Pele

 1940-2022

The Man who wiped away Brasil's tears

With him dies Old Brasil I fear

Knives Out

 

Well I enjoyed this  It is a while since I have seen a murder mystery on film

What a great cast!

Ana de Armas, Katherine Langford, Don Johnson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Daniel Craig. Max Von Sndow and Michael Shannon.  Some of my favourite actors there. 

So there is a death in the family, and a will to be read 

It has been too long since we have heard the phrase a gentleman sleuth. Sadly people have read about Blanc in The New Yorker rather then the Times. I was also pleased by Craig's accent. He seemed to be having fun in the role. Which is nice  I liked the fact the script is aware that recordings on mobile phones are commonplace

Ana de Armas is radiant l. I do love Katherine Langford too-There is a nice scene of Katherine being coached and prompted by her relatives to guilt Maribel 

Chris Evans was great as the spoiled son. Radiating menace. I can see why he chose this film After Avengers finished It does show off his range The language and manners are well observed. 

Some snappy dialogue- and very well observed tropes. The argument about politics. The Americans never quite agreeing on where Ana's Maribel is from.  The flaky in-law - Who is now an Influencer who is not making any real money from her brand. 

I see an American eating beans and sausage

I was pleased I noticed that the dose of Morphine was too high- which confused me but it paid off

Beautiful scenery. New England in the fall. A nice big house. 

I enjoyed this- I am looking forward to seeing the sequel 

The Baden Meinhoff Complex

 

So I finally got round to watching this. I have always been interested in RAF I have been meaning to do so for years. I did watch it compressed which no doubt took some of the energy out of the experience

Yeah it is quite intense. I think it is maybe two hours too long. I wonder if things are bowdlerized for movie audiences. 

Well, as one of the characters notes -Shooting and Fu king are the same thing. It is a loot into the intense world of the Rose Armee Faction. It is fascinating how middle class they are- The Berlin dinner parties, The Undertakers in 18 century costume, the Pastor as a parent. _ In contrast to the violence. The shooting of a very middle aged German judge, in his home- The gang winding up there handler in Rome, trying to get him to steal a purse so he steals their car instead

The riot in which the Shah of Iran's bodyguards' attack the crowd is very well done. The Film looks great- As I say it is a period piece. Everyone is smoking constantly 

The Ugly Germans in the Middle East, hanging out naked- Which would have dismayed Brits and Poles, 

The borstal boy who has skipped out on bail  being manipulated by sex . Is something that made me take notice. A grown woman interested in a teen boy  can have a sinister end Also the denial of motherhood 

The internationalism of the gang. The training camp in the Middle East .They gang flee to Rome- They go to Scilly, they have allies across the middle east. It is almost a modern story-rather then a period piece The authorities respond to the RAF by trying to computerize everything and squeeze the RAF out of the shadows. The events of a hijacking followed on crystal sets rather then online-but people still huddled and cocooned

The poison of the group. You are the dagger in the back of the RAF. One member is driven to suicide, the use of sex, and violence to control people

No mention of KGB involvement as far I could tell 

Quite an experience

Russian Predictions

 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11576727/Elon-Musk-insists-joking-called-Putin-allys-Tweets-Epic.html

So Medvedev former PM of Russia and sometime President. Maid some bold predictions about 2023

Including

UK to rejoin the EU

Euro to collapse as a currency

Californian secession from the US

Poland and Hungary occupy the Western Ukraine

The 4th Reich proclaimed

Also Elon Musk as a second Grant

I think the Russian could have had some fun here. If Medvedev had gotten hold of some hackers, and some kompromat on low level people in the West. Then he could have interlaced this with his predictions/  Publish the predictions of war, and ruin  aas well  random secrets about say Johnathon Thierson of Lemmings Ohio- Who is having an affair with his Sister in Law. Spoil the end of Young Sheldon. Reveal the secret illness of Prince Edward*

* This is just me spitballing. I wish no harm to anyone 

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas

 

I regret my daughter was unwell over the holiday This troubled me. She feels better now. As I write this one sister has Covid. 

My daughter  did receive the clothes I had sent her. So that was pleasing I also bought her an Air conditioner

I hope my American friends are feeling a bit warmer

I had a lovely turkey lunch at my Sisters house

I saw London Irish play against Saracens. A quite contested game- The floodlights improved the atmosphere

All Quiet on the Western Front

 More beauty and squalor, and more subtitles

4 friends from a German military school- join up and serve in a regiment in the last few days of the First World War. While Generals and Politicians try to end the war

The War here is Franco German affair. We don't see any British or Americans, or Russians.

Everything looks beautiful. The red caps of the military academy student The forests of France in the rear of the trenches.  The snow of midwinter. The dress uniforms of the French and Germans

When it is not beautiful, it is foul- the corpses. Wet, and damp. We see someone go mad after bombardment. One of the leads has to collect the dog tags of the dead. 

It is like Master and Commander a film almost without women. Wives and Mothers are mentioned. One of the lads has a liaison with a French woman. A poster is used as a pin up

There is an interesting use of food- We see the Politicians eating well- eggs and toast before their negotiation with the French in the railway carriage. A goose is stolen as a treat.  The final attack on the French is paused to steal bread and meat. 

History remains a burden. We - the viewer knows what is coming. The whisper of the Bolsheviks, the plans for a goose and candles at Christmas. 

A fine film

Come and See (1985)

 

This film's reputation preceded it I had seen it mentioned on Twitter again and again. Someone was kind enough to distribute the YT link. So I sad down and watched it

I may have seen bits of Come and See years ago on Channel 4. 

It is a beautiful but horrible movie. 

The forests of Belarus look beautiful. The Stork, The beautiful twin baba's with deep blue eyes. Everyone in this film has piercing eyes. The bedclothes of the babushka.  The mud and bog and the straw, of rural life. . 

The budget constraints aside- The tracer shot is done with crude special effects. The grass in places has obviously been cut recently. The model of a German reconnaissance plane is obviously a model 

Like Django unchained it occasionally detracts from the seriousness and horror of it's story with stylistic flourishes which I found ill judged. it is better when you see things unstated- the pile of bodies. 

So this is the Eastern front in all it's petty and gross horror. The vehicles driven like maniacs by peasants and drunks. A corpse pressganged into service as a decoy. Peasants being robbed. Flor trying to pull a half ton cow back to camp. The absurd legalism of the Germans - the SS soldier has to give the nod before the female lead can be gang raped into insensibility- The cowardice -the German officer who tries to sell his men out The Hiwi who rejoices at catching a Jew. A Rosov following along the Germans in Uniform. 

Flor is deafened by an attack on his camp. The film plays with it volume and audio to recreate the feeling of being death. This adds to the unpleasantness

A terrible film. Not a bad one, or a poor one. Simply terrible

Victor Lewis Smith

Died in Bruges today at 65 Years old

I was a fan of his columns and TV work

The North Wind Doth Blow

Photos taken on my way to work

 

Brief Coup in Peru, None hurt

 

Yesterday as I was walking home from work. I was passing through the park  And I checked Twitter- to see an announcement. 

Pedro Castillo- The president of Peru- facing impeachment dissolved Congress on television and announced there would be new election and a new constitution 

President Castillo an ex Rondero -The large hat was one of his trade mark. From Up country in Peru- Castillo beat the perennial bridesmaid of Peruvian politics Keiko Fujimori. Castillo had been effectively in office but not effective in office since 2021

Well there comes a time in every Peruvian president must face the wrath of congress or the annoyance of the voters or simply gets bored

Castillo decided to go out with a bang. Except it was the bang of a burst withered balloon or it was the bang of a car backfiring 

As I have mentioned - Despite his dissolution of Congress .Congress stayed dry. Congress refused to recognize the President and called for arrest 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-63899457 

His various ministers resigned in protest. The armed forces of Peru stayed loyal. The traffic of lima came to a standstill

He was arrested on Espania avenue trying to get to the Mexican embassy. In the end the Lima traffic caught him

Kristie Alley

(12 January 1951- 5 December 2022)

Mother, Actress, Interior Designer

I had such a crush on her

Lt Valeris

Rebecca Howe

Jackie Rodgers

`` And Kirstie Alley is still hot''  

Goodnight Miss Howe

Rugby

I went to watch London Irish v Newcastle Falcons on Saturday at the G-Tech Stadium. The G-Tech is a nice modern stadium but one quibble is the spotlights shine into your face if you are sitting across from them. 

 I have received  cheap Rugby tickets through work. This is the second time I have been. I went with my sister in October

It was very cold day-Though the ball boys were strutting about in shorts and t shirts 

 December 3rd- Also was the Netherlands USA game- which I listened to on the Radio . I thought of buying a hat before the game- but I didn't want to spend 27:99. I did buy my daughter a jersey. I do like the London Irish badge

I settled down with a Guinness and a sausage roll Unlike soccer at Rugby  can have a drink in the stands- There were some lads in front of me with a hipflask. Something that would not fly in Soccer

There were several schoolboys indulging in horse play in front of me. I hope they had a good day 

The half time show was quite good fun. A father and son team had to catch several rugby balls- if they did this they could win a signed shirt or gamble it for two hospitality seats 

The clock counts down in Rugby not up. They also tell you to respect the Kicker when someone tries to convert a try 

Quite a good day