LG Smart TV

 

When we bought our new LG TV last year. I had not realised how it was so smart. Because we always watch programmes via the Sky box, there was never any reason to see how the LG programmes worked. That was until the Premier League football was shown on Amazon Prime and BBC I Player. As the picture above shows, there is a bar which lets you choose direct  from the  internet channels such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and recently BBC I Player. The miracles of modern science.

The model we chose was the LG UM7450 PLA as the photo below.

Halfway to Hollywood : Diaries 1980-1988 by Michael Palin

 

I actually started this large volume of Michael Palin diaries in July and have dipped into them most evenings. It is a big book, 621 pages in hardback plus photographs. It is quite heavy to handle. At the beginning of the book is a very handy timeline to cover this period of diaries from the first day of 1980 to the 24th September 1988 before he sets out on his expedition "Round the World in 80 Days". So the following notes are those entries that I found particularly interesting.

1980 starts with assisting his great friend Terry Gilliam to write and film "Time Bandits".  Later I did not realise how big Monty Python had been in the USA. "The Life of Brian" had been so successful that the team were in America to film "Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl".

In 1981 Michael Palin was writing "The Missionary" and had found interest from George Harrison's Hand Made Films. Their producer Denis O'Brien plays a large part in Palin's life at this stage. On the 20th July he had finished reading the script but as Palin explains "As I expected, the last thing he wants to do is give any artistic judgement on the script. He talks of it purely from a business point of view. he sounds to have no doubts that it's a commercial reality and he's treating it accordingly." An eight or nine week shoot in March April or May 1982.

It was actually May 1982 that filming began on "The Missionary" with Maggie Smith, David Suchet, Michael Hordern and Trevor Howard. There are some wonderful pieces about each day's filming. On a Sunday, on a rare day at home mid-shoot, he loves the "variety of children and friends .... I do value it so much. How could I want to leave all this?" (for a Hollywood career?). It seemed a very hard few months, with the additional responsibilities of helping to write and act in "Monty Python's Meaning of Life". On Monday 16th August 1982, Palin notes "the sixth week of Python filming - 17th week of filming since the end of March". It became five months solid work on both films.

Because he had written and starred in "The Missionary", he embarks upon a crushing media tour of America to publicise the movie. Then that red letter day on 4th November 1982, staying at the Sherry Netherland Hotel in NYC, and reading the last of the reviews of the film in the next day's New York Times. Another good review. "How on earth can I sleep. Who can I ring. They wont be up in England".

In 1983, with "The Missionary" released in the UK and "Meaning of Life" in the US and UK, Michael Palin reaches his 40th birthday on 5th May. Going for a run on Hampstead Heath he vows to "extricate myself from some of the many commitments in which I have become entangled over the years". But he only has himself  to blame. He really wants to write and it is all these commitments that hinder the process.

Over the last couple of years he became very friendly with Ray Cooper (the percussionist) who was a
trouble shooter for Hand Made Films who produced "The Missionary". They have a day out at Henley in June 1983 when they dine with George Harrison and then on to the latter's house in the evening. (Much later on Saturday 13th August 1988, at Michael's home in the evening, the doorbell goes. "It's George with an envelope with the sleeve notes for the first Travelling Wilbury's album that he wants Michael to look at. In the car are George's wife, children and their friends. They are all invited in.")

There are extracts in the diaries from 1983 that go to show how Palin is so much in demand. Piles of books and scripts are sent to him, requests for TV interviews and appearances on programmes, even a Hamlet in Sheffield. But it is as an actor that is next for Michael. First in Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" and then in Alan Bennett's "A Private Function" with Maggie Smith. They both are the highlights of 1984.

Then in 1985, Palin is writing "East of Ipswich", a very personal project situated in Southwold, home of his mother. I enjoyed reading about the development of the script and it's eventual filming for the BBC in June 1986. He takes on the chairmanship of Transport 2000, which is the least interesting part of his diaries. After "East of Ipswich", he is writing "American Friends" which becomes quite hard work. On 17th September 1986 he is struggling to sleep, struggling to write. "Then my great stand-by, a run. Running can never be anything but positive - that's the joy of it". Palin also thought he would make a good gardener. "Solitary, contemplative, open air sort of life has an attraction for me". Me too.

Although the first draft of "American Friends" was finished in 1987, it was the filming of the huge success that was "A Fish Called Wanda" that was the highlight of that year. Although this was overshadowed by the suicide of his sister Angela after many years of depression. He is reminded of how good a friend is Terry Jones. In the September of 1987, Palin is at the BBC for an initial meeting about their proposal for "Around the World in 80 days".

Then 1988 sees re-writes and meetings for "American Friends" but struggling to find any real interest. And then finally turned down by MGM. But Palin's script for "No 27" is filmed by the BBC. There are previews and press tours of the USA for "Wanda" which becomes a big hit in the States. Filming for "80 Days" starts in England, Michael having a medical and shoots at the Royal Geographical Society. These diaries end with Palin about to embark upon this expedition.

Goodbye RICS

 

This month I decided not to renew my subscription for the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. I had been a retired member for fourteen years and didn't see any point in paying fees for the next how many years. It might have been different if I was still a member of the old Institute of Quantity Surveyors. However the IQS membership having voted against joining the RICS, on a second ballot in 1983 changed their minds. So despite having personally voted against the merger twice, I was duly elected as a Professional Associate of the RICS on 1st March 1983. 

I was therefore a member of the IQS from 1963 to 1983 including fourteen years as an Associate. And then another twenty three years with the RICS including seventeen years as a fellow, and those last fourteen years as a retired member. So I have been paying subscriptions for over fifty seven years. If only the IQS had kept their independent status. There is little room in the RICS for those whose whole career has been in the employ of major building contractors.

And now they have made the news for unwelcome reasons. A report by accountants BDO warned that the body was at risk of "unidentified fraud, misappropriation of funds and misreporting of financial performance". Watch this space.

Dear Mr Roberts

Ref: 0066455

Thank you for your recent communication in relation to the resignation of your RICS membership.

I can confirm that your resignation from membership is now complete.
 
I hope you found your membership of value and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you on behalf of RICS for your contribution to the surveying profession, and for your time as a member.
 
As an organisation, we continually look to develop the level of service we offer. To help improve the services, please click onto the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RICSresignation. The link will guide you to a short survey in relation to your resignation. Your views will provide a valuable insight into professionals' needs, priorities and views on how the organisation is performing. Therefore, all feedback is appreciated.
 
Did you know that as a former member of RICS, you and your family are still eligible to receive the support and services provided by LionHeart, the benevolent fund for RICS members and their families? Find out more about how LionHeart can support you at www.lionheart.org.uk. Telephone: 0800 009 2960 or 0121 289 3300
 
If you decide at any time in the future you wish to return to membership, please visit: www.rics.org/readmissions and complete the applicable readmission application form. 

I wish you every success for the future.

Kind regards

Andra Lefter

MEMBERSHIP SUPPORT, RICS 

t +44 2476 868 555  w rics.org

 

Movies at Home - Rififi, The Mummy, Knives Out and Paris Je Taime

 

The 1955 French crime film Rififi, superbly directed by the black listed American Jules Dassin, paved the way for the making of heist movies for years to come. The actual jewel robbery, that involves breaking through a concrete floor and the intricacies of cutting open a steel safe, is like a silent movie. It takes hours over a whole night and it's daylight before the crooks emerge. I loved the exceptional exterior shots of Paris in winter, the photography and digital restoration is excellent. 

However, the aftermath gets very violent as everything goes pear shaped. One reviewer said it "turns moralistic and sour in the last half as thieves fall out". 

I saw The Mummy with Tom Cruise at the cinema in 2017 and thought it was a suitable film for Alison to see.  This is what I said at the time: 

I cannot remember Tom Cruise trying to play the lovable rogue. In future he should steer clear of any such role. He is so unconvincing, you laugh with embarrassment, not at the wit. The story and the action sequences are fine, but the dialogue is awful. And Russell Crowe. Well!

Another movie I had seen at the cinema. Taking advantage of my month's free trial of Amazon Prime, I picked this for our Saturday night film. Alison enjoyed it.

An American cinematic whodunit with an Agatha Christie type cast brought together following the death of patriarch Christopher Plummer. Much more of a whodunit  than a howdunit. I guessed that early on and I'm notorious for never doing that. Daniel Craig is the private investigator whose southern accent lapses more than once. Rian Johnson deserves great credit for both writing and directing.

I think I must have seen Paris, Je Taime sometime in the past but I cannot remember when. There are eighteen very short dramas, each in a separate district in the city and each by a different director. But it was when the film visited "Tuileries" that I knew I had seen it before. Joel and Ethan Coen's segment only takes place on the platform of the metro station. The full list of the pieces is:

Montmartre

Quais De seine

Le Marais (director Gus Van Sant)

Tuileries (directors Joel and Ethan Coen)

Loin du 16e 

Porte de Choisy

Bastille

Place de Victoires (starring Juliette Binoch)

Tour Eiffel

Parc Monceau (director Alfonso Cuaron)

Quartier des Enfants Rouge (starring Maggie Gyllenhal) 

Place de Fetes

Pigalle (starring Bob Hoskins and Fanny Ardant)

Quartier de la Madeleine

Pere Lachaise (director Wes Craven)

Faubourg Saint-Denis (starring Natalie Portman)

Quartier Latin

14e arrondissement 

Then the montage at the end is spectacular. I love this film.

Review of 2020

 

A year like no other started just the same as a normal January. Except that it was fairly mild, and I was able to do quite a lot in the garden. Running was going fine, parkruns at Wendover Woods as the main course at Aylesbury was flooded as usual. Some decent films at the cinema and "An Inspector Calls" at the theatre in Milton Keynes. I had started watching Series 1 of "The Directors" on Sky Arts and this month completed Series 5.

In early February I was even able to give the lawns their first cut of the year. But one of the tall silver birches came down with Storm Ciara. Roses were pruned with still mildish temperatures. A visit to Grant and Stone to look at sanitary ware and fittings for the family bathroom, followed by quotes for the installation.

March started as normal. "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" at the theatre in Aylesbury and then the last performance before lockdown of any play with the brilliant "Pride and Prejudice Sort Of" at Oxford on 12th March. The very last parkrun was Alison's 250th on the 14th March when I volunteered, and now stuck on 249. The day after I ran the Milton Keynes 10K, a third of those who entered did not turn up.  

Into lockdown in April, Fortunately, lots to do outside (jet washing pavings etc) and in the garden and still out for runs. Book club now on Messenger. Not very successful. A visit to Amersham Dermatology and a prescription for 5-Fluorouracil Cream for those sun damaged areas on my head. It made a horrible mess while working, but now completely healed. 

May was quiet, getting used to lockdown. The weather was superb, lots of days in the mid 20's. More to do in the garden with the arrival of bedding plants. Book Club had found Zoom and this worked extremely well.#

By June I was watching DVD's of films and the National Theatre Live at Home. But great to be outside, and the Premier League and FA Cup returned. The weather became very warm by the end of the month, above 30C two days running. Out for a walk with Alison at 8.30am in the shade of Wendover Woods.

By the end of July, National Trust gardens had re-opened. On Alison's 60th birthday, we went to Waddesdon in the afternoon. We were also meeting friends in their garden and were able to have coffee outside the cafe in Wendover Woods.

Restrictions were easing in August, more garden visits and a meal at The Akeman in Tring. Test matches were back and some cinemas were open. 

But "Tenet" at Cineworld Hemel Hempstead in September was a disappointment. In the middle of the month we were off to Cornwall for a week. It was so nice to be somewhere different, and we were very lucky with the weather. At the end of the month the new bathroom was installed. (The fittings had been in store for months).

A lot of sport was back in October. Some nice older films were on at the Rex Berkhamsted. It was almost like normal. Still nice to be outside in the garden. 

Later in November restrictions were returning but  I was back doing long walks which I had not done for a long time. And we managed a visit to Stowe on a beautiful day before it closed again. The new bathroom was completed with the floor finish being laid. 

Lights were going up outside in early December and our tree came down from the loft. But with the darker evenings came a darker lockdown, Tier 3 then Tier 4. And we were back to where we started. But today there maybe light at the end of the tunnel (that's Boris) with the approval of the Oxford vaccine. Let us hope so.

It was easy to choose this year's favourite theatre and films at the cinema as there were so few. Pride and Prejudice Sort Of at Oxford was a delight and I will seek it out to see again when theatre returns. Amelie at the Rex Berkhamsted was similarly uplifting. For books, the highlight was reading the Old Filth trilogy this year. Jane Gardam followed that title with The Man in the Wooden Hat and lastly my favourite book of the year Last Friends. Talk about saving the best for last. I was just disappointed that I had not chosen the Old Filth for book club instead of this author's prize winning Queen of the Tambourine. It has been great to continue book club on Zoom. 

The highlight of TV this year has been Ghosts, a comedy brought to us from the creators of Horrible Histories. In sport, it was great to watch the IPL in the middle east without crowds. The England Australia 20/20 and ODI series were riveting in the summer. This year I have graduated from easy Sudoku to tricky and now fiendish, the top level used for competitions. I try one every evening before dinner.    

And finally, on the subject of parkrun, the New Year message from Paul Sinton-Hewitt included the following words: 

As it is for so many of you, parkrun is my sanctuary. It was born as a result of, and has helped me through, some difficult times.

The regularity and reliability of parkrun provides a comfort that comes from knowing it is always there: the same time, the same place, the same friendly faces, support and encouragement. A chance to escape, or to catch up, to be in the fresh air, and amongst others. parkrun’s mere presence is a reassuring island of calm in often choppy seas.

Arise Sir Roger

 

The New Year's honours has brought a well deserved knighthood to the number one cinematographer Roger Deakins. This is what I said in my post of the 16th March 2018.

At last. After thirteen previous nominations for the Oscar for cinematography where he didn't win, Roger Deakins (CBE) was presented with his deserved first award for Blade Runner 2049. When I reviewed the film, I particularly mentioned the brilliance of his work.

He has won BAFTA's before (four so far), and I just wonder if his British (Devon) background did him no favours. He still lives there. As The Sunday Times reported:

Shortly after Roger Deakins was awarded the Oscar for best cinematography last Sunday, he received an email from the manager of the marina in his native Torquay, where — as the grandson of a fisherman — he keeps a small boat. “He said: ‘Congratulations on your Oscar and — by the way — the marina’s deep in snow, but your boat’s OK,’” laughs Deakins. “I wrote back: ‘The Oscar’s great but it’s even better to know my boat’s fine.’ I meant it.”

He discovered a passion for photography at art school in Bath. Having failed to get into the National Film and Television 
School, he spent a year photographing Devon life for a local archive, before successfully reapplying.
When you look at the list of his movies, you then understand that his is a wonderful story.

Discovering: Christmas Films on Sky Arts

 

The same team who presented "The Directors" series on Sky Arts, were brought together for the first time to discuss Christmas movies. It was good to see them all talking to each other, Ian Nathan, Neil Norman, Stephen Armstrong, Derek Malcolm and Bonnie Greer are always worth listening to. 

However, and for once, I was very disappointed with their, or their producer's selection. These films can hardly be festive fun: King Kong, Mary Poppins, Laurel and Hardy, To Catch a Thief, The Tale of Winter, The Sound of Music, Rear Window, Fargo, The Apartment, The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Shop Around the Corner. I could see that We're No Angels (not a film with which I am familiar from 1955, but could be interesting), Trading Places and The Bishop's Wife might just be appropriate for Christmas.

So we are left with Miracle on 34th Street (the old black and white original but no mention of the Richard Attenborough remake), White Christmas (why no mention of the earlier Holiday Inn whose big song White Christmas led to the loosely plotted remake of the same name), Scrooged, Die Hard, Fanny and Alexander and, of course, It's a Wonderful Life. But no mention of more recent films such as the superior  Love Actually, The Holiday, The Man Who Invented Christmas and (heaven help us) Office Christmas Party.