). She tells us the whole plot surrounding the preparations for the World Cup in 2002, which ended as a huge scandal in Ireland at the time. The population was split into two camps: McCarthy or Keane. But it was a "corrupt and incompetent football association that was to blame."

The Art of Acting

Adam Nayman introduces the acting performances of the year. He picks out Ralph Fiennes for his role in "28 Years Later" and the sequel. "Some of the greatest work of his career."

Jessie Buckley "My job is to feel and make people feel."

Mark Kermode talked to the actress on stage at the BFI Southbank. There is much to say about her approach to parts and ends, particularly regarding the final scene in Hamnet at the Globe Theatre and how an early struggle resolved itself.

Jodie Foster Smart Act

Jodie Foster talks to Catherine Wheatley about her acting. But first, it's the writer/director Rebecca Zlotowski on her new film, A Private Life, who describes the project as "part rom-com, part Hitchcockian thriller." Shot in Paris, it sounds highly promising but is not due for release until next year. There is a long run-through of Jodie's other films with photos. (I had forgotten that she was in season four of True Detective in 2014 (I loved series one, and the second was OK), her first starring role in a TV series since Paper Moon in 1973).

Great Performances: No 1, Christopher Walken and Robert De Niro in The Deer Hunter. Chosen by Jodie Foster.

Lee Byung-hun "I observe people very carefully."

The lead actor from No Other Choice (which I watched on the big IMAX screen at Cineworld – see my review) talks to Arjun Sajip. Who says "the film relies on Lee's ability to maintain audience sympathy while committing ever more irredeemable acts"?

Great Performances: No 2, Leonardo DiCaprio in Whose Eating Gilbert Grape. Chosen by Lee Byung-hun.

More actors choose their Great Performances numbers from 3–6.

Wagner Maura "Brazil's dictatorship is an open scar."

The actor talks to Isabel Stevens about his work, including an Oscar nomination for The Secret Agent. The film is set in 1977 during Brazil's dictatorship. This is a wonderful interview, Isabel.

Great Performances: No 7, Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood. Chosen by Wagner Maura.

Imogen Poots "Don't get spooked into conforming."

Mary Harrod talks to Imogen about her profession and her new film, The Chronology of Water. She was only seventeen when she appeared in 28 Weeks Later and now has the lead role in her latest movie directed by Kristen Stewart. I had seen her in French Excit, The Father, Fright Night, Jane Eyre and others.

Great Performances: No 8, Gena Rowlands in Opening Night (1977). Chosen by Imogen Poots.

Daniel Day-Lewis "Playing games for a living is joyful work."

This annoying person criticises the theatre, saying, "We were essentially performing for a group of more or less privileged people." I'm unsure about his definition of "privilege." (His grandfather Michael Balcon was the producer of the Ealing Comedies).

Great Performances: No 9, Dai Bradley in Kes.

Motaz Malhees "Finally the world is listening to us."

The Palestinian actor talks about his new film.

Great Performances: No 10, Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men.

More actors choose theirs: 11 to 14.

Renate Reinsve "I have a thing for psychotic women."

Lillian Crawford interviews the (brilliant) Norwegian actress. (I will never forget The Worst Person in the World or her latest Sentimental Value, both directed by Joachim Trier). She was inspired by Gena Rowland's Opening Night and Diane Keaton's Annie Hall, both from 1977. Another great interview.

Great Performances: No 15, Isabelle Hupert for her "wild performance" in The Piano Teacher.

Aleksandr Kuznetsov "I'm looking for raw energy."

Jonathon Romney interviews the actor. His new film, The Prosecutors, is due out shortly. He's originally from Ukraine and then studied acting in Moscow. Then from the Moscow Arts Theatre to Russian TV series.

Great Performances: No 16, Penelope Cruz in Ferrari.

Sergi Lopez "It's never a safe process."

He plays the father in the film Sirat, which is set in the desert of Morocco. Elisabet interviews this Spanish actor.

Great Performances: No 17, Marcello Mastroianni in Sunflower.

More actors choose theirs: 18-21.

Kim Novak The Woman Who Knew Too Much.

There is a new documentary called "Kim Novak's Vertigo". The ninety-three-year-old actress talked to Hannah McGill about her career. There are seven of these that have a separate piece. From 1955 to 1959, these include Pal Joey, The Man with the Golden Arm and, of course, Vertigo. Kim talks about working with Hitchcock and James Stewart. "He and I worked wonderfully together."

Great Performances: No 22, Greta Garbo in Ninotchka (1939).

Will Arnett "I'm fifty-five and don't give a shit."

From comedy to acting in Is This Thing On?

Great Performances: No 23, Richard E. Grant in Withnail and I.

Thursday, 19 March 2026

James Burton

As a footnote to the film EPiC, one of the world's finest rock guitarists is James Burton. He has had a long and distinguished career. James was born in 1939 and continues to thrive to this day. It was James who organised the TCB Band for Elvis and led it from 1969 until Elvis's death in 1977. Here are the two of them below.

Below is a picture from the "Legendary James Burton in Star-Studded Palladium Benefit Concert" on 4th June 2023. (See YouTube). Burton profoundly influenced both Ronnie Wood and Brian May in the photo. Then it was long-time fan Keith Richards who gave his induction speech to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

There is a huge amount about James Burton on the internet that I don't have to repeat here. Only that I knew nothing about him until I saw the film EPiC. And I should have done as he played on Ricky Nelson recordings in the fifties. See YouTube for "Ricky Nelson - Hello Mary Lou (with a solo by James Burton).". The same Ricky Nelson I saw at the Royal Albert Hall on 17th November 1985.

EPiC, The Bride! and Sinners

What can I say? I was never a big Elvis fan, so my review of EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert would be a little biased. His personality and presentation on stage in that Las Vegas residency did nothing to change my mind. In fact, I could hardly believe how awful it was. This film left many critics, including Mark Kermode, enthralled. My best memory of Elvis was pre-Beatles, when we just heard his records on Radio Luxemburg. And an unnamed DJ persistently attempted to bring Elvis to the UK.

Director Baz Luhrmann's opening montage was so fragmented. But we do see clips from those repetitive films he made after coming back from the army. This material is all before we get to the Las Vegas concerts, which could apparently be three times a day and each only an hour long. I have to say that the sound in the cinema from this restoration was wonderful. The band, singers and orchestra were exceptional, with Elvis's voice as good as it got. Except that at times it seemed like he was just a covers artist, as these were mainly standards, not Elvis songs. Is "Bridge Over Troubled Water" suitable for a crooner and full orchestra? That was particularly awful. As was the end of the otherwise superb rendition of Suspicious Minds. Why did he have to mess about with the ending? But his voice was strong and in tune.

But I was far more interested in his lead guitarist, James Burton, who was always next to Elvis. (See separate post). I was also amazed that the drummer was close to the singer and not at the back, which is more often the case. What I did not know was that he was often doing three performances a day, and each one might be no more than forty minutes? Then at the end of the film I heard a few bars from American Trilogy and was so disappointed we didn't hear more. (It's on YouTube Live from Honolulu). Instead we get lots of interviews with Elvis that are mostly embarrassing. Obviously the director thought not. He says he wants to go to England and Europe, but that's just a lie. It may be that my memories of Elvis are pre-Beatles, with songs on Radio Luxembourg.

The critics are mainly in awe of Elvis, especially Mark Kermode, who called it a "montage tone poem" at the top of his power. "Different takes of the same song were great." Tom Shone in the Sunday Times gave it five stars for the "oh so glorious concert film" where "the results are spectacular". The review for Roger Ebert tells us the film "features restoration of the two concert films from 1970 and 1972 ... I gasped at the clarity. "He was right there.

After "Wuthering Heights" with inverted commas, here is The Bride! and an exclamation mark. But let's for once start at the end with the credits and Bobby Pickett's 1962 song Monster Mash. I remember it well. Number one in the USA and number three in the UK charts. The BBC originally banned the song, but it eventually made it onto their Juke Box Jury. (A must-see on early Saturday evenings). The song sums up this bonkers film. At the beginning I failed to recognise Annette Benning as the equally bonkers Dr Cornelia Euphronimous, who is visited by the sad monster that is Frank, played by Christian Bale. She agrees to bring a female body back to life for him. And so here is Jessie Buckley, fresh from her award-winning role in Hamnet. I thought there might have been someone different, if not better.

We may be reminded of the 1935 movie The Bride of Frankenstein, but no, as Jessie points out, she is "just the bride". As the pair create havoc, enter Penelope Cruz in a decent role as the assistant to the man from the FBI. Well, we are set in the 1930s. Maggie Gyllenhaal directs with relish. I liked how she introduces Mary Shelley at the beginning, moaning about what she can or cannot write and the plight of female authors. But here is the story she really wanted to publish. (That would have made some book). Critic Peter Bradshaw called it "a violent black comedy". Although it was a kind of horror story, it never once had me looking away. But this is an expensive movie with great locations and extras. Yes, there was some violence, but hardly graphic, so a 15 certificate was about right.

Maggie Gyllenhaal has made a great transition from acting. Lots of movies and a Golden Globe for best actress in the BBC's The Honourable Woman (2014). I still want to see her first film as director, The Lost Daughter (2021), that was Oscar nominated for best adapted screenplay, amongst many others. But it's on Netflix.

Let's begin with the Academy Awards for Sinners. Best original screenplay by writer/director Ryan Coogler. I didn't hear enough to judge. There was a lot of mumbling and loud music. (Far better was Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value.) Best actor for Michael B. Jordan. Probably because he played both twins Smoke and Stack, because otherwise I have no idea. (Ethan Hawke in Blue Moon was far, far better.) Best cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw. First woman and woman of colour ever to win this award. I wouldn't argue with that. The best original score is for Ludwig Göransson. Agreed. The film was also nominated in twelve other categories, including best supporting actress for Wunmi Mosaku, who we remember vividly playing a detective constable in Vera.

My immediate impression when the film began was that ultra-wide screen. Fortunately, Cineworld in Hemel Hempstead showed it on one of their largest screens. Apparently it was filmed in Ultra Panavision 70 (2.76.1). There were other scenes shot in IMAX (1.43.1) but not available in this theatre.

The film was advertised as a vampire movie, but nothing in the first half gave any indication this was the case. That all changed later on. Nothing too gory, fortunately. What I did like was the 1930s setting. The location photography was excellent, the costumes fantastic and the music, well. I was interested in blues and gospel when I was a teenager. It forms a part of traditional jazz that I used to listen to in the 1960s. And I knew about Robert Johnson and the Black music from the Deep South. (See my post about Mark Radcliffe's book Crossroads. So I was quite happy to sit there and listen to the soundtrack and forget about the speech.

As for the acting, I found it awkward and far too serious. Take note, Michael B. Jordan. The only light came from Hailee Steinfeld as Mary. Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian tells us it "indirectly takes inspiration from the legend of Robert Johnson and the devil" and is "a black version of Dusk Till Dawn" that was constantly in my head later on. Like Peter, I would have preferred this film as a drama without the supernatural stuff. But it was definitely worth waiting for the post-credits sting at the end.

Films of the year in the winter 2025/26 edition of Sight and Sound magazine gave Sinners the second place. Alex Ramon said it was one of 2025's "unexpectedly thrilling experiences at the cinema". I beg to differ. I wanted more plot and a better story. It was just OK.

Sunday, 15 March 2026

GWR - Five Go On Adventures

This is an update to my post from April 16, 2025, all because now we have the fifth instalment of the Famous Five Adventures on the Great Western Railway.

Five and the Dragon Quest

This can be found on YouTube, as can all the other four.

16th April 2025

I first noticed these wonderful short advertisements for the Great Western Railway at the cinema. The adventures of the Famous Five can all be found on YouTube or elsewhere on the net. They just take me back to when I was young, although Mother was very much against anything by Enid Blyton.

Five Go on a Great Western Adventure

The first of these short films was produced in 2017.

Five and the Missing Jewels

Following the success of the first episode came the next adventure in 2019.

Five Get There First

George's parents bid farewell to the gang in 2023, as they race them by car to their destination. Guess who wins.

Five and the Thrilling Engagement

Then this year came their latest adventure with a lost ring. The film is currently available in theatres and on television.

There might be another one in the series when I spotted an advertisement in The Sunday Times for "Five Steal the Show." However, it is only a teaser for "the wider campaign", which highlights unexpected destinations, including enjoying a show at the Royal Albert Hall.

The cover supplement of this week's Sunday Times magazine featured all the places you can visit on Great Western Railways' "The Line to Legend Land".

Tuesday, 10 March 2026

The Garden Awakes - March 2026

The sudden growth of all the plants and shrubs is remarkable. There isn't much colour yet, with the exception of forsythia, which appears to be doing better this year than in previous years. Let's start with the main border. The first photo below showcases the prolific sprouting of alliums. The sprouting of alliums is significantly earlier than I recall. There is room in the second photo for a new plant in the middle of the geraniums. But the most amazing plant is in the third photo. The delphinium on the left has suddenly put on a spurt when there was nothing two weeks ago. Then finally my favourite astrantias look like they will be successful this year.

Last year I split this huge geranium.

And these are the pieces that are growing near the dwarf wall.

Nearby, the acanthus is putting on new growth.

There's not much to see in the wildflower border, except the Spanish and English bluebells on the left are doing well.

Next to the side patio, this echinacea is sprouting at the base.

Opposite, the Philadelphus "Belle Etoile" is coming into leaf.

As is the clematis.

But it's the last shrub in this area, the spirea, that has put on the most growth.

The campanula next to the conservatory is in full leaf.

The geranium in the large pot has put on some growth.

These geraniums look as if they will do OK.

The lawn has had a second cut and is looking fine with the edges trimmed.

The moss killer is having an effect at the far end.

There is little to see in the long border except for the forsythia at the top. But the very last shrub is the Elaeagnus ebbingei, or silverberry. It has been pruned again, so I'm hoping it will be in much better shape.

This is the better of the two pots outside the front door. These little violas are lovely. I would have thought the other pot, sheltered and under cover, would be better. But it's had little water, so that has now been rectified.

A few days ago I cleared all the rubbish under this hedge at the front, and it does look a lot better.

Thursday, 5 March 2026

"Wuthering Heights", Crime 101 and Cold Storage

I wasn't interested if "Wuthering Heights" wasn't true to the book. This was a typical Emerald Fennel movie, concentrating on the visuals rather than the story, which, to be frank, is pretty repetitive and bare on plot. It is more like an art house film with added intensity. All the performances were fine: Margot Robbie as Catherine just doing enough to look the part, and Jacob Elordi never smiling once and just this side of wooden. But the star for me was Martin Clunes, well known in our house for Doc Martin but sounding awful in the trailer for Mother's Pride. Here he is outstanding as Catherine's father, the horrible Earnshaw. The best acting I had seen for a very long time.

The critics were mixed in their reception; Tom Shone in the Sunday Times, who hated the film and the direction, said, "With the scenes of her degradation, the film flares briefly into life." I thought it was much better than that. Let's then talk about the soundtrack. Composed by Charli xcx, I was not looking forward to that part of the film. How wrong I was. This turned out to be the best original music for a movie for years, if not ever? From the opening song House through to Out of Myself and Eyes of the World, this is just class. But I was not prepared to be blown away by the music over the end credits. I was stuck in my seat when Altars played. This had not happened since 1997's El Matador by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs played at the end of Grosse Pointe Blank.

I think I might be going off crime thrillers. Of its kind, Crime 101 was fine: formulaic car chases and a detective chasing a thief. A one last job scenario. Not a lot else. A week later I can hardly recall the plot. Chris Hemsworth, Barry Keoghan and Halle Berry turn up for director Bart Layton, writing with Don Winslow, on whose novella it is based. How Peter Bradshaw gave it four stars I will never know.

I very nearly missed Cold Storage. The trailer did not look promising. But in the end it was amazing; it went so fast, had such a great pace, was so funny and surprisingly well written and directed that the whole cast bought into it. More of a drama, thank goodness, than the obvious horror-sci-fi-comedy-thriller it turned out to be. It never outstayed its welcome at an hour and a half. I didn't know the two young leads, but they were great: Joe Keery as Travis and British actress Georgina Campbell as Naomi. Add in Liam Neeson, playing at last to his seventy-three years (Northern Irish); Vanessa Redgrave and Lesley Manville (two more Brits), the latter brilliant with two great one-liners; and we have a great cast. The filming took place in Italy, so that's maybe why there are so many Brits in the cast.

And the horror? It was more funny than scary, thank goodness; some sort of parasite fungus. Well directed by Johnny Campbell, another Brit who started out with TV series such as Spooks, Ashes to Ashes, and Westworld and his first film, Alien Autopsy. It was well written by David Koepp based on his 2019 novel. And with two great songs: 'I Get Around' by The Beach Boys and 'One Way or Another' by Blondie. It was good fun and properly presented.