Films I've seen of late (March '18)

#15 Scott Pilgrim vs The World (2010)
Video games and movies don’t have a great history, but Scott Pilgrim is one of the few exceptions (OK, it’s adapted from a comic book, but it has heavy video game influences). Edgar Wright plays around with fun, snappy dialogue and zany visuals to create a perfect millennial story centred around love, jealousy and ex-boyfriends. Great stuff.
(8/10)

#16 1941 (1979)
After Japan bombs pearl harbour, America is on high alert for a Japanese invasion – and this serves as the backdrop for Spielberg’s first comedy. Oddly, this took at lot of flak on its release but I can’t see why. It’s funny, well-paced and full of great actors having a laugh. A cult classic.
(9/10)

#18 Logan (2017)
Dark, gritty and bloody comic book adaptation. Good performances from the leads, especially Dafne Keen as Logan’s offspring. Despite the darker tone and brutal action scenes, it still ... feels like a comic book movie which lets it down a bit.
(8/10)

#19 Wonder Woman (2017)
Whilst it’s great to see a female leading a big budget comic book movie, Wonder Woman failed to wow me as much as I’d expected. All the usual comic book movie tropes are rehashed with nothing particularly new emerging as a result. It’s a competent film, but nothing special. Shame, really as WW is a great character.
(6.5/10)

#20 Aliens (1986)
One of my favourtite movies of all time, Aliens is that rare thing indeed: a sequel equal to or even better than the original - plus it still holds up well after 20+ years. This sci-fi / horror / war mash up is grand in scope but tight in storytelling, and shines even more in the special edition director's cut version. Outstanding.
(10/10)

#21 Dredd (2012)
Not the campy Stallone version, but the gritty and violent Karl Urban remake that does its best to stay true to the comics while keeping grounded in the real world. Urban is Judge Dredd, gravelly-voiced lawman of the future taking his rookie on assessment into a drug lord's lair. Things go south quickly and the two judges must battle it out against an army of gang members armed to the teeth. Tight, lean and visceral, this is a comic book movie done right. See my full review here.
(10/10)

#22 Black Panther (2018)
Going into this, I was aware of all the hype and so had low expectations because I'm always wary when everyone says a film is the best thing ever (especially a comic book movie). Perhaps my cynicism helped because I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, it has many of the trappings of the comic book genre, but it feels like the makers spent a lot of time and energy into trying to get things right. A well constructed story revolving around the new king of the ficticious and secretive African nation of Wakanda coming to terms with his role and the many threats it faces, Black Panther delivers on various levels to create an engaging and well-poised .
(8/10)

#23 Monster Family (2018)
Sky's attempt at imitating Netflix with origial content gets off to a sputtering start in this 'Munsters' rehash which doesn't quite hit the mark. Not a bad effort storywise, but the fact that the main characters all have English accents yet live in New York (without any explanation) is distracting. So is the terrible lip-synching.
(6/10)

#24 Annihilation (2018)
After an alien meteorite crashes near the sea, it begins to emit an eerie bubble that grows steadily outward. All who enter the bubble have failed to come out and when an all-female team goes in to investigate, they slowly discover it to be a place of madness and death. Alex Garland's multi-faceted sci-fi thriller is intelligent, provocative and creepy. Outstanding.
(9/10)

#25 Get Out (2017)
A white girl brings her black boyfriend to meet her parents over the weekend at their elegant country home, only to discover strange goings on that have a heavy racist undertone. Another hyped-up movie, this thriller/horror just about stands on its own merit, despite a slightly silly third act. The racism commentary is much more subtle than expected but the acting is great.
(7.5/10)

#26 Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
One of the better Marvel films of late, this third reboot in just over a decade mercifully skips the origin story and goes for a coming-of-age tale instead. Aided by Iron Man, he sets out to bring the winged arms dealer Vulture to justice for selling alien hybrid weapons to the criminal underworld. Not taking itself too seriously, with plenty of funny moments, Homecoming feels a little outside the orbit of its Marvel companions (despite the heavy referencing), which is no bad thing. Plus, Tom Holland is excellent as Peter Parker.
(7.5/10)

#27 Baby Driver (2017)
I saw this in the cinema last year but wanted to see it again because it's so good. In some ways it's better the second time round. Music is deeply ingrained into every scene, pushing the story along – whether it's the high octane robberies and car chases or slower, dialogue scenes. Edgar Wright is in his prime as a director and Baby Driver is evidence of that.
(9/10)

My top twenty movies

If anyone asks me what my favourite film is, I have to declare that I don't have one. Of all the films ever made (even just the good ones), it's impossible to single out one as being the best. There are so many good films, of different genres and different time periods; there's just too much to choose from.

I can, however, pick out twenty of my favourite films (I was going to just do ten, but even that proved a headache). They are meaningful to me for various reasons: some are films that had a huge impression on me as a kid, others have affected me as an adult, certain films just represent a specific point in time in relation to the pop culture that have a certain personal resonance.

You'll notice they have a strong sci-fi / fantasy leaning and are mostly from the 1980s. Well, I'm afraid that's just who I am: a sci-fi fantasy geek who grew up in the 80s!

So, in no particular order, here is my list (NB I have lumped some trilogies together to count as one. It's my top 20 so it's my rules!):

1. The Back to the Future Trilogy
2. Ghostbusters
3. Aliens
4. Terminator 2
5. Pulp Fiction
6. Star Wars (Episodes IV-VI)
7. Blade Runner
8. Arrival
9. Raiders of the lost ark
10. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
13. Die Hard
14. Dredd
15. The Matrix
16. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
17. Batman
18. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
19. Innerspace
20. The Goonies

Notable runners up include: Jaws, ET, Gremlins, Saving Private Ryan, Men in Black, Starship Troopers, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Groundhog Day, Point Break, Independence Day, Lost in Translation, Mad Max Fury Road, Whiplash, How to Train your Dragon, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 1941, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Serenity, Bram Stoker's Dracula, WarGames, Big Trouble in Little China, The Truman Show, Robocop, Baby Driver and Time Bandits.

Now I've nailed this list (something that took me a while to form in my head), I plan to write up a little note about each of my top 20 films.

As a little taster, I already wrote something about Ghostbusters here.

This week I have been mostly... w/b 12/03/18

Week beginning: 12/03/18

No. of evening meetings: 2
Films watched: 2
Healthy eating: Good
Mental health: OK

This week I am into my second week of trying to get back onto the healthy eating wagon (one which I fell off a long time ago). Two years ago I set out to reduce my sugar intake, but have had numerous stops and starts since. This time I am a bit more determined and I seem to be doing better.

The main thrust of my plan is trying to cut out as much unnessessary sugary and processed things from my diet as possible, in combination with eating more fruit and veg. I have managed the latter part quite well, so now all I have to do is concentrate on the first.

Apart from that, this week has been fairly normal with a trip to the cinema to see Black Panther (I don't get out to the flicks much these days so it's a rare treat) and waking up to snow again on Sunday morning, which was a nice surprise.

I also got to film a conference in Swansea's Guildhall, an imposing civic building with incredible 30s architecture and design which I'd never been to before.

Goodbye evil insect overlords!

We have finally said goodbye to our insectoid Eurycantha Calcurata pets after over a year of cleaning them out, feeding them brambles and scaring the children (as well as lots of adults).

Presents from my brother to our kids, they grew from nymphs a couple of inches long into fully grown adults almost as big as my hand. Unfortunately, we didn't really have the space for them, and they were a bit of a hassle to clean out.

Ideally, they needed a slightly bigger terrarium, with soil at the bottom. The downside to that is that they would have been better able to breed, and I'm not sure we were ready to take on more of the little monsters (also known at 'land lobsters' in some parts of the world).

I'm not the kind of person who will happily 'dispose' of pets when they get too troublesome. Even though they don't have a central nervous system (supposedly) and therefore don't feel pain – at least not in the way we understand it – I would feel bad about doing anything that would cause them harm. Plus, I was kind of attached to the little beasts.

Thankfully, my friend offered to take them off my hands. He's a primary school teacher and was enthused about the idea of having these critters in his classroom. They were, apparently, going to be a great biology teaching resource, and would live a happier life.

So, after a year of suffering at the hands of their original owners, these six-legged terrors are happily living out their final days in a large, warm terrarium with lots of good grub (strawberry plant leaves, no less).

Happy retirement, guys!

This week I have been mostly... w/b 05/03/18

Week beginning: 05/03/18

No. of evening meetings: 2
Films watched: 3
Healthy eating: Good
Mental health: OK

This week the snow from the previous week had all melted so it was back to normal.

A fairly quiet week this week, where I had a meeting with a client in Costa and bought a large cup of coffee, only to discover 'large' meant a vat of the stuff (not that I was complaining - it only cost me £2.60 which is cheap for Costa!).

I also learned not to arrange a meeting when you've only got an hour to meet and it looks like everyone else will most likely be late. It was a cause of much frustration on my part - although, like most things, in the end it didn't really matter too much.

Celebrating Mother's Day with Wifey meant a small lie in (for her) freshly baked pain au chocolat for breakfast and afternoon tea (with my mum) featuring lots of cake and hot cross buns.

Films I've seen of late (February '18)

#10 Viceroy's House (2017)
India, 1947. Lord Mountbatten becomes the last Viceroy of India and is tasked with overseeing Indian independence from the British Empire, but with a very short timetable. Faced with impending civil war and pressure from home, he is forced to compromise with the nation's Hindu, Muslim and Sikh Indian leaders. Taking a sympathetic view of the Viceroy, this film offers a fascinating and moving insight into one of India's most tumultuous periods.
(7.5/10)

#11 Return to Oz (1985)
Quasi-sequel to the 1935 classic, Return to Oz lacks a lot of the charm and timelessness of the original. Still, it's a competent effort – with impressive effects and a competent storyline that involves Dorothy freeing her friend (the Scarecrow) from the evil Nome King, with the help of some unusual Oz residents and her, um, talking chicken.
(6/10)

#12 Hook (1991)
Robin Williams (RIP) is in his prime as an actor portraying Peter Pan, grown up with children and having forgotten his magical past. Throw in Dustin Hoffman camping it up as Captain Hook as well as Bob Hoskins (RIP also) plus the great Maggie Smith and you have a weighty classic. Some may dismiss it as missing its mark but I think it has a lot of heart and serves the source material well.
(7.5/10)

#13 Early Man (2017)
A tribe of stone age cavepeople are challeged to a game of football by their bronze age invaders. Aardman animation is pretty much the king of stop motion, and Early Man is a display of their incredible talents. Sadly, this isn't enough to save the movie entirely. It has some fun and clever moments, but never quite lives up to previous Aardman films.
(6/10)

#14 Jane Austen Book Club (2007)
A group of friends form a book group (along with a couple of strangers) to discuss Jane Austen novels in the midst of various personal crises. Enjoyable chick-flick.
(7.5/10)

This week I have been mostly... w/b 26/02/18

Week beginning: 26/02/18

No. of evening meetings: 0 (woohoo!)
Films watched: 1
Healthy eating: Poor
Mental health: OK

The one thing overshadowing this week was SNOWWWWW!

For the first time in about five years, Cardiff ground to a halt as several inches of the white fluffy stuff settled on Thursday.

Although JKY had a great time hitting the slopes for a bit of sledging, no. 2 son wasn't quite so enamoured by the arctic conditions and opted to stay indoors most of the time.

As is usual with these things, all our plans were thrown into disarray (including the very important Tesco Direct grocery delivery) so alternative arrangements had to be made. But, hey, we coped.

Ninian road looking snowed up.

My best Scott of the Antarctic impression.

Roath Park lake FROZE OVER!

Crwys Road at night. Very atmospheric.

Sunday was a special occasion with seven baptisms at church, followed by a meal at one of the baptisees. The snow is quickly melting now that we are returning to more normal temperatures for this time of year.