Peter Pan at the National Theatre

A Christmas present for granddaughter Hannah, accompanied by her mother and grandfather. Superb seats in the massive Olivier Theatre at the National. This was a brilliant  and original production, outstanding not just because of the technical wizardry, the novel casting and the great performances, but more than anything else the superb writing. Director Sally Cookson has brought her successful Bristol Old Vic production to the National with a contemporary feel to her reinterpretation of J M Barrie's  timeless story.

Yes, the casting. Saikat Ahamad (below) is a startling Tinker Bell with a language all his own, Anna Francolini as an evil Captain Hook but most of all Ekow Quartey as a black and burly representation of Nana the dog.

The stars are excellent too, although Madeline Worrall as Wendy outshines Paul Hilton as Peter. The design suits the Olivier stage. No disguised wires here. The metal structure that surrounds the stage means the flying is all on view. Magic

Live By Night, Lion and La La Land

After filming novelist Denis Lahane's Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck returns to his homeground of Boston with the same local writer's Live By Night. A fairly flimsy and superficial 1920's gangster movie with plenty to enjoy if you leave your brain at home. Director (and lead) Affleck is far better with his intelligent movies. This is all very much predictable but somehow quite exciting. It looked very good too.

Now Lion is an intelligent movie. The first part has little dialogue but is totally gripping as the very young Saroo is lost in Calcutta. There is much you understand without being told a thing about what is going on. Director Garth Davis is to be congratulated for not spelling out what we can see for ourselves. Saroo carrying his piece of cardboard around the city is a stroke of genius. The second part is a strange contrast with the grown up Saroo with his foster family in Tasmania. Nicole Kidman has never been better as his new mother. I just wasn't sure that the casting of Dev Patel was a success.

La La Land was not the five star movie I was hoping for. All the rave reviews about the opening number were squashed by hardly hearing a word of the lyrics. Or was that just my cinema's sound? The script was, for me, flawed in one major aspect. Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) had an interesting story, a jazz pianist sacrificing his talent for different mainstream employments. But Mia (Emma Stone) had to rely on a never ending series of rejections that, for the first two thirds of the film felt tiresome.
However, the movie did have loads of charm, and I laughed or smiled a lot. Although the contrasting sad bits fell flat. There is one classic scene that goes into my top ten of movie moments. Mia arrives at an outdoor party only to find there is Sebastian playing keys in a pop group. Their reactions are wonderful. Take On Me was a great choice, it has always been my favourite pop video. All my best moments in movies seem to revolve around such a song. So, all in all, a decent enough homage to old Hollywood musicals, and the modern feel was spot on. But what was the ending all about?

Ancient Light, The Cuckoo's Calling and Clever Girl

I seem to be in a minority in not loving Ancient Light by John Banville. I have to say that I struggled with his Man Booker prizewinning The Sea and this was no different. The story was OK, but the narrative suffers as our narrator contemplates seemingly endless diversions. However, the writing is at times brilliant: "In the deserted dining room all the tables are set, the gleaming cutlery and the sparkling napery laid out just so, like an operating theatre where multiple surgical procedures will presently be carried out". The best bit is the ending, not because it was over, but is such a good conclusion. Though this time, far too brief.

The Cuckoo's Calling was much better than I had envisaged, or was it that after some heavier literature it was good to read something light. Robert Galbraith (JKR) gives us masses of dialogue which is generally well written. The only problem is that the interviewing of one witness after another gets a bit repetitive. But of it's type, a good detective story.

I enjoyed the first half of Clever Girl, Stella's early life was always interesting. It was just that it then seemed to run out of steam. However, the writing has a light touch which suits the story, Tessa Hadley has obviously put in a lot of her own experiences. These are never boring.          

Rogue One, A Star Wars Story, Silence and A Monster Calls

I must be getting old. "Rogue One" didn't have a good enough story or script for me so all I was left with were the action scenes where, quite frankly, I had seen them all before. On the other hand, the production design was awesome and the visuals were top drawer. But even the usually reliable Felicity Jones couldn't save the screenplay. If I hear "feel the force" one more time .........

Although undeniably a great looking movie, "Silence" for me it was frequently boring, woefully unengaging,surprisingly repetitive and punishingly long. Can I add ponderous and shocking. It was as if Martin Scorsese wanted us to endure the same persecution and torture that 17th Century Japanese Christians and their foreign Jesuit priests experienced. Or as close as he could get to it on the big screen. But all the way through I couldn't help thinking about the similarly brutal cruelty in WW2 and that handed out by the Jesuits in earlier times. I found the acting of lead Andrew Garfield and the awfully accented Liam Neeson tiresome. The only one to come out with credit was Adam Driver, and strangely, the whole Japanese cast.

"A Monster Calls" is a superb movie. I was almost put off by the prospect of the fantasy and three animated stories, but in the end they were beautifully filmed and ultimately made perfect sense. In fact, there were times when scenes became close to real art. The opening credits are wonderful and over far too soon. Some of the watercolours are to die for. Lewis MacDougall as the troubled boy is outstanding and Sigourney Weaver is terrific in support despite not always catching the English accent. But it is J A Bayona, who directs with intelligence and sensitivity, that should attract all the plaudits for this remarkable piece of film making.

RSC Live from Stratford - The Tempest

The last time I went to see The Tempest was with Michael almost exactly fourteen years ago at the Old Vic. This new production by the RSC sadly lost some impact through it's transmission to cinemas. For the first time at one of these events I felt you really needed to be there to get the full experience. I would have thought that the special effects provided by Intel and The Imaginarium Studios would have had far more impact live than on the screen.

However, the play itself was very well performed. Simon Russell Beale was very good as Prospero. I thought he was better as King Lear the first time I went to see a live screening, this time from the National Theatre in 2014. He was also great in the title role in "Timon of Athens" at the National in 2012. And he didn't compare with the Derek Jacobi we saw at the Old  Vic. As one critic said at the time "The great glory of this production is Derek Jacobi's spellbinding performance as Prospero".

The rest of the cast were excellent, especially Mark Quartley as Ariel and the comedy from Joe Dixon as Caliban, Simon Trinder as Trinculo and the brilliant Tony Jayawardena as Stephano. So there was lots to enjoy, especially as the venue is only ten minutes from home.

Tring Book Club - The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley

Can we remember with accuracy something dramatic that happened thirty years ago when we were still in our early teens. I believe the narrator of "The Loney" struggles to make sense of a life changing event when his family make their annual pilgrimage to the wild Lancashire coast and the shrine there which might help his mute brother Hanny to speak at last. Whilst this novel takes a while to get going, there is always a sense of dread that permeates the story.

After an earlier break of several years (the then  leader Father Wilfred puts an end to the visits and then dies in suspicious circumstances), Mummer convinces the new party under Father Bernard to set out once again for the Easter weekend. The locals are not happy to see them. Odd things happen. But are Tonto's (we never know his real Christian name) memories playing tricks? He and Hanny visit the wonderfully described spit of land called Coldbarrow, the causeway there only accessible at low tide. This is a dangerous place, the shifting sea and sands are treacherous. But it's what happens at the old house on Coldbarrow that is central to the plot, and that is where we have to make up our own minds about what actually took place, given how long ago the narrator is remembering.

I enjoyed this book and so did everyone at Book Club. It certainly provoked more discussion than most books we have read. As Father Bernard finally tells Tonto: "The truth isn't always set in stone. In fact it never is. There are just versions of it."

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, Sully: Miracle on the Hudson and Passengers

Despite all the hype, I was rather disappointed with Fantastic Beasts. It seemed to me Ghost-busters meets Harry Potter. There was just nothing original about chasing fantasy creatures around New York. The story and the screenplay left a lot to be desired, sorry JK. Stick to writing books. And Eddie Redmayne, well. He didn't seem to hit the right pitch for his character. That reticent whispering was at times unintelligible which meant I didn't catch all he was saying.

However, it was great to see Alison Sudol. I have been a big fan of A Fine Frenzy for a long time but her strong performance means her music will probably take a back seat, which is a shame. But then I hear she has made a new album. Playing opposite her, Dan Fogler was very good. Director David Yates did his best with the flimsy plot and the costumes and sets were outstanding. But the only chuckles came from some of the antics of the beats. So reasonable fun, but not for me.

I was very impressed by Sully. The way the movie was constructed was remarkable. Thanks to director Clint Eastwood, what could have been a ten minute wonder turned out to be a captivating and perfectly timed hour and a half. Of course, there was no-one else who could have played Sully except for Tom Hanks and he was excellent. Tense and highly enjoyable.

I went to see Passengers on the first day it opened and had not read a single review. As it turned out, I was more positive about the movie than most of the critics. A decent enough story, given the limitations of the plot setting, and an acceptable, if a little too serious, screenplay. Thank goodness for the performance of Michael Sheen as the android bar tender. His lines may have not been that witty, (and we certainly could have done with more) but his delivery certainly was. I would give him the Oscar for best supporting actor just because he elevated the script way beyond what it deserved.

Jennifer Lawrence is always worth watching but the film suffered badly from an amazingly dull Chris Pratt. The lack of chemistry with his co-star was all his fault. A better choice of actor in his role, and I'm certain that the film would have been better received.