Mum's Monday: Barbie in the Nutcracker (2001)

Being and adult, when I show others that I have this DVD, their initial reaction is "Barbie!" Yes, OK, but I look at it like this, it is the story of the Nutcracker (Voiced by Kirby Morrow) and Barbie is playing the part of Clara. (voiced by Kelly Sheridan)

Considering what I paid for this version, compared to if I had waited until the new one in 2018 came out on DVD or bought a real life ballet version, I think I got a good deal.

This version does follow the Nutcracker story (Original by E.T.A. Hoffmann) really well with only a few slight changes, one example being the characters are looking for the Sugar Plum Princess, not the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Changes to the original story are expected, as different versions of any film gets made, however, the Nutcracker is red, which I like because that is the colour I would associate with the Nutcracker. In another version I have seen the Nutcracker has been blue.

Yes, I have bought a Barbie film but she is playing the part of Clara in the Nutcracker, so ultimately I have bought a story of the Nutcracker film on DVD.

Also the theme music is included as well, so makes for a good close to the original more than some versions that get made. That can be said for any film where multiple versions are made, some are true to the story line and some go off in another direction only to be, in the extreme to be only slightly based on the original.

Clara receives a Nutcracker for Christmas from her Aunt Drosselmayer (Voiced by Kathleen Barr), who has travelled extensively. It is good to see she wants Clara to do the same.

Once the Nutcracker has come to life and has defeated the mice and the mouse king (Voiced by Tim Curry) for now, the adventure to return Clara home at her normal size begins.

It is good to see the ballet sequences being included in the film as having been a ballet it is a reminder of that.

Clara starts off with bare feet but suddenly she is shown to have shoes on, I do prefer her to have shoes so I am happy with this continuity error.

It seems Prince Eric has gone missing as well, what happened to him can be worked out and Clara does, I had a hunch and was proved correct.

It is good to see the Snow Fairies being resourceful when the boat gets destroyed, also the Nutcracker’s idea works well as well, the result being the Nutcracker now lead the assembled group.

When Clara ducks and hides behind the wall in the castle, I like how this is done, it is like the film crossed over from computer animated to real to include such detail in the making of it.

It is good to see practice makes perfect and I did think someone else would have walked in to the dance studio but sadly not.

I am glad they found the Sugar Plum Princess and the story of the Nutcracker shows that a Christmas present could have an effect on the rest of your life. I hope you all got what you wanted for Christmas.

Jerry's Journal: Enjoying Christmas

Jerry absolutely loved Christmas day. He may not have understood everything that was going on, but he surely enjoyed doing what he doesn't do very often, and that's help unwrap stuff. We started off with his card, which he tore the envelope, even trying to pull the card out. Of course, he doesn't know it was a card, just something he could chew to pieces, which we didn't allow him to do when he did get the card out.

Next, he started on his presents, which he was so eager to open, he clambered all over us both to get at them.

And when he was allowed to tare open the paper, my mum had wrapped it in so much tape it became a game of tug-of-war as the paper refused to be torn. In the end, it eventually gave way and he was able to get to the toy inside.

What he didn't realise was not every present was for him, so when it came to opening mine, he wanted to help, too. 

Nana also gave him a bag of treats. We weren't entirely sure if he knew what was in that bag or he stuck his nose in the bag simply because it's a bag and it sparked his curiosity. He wasn't able to open the treats inside.

Overall, he absolutely loved all the attention, treats and new toys. He was worn out before midday, but he soon perked up when it was time for dinner. You can't see exactly what he was eating, but it was his own mini Christmas dinner - complete with chicken pieces, and potatoes (cold). It was gone in a matter of minutes, licking the bowl afterwards just to make sure he caught everything.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

The Written Podcast: Is The TV License Fee Necessary Anymore?

The BBC is falling behind when it comes to making content. They’ve acknowledged this a couple of times over the years, but are slow at doing something about it. The problem they’re facing is strong competition with both online subscriptions based services, and network subscription based services.

The BBC is governed by, well, the government. We, the British public pay a fixed fee every year, known as the TV license, which is an official tax, and because it is a tax set by the government, it comes with all the rules and regulations every other tax comes with – if you don’t pay it, you can end up going to jail. That’s a serious consequence considering you didn’t contribute to funding Bargain Hunt. But, a common misconception when it comes to the TV license tax is, like every other tax, the government doesn’t actually have to spend the money on that specific thing. Just because it’s called the TV license tax, doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll spend all the money given to them by us will all go into making TV programs. They can do what they want with the money. It’s the same with road tax – just because we give them so much money a year; it may have the word road in the name, it doesn’t necessarily mean all the money will be spent filling in the many potholes in the road outside my home.

Taxes are what makes the government comply with the rules of a democracy – we give a percentage of the money we work hard for, so we can have a say on what happens to our country – doesn’t always appear to be that simple, but that’s the nature of a democracy in a nutshell. It’s the same when it comes to the BBC. We give the government a percentage of the money we work hard for to fund the BBC. It’s not only TV programs, though. BBC news, BBC radio, BBC Sport, BBC films, all of which are broadcasted 24/7 all across the UK.

The BBC has produced some amazing TV shows over the decades it’s been operating, there’s no doubt about that. The fact it’s funded by us means the number 1 rule they have to obey is make content for everyone. They have to have a diverse range of programs to entertain everyone in the UK. That’s why they have three TV channels – BBC 1 (also known as the main channel for the giants such as Doctor Who, and Eastenders, BBC 2 (also for the big shows – they produce so many they have to split them across two channels), BBC 3 (which has now migrated to a permanent home on iPlayer, but mainly focusing on experimental shows, those who are breaking through, or repeats of popular shows that’ve broadcasted on BBC 1 and 2, BBC 4 (mainly filled with documentaries). Then they have two children’s channels, CBBC and Cbeebies – one for the toddlers and the other for the children aged 6 upwards – they sometimes produce programs for early teenagers as well. BBC News is a 24/7 account on the news of the world – or the same fifteen minutes over and over again until something different happens. BBC Sport broadcasts the hottest football matches and other sporting events. BBC Parliament focuses solely on the many debates that goes on within the walls of parliament.

The BBC also has many radio stations: BBC Radio 1, Radio 1 Extra, Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4, Radio 4 Extra, Radio 5 Extra, Radio 6, Radio Scotland, Radio Wales, Radio Asian, Radio Cymru, Radio Cymru 2… all of them serving the rule of diversifying as much of their content as possible, so everyone all over the UK can be entertained by the BBC.

There’s no doubt they’re reaching out to as many people as possible.

As times moved on, they’ve made iPlayer an easier to use service, and has allowed the content that’s available after initial broadcasting to stay on there for longer, giving the chance for more people to see what they are a fan of. In fact, over the past couple of years, iPlayer has grown in popularity among the people that the BBC was forced to make that service only available if you pay the TV license tax, something that previously was not needed to do to watch their shows.

Unfortunately, they’re not doing enough. They might be doing a lot to make a lot of content for a lot of people, but they’re not necessarily making content that’s either on par or better than their competitions – most notably, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, or Networks that require a subscription service to access. These online streaming services are growing at a monumental rate each year, and other streaming services are popping up across the internet. Disney is going to be launching their streaming service next year when the deal between itself and 20^th Century Fox has been finalised. They do release a lot of diverse content, which is why so many people sign up, but two reasons in particular I’ve noticed as to why they’re so popular is because they’re online, and require a payment to access.

Netflix and Amazon Prime follow the same rules as the BBC – make content that’s diverse to reach a broader audience, but those rules are generally more relaxed, than that of the BBC. They require you to be of a certain age to sign up for their services, they can be regulated by the parents who so wish their children not to access the more mature content, but only the child friendly content. And, due to them using the full power of these relaxed rules, allowing them to make stronger content, more people have signed up, giving these services more money to make more and better content, and that has certainly showed. Netflix’s Daredevil’s season 2 would not have made it anywhere near any of the BBC channels, neither would have Amazon Prime’s American Gods.

Game of Thrones is locked behind a door that can only be opened if you pay for access to the channel – and because you’re paying for it, the rules are relaxed, allowing for more creative freedom with each episode. HBO’s Silicon Valley would never make it to the BBC, despite how massively popular it is.

My point is – these streaming services and networks are dominating our TVs because of what they produce. The BBC needs to up their game when it comes to what they make. Sure, it’s mainstream content that’s for the masses – but so are Netflix. Those who don’t like Daredevil can watch House of Cards instead. Those who don’t like American Gods can watch The Grand Tour instead. The BBC is not doing anything wrong when it comes to who they make the content for, it’s what content they make. The BBC needs to have relaxed rules. Maybe create another channel specifically for those edgier shows, more adult orientated shows. Maybe expand their iPlayer more to accommodate an even more diverse range of content.

This brings me to my second point: Budget. The BBC makes so much content, the fixed budget they get each year from the government must accommodate it all. The BBC is challenged with spreading the budget they have across every channel and radio station and news service and sports events as possible yet keep what they make as good as possible. Through our taxes, the British public gives the government billions of pounds each year – if the BBC actually received every single penny we give the government, the BBC would have more money than what Netflix and Amazon Prime makes in a year combined – and look at what the latter two are doing with the money they’re receiving from us across the world.

A notable decline in quality as a result of a diluting budget is Doctor Who. Every year it seems the series receives less and less to play with, yet the series brings in millions of pounds each year, even on the years there isn’t a new series. The special effects are becoming laughable. Top Gear was the number 1 show for the BBC – yet the budget it received was dire compared to what it was making. When Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammoned, and James May went over to Amazon, the budget they were given was eye-watering, and the quality of each episode shot up considerably, whereas Top Gear on the BBC now looks tatty in comparison.

Every year, the BBC always promises to up its game, and yet always falls short of other services. There are people in the UK who dislike having to pay for something they no longer watch, because BBC is not producing good enough content anymore. Gone are the days when the BBC was the only channel you could watch – now there’s so much out there, it almost seems pointless for the government to force us to pay for something that’s increasingly losing people.

Earlier this year, made the discovery that I don’t watch actual TV anymore. I don’t flip over the channels to watch BBC – but instead use Amazon Prime and Netflix. I use iPlayer to watch my BBC shows – and that mainly constitutes three shows – Doctor Who, The Graham Norton Show and Qi. When they’re not on the air, I very rarely watch stuff made by the BBC, mainly sticking to the streaming giants. That basically means I am paying £147 pounds a year to watch three shows, one of which won’t actually be on next year, but instead will be on in 2020. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video combined are cheaper than the TV license tax, and I’m getting a lot more for my money, that’s a statement I know I will be sticking to for quite some time to come.

The thing is, if the government decides to get rid of the TV license tax, that means the BBC is forced to fund their shows via adverts, which means Doctor Who would have five minute segmented adverts ever fifteen minutes… which is exactly what it has when it airs on other channels that the BBC gives permission for them to do for a price… OK. The same goes for Top Gear on Dave. The same goes for Eastenders on Watch. The same goes for many, many other shows made by the BBC shown on other channels… yet they must be getting enough views to constitute the necessity of having that partnership for the companies providing the adverts to pay to have their adverts on that channel… maybe having adverts on the BBC isn’t so bad after all.

Or, instead of adverts, how about the government actually gives all the money we give them – the TV license tax – to the BBC, giving the BBC the opportunity to make better content across the multitude of channels and radio stations they have. There are so many ways to help boost their battles with the online giants, but the government is preventing the BBC from doing just that, yet contradictory promising to make better content the following year.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Film of the Week: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse

When Spider-Man: Homecoming was released, that was instantly recognised as the best Spider-Man adaptation. Whilst Sam Rami’s trilogy was – and is still considered – good, it hasn’t completely stood the test of time. It hasn’t aged well; started to crack around the edges. Then, the reboot came along with The Amazing Spider-Man, which wasn’t met with outstanding reviews and whilst there were plenty of comparisons with the reboot and Sam Rami’s trilogy, most of the time the trilogy won through – usually due to the amazing performance of Spider-Man 2. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 came along, and was met with even more criticism than the first film, signalling the end of any more films in that particular franchise.

With the MCU exploding rapidly all over the box office, and with leaked information of Sony and Marvel having conversations about bringing Spider-Man into the MCU, it was an instant reaction for fans, who campaigned to have that happen. A deal was made and the third reboot was made, but one that everyone liked. Marvel stripped out the origin story, and made the character much more like what we know of in the comics – a bouncy, witty, intelligent person. Spider-Man was saved. And, with the inclusion of Iron Man in Homecoming, Spider-Man’s installation into the MCU was official.

Then, Sony released the trailer of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse, and it looked decent, especially considering they included Spider-Ham in the list of characters. As much as I love Spider-Man: Homecoming, after only watching Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse once, I instantly acknowledged it to be the superior Spider-Man film. Except, technically I can’t rank that higher than the other, for one reason on – one’s live-action and one’s animated. The fact that Spider-verse is animated, instantly gives the filmmakers the ability to do what cannot be achieved in any live-action film. So, Homecoming is the superior live-action Spider-Man film, whilst Spider-verse is the superior animated Spider-Man film.

Spider-verse captured the true essence of what Spider-Man is for a character. Granted, they did show an origin story, but it was quick. We all know what happens, but due to the main character not being Peter Parker, but instead Miles Morales, it had to show the origin story to pinpoint the differences between the two leads. However, that didn’t stop them from making Peter Parker the main Spider-Man, who’s been actively swinging around the city for ten years, before the King Ping defeated him.

It was an absolute nerd-fest, filled with hilarious references to past versions of the character, references to the most famous moments over the years, and the infamous – most notably the swagger dance Peter performed in Spider-Man 3, which got the whole screen howling with laughter.

I managed to catch a few references, some blatant and a couple of obscure ones, but I knew instinctively that there would be some Easter eggs that only the die-hard fans of Spider-Man would get, and that’s the beauty of this film being animated. They are able to do an incredible crossover event – even animate the different versions of Spider-Man in the style of their world, just to emphasis their being a multiverse.

However, the main reason why Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse stands above the rest when it comes to referencing past versions of the character – even surpassing Lego Batman’s monologue of showcasing the many iterations Batman has gone through – and that’s during the post-credits scene. If you haven’t seen it yet, I will not be telling you what happens, but let’s just say it made the people who were in the know laugh hard with surprise and because it was genuinely funny. It also set up the sequel, which is going to be good, because the number of different versions of Spider-Man are practically endless – enough to fill a trilogy – and because it’s animated, there really is no limit to what can be achieved, and therefore I’m confident in saying it will remain at the top of my list as the best Spider-Man film (in the animation category.)

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Jerry's Journal: Merry Christmas From Jerry

Jerry is getting into the Christmas Spirit by wearing his Santa Paws Bandanna. He's sitting there, looking proud and smart, waiting for Santa to arrive and give him loads of presents and treats. 

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Mum's Monday: Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em Christmas Specials

Jessica’s First Christmas (1974)

Frank Spencer’s (Michael Crawford) new neighbour, Mr Jackson (Bryan Pringle) gets a shock when Frank turns up for an interview, Mr Jackson is the foreman. Being Frank’s neighbour is not easy.

It is sad to see that no one else, accept Betty Spencer (Michele Dotrice) Frank’s wife seems to see Franks enthusiasm for things. It seems Frank won’t be in the Nativity. I mean Frank is Frank after all.

It is lovely to see Frank interact with his daughter Jessica (Emma Ware), sadly it doesn’t end well for the neighbour across the road and her TV reception.

It is good to see Frank is keeping his job going, for now.

What a fantastic job Frank did with the Nativity scenery, well not with the trap door.

Well it is good to see that Frank is in the Nativity after all, but the church hall now needs a new roof.

Learning to Drive (1975)

It is the first time I have ever seen Father Christmas, Wheeler (George Sewell) lose his temper, but others haven’t had to work with Frank Spencer.

It is nice to see that Betty doesn’t want much, no deep freeze or fur coat, she just wants a letter box in her front door.

I feel Frank’s driving instructor is at a loss, the stunts are amusing to watch though.

There seems to be some sort of miss understanding, it seems that Frank has been put forward for a BBC DIY program. It is fun to watch events play out, but it is not fun for the crew.

I don’t think Frank passed his Driving test, although if there was a nautical section included in the test he may have passed that part of it.

The ending is very funny.

Learning to Fly (1978)

Following on from the last series, series three, Frank has been asked to go Australia by his Grandfather to help on his sheep farm, but first he has to learn to fly.

This episode proves you really ought to watch where you walk on an airfield.

Back home after telling Jessica and her friend about his flying lessons, after Franks singing I guessed where the blancmange was going to end up, but it was still fun to watch though.

When the makers of Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em were coming up with ideas, it looks like they thought up the unlikeliest environment/ situation to put Frank in and they came up with a good one in Frank learning to fly.

When the inevitable disaster strikes, caused by Frank he is left to fly the plane on his own, once he has turned it the right way up first.

It was good to see it all turned out well in the end but will Frank ever make it to Australia and will the flying instructor have a nervous breakdown? Answer, sadly I think the latter is more likely.

I like how through-out Frank miss pronounce words, this adds to the amusement of the comedic script.

Merry Christmas

Jerry's Journal: New Jerry Mobile

Our family car broke down one night, meaning we had to get a new one. Or, in other words, the Jerry Mobile had broken down one night, meaning we had to get him a new one for him to ride in. He took to his new Jerry Mobile instantly.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

The Written Podcast: A Broken Car

I missed last week’s Friday post, because life simply got in the way. I had originally planned on writing about my experience in London. I’ve only ever gone to London with someone else, either with parents or my friends. I’ve travelled through London myself on route to Milton Keynes, which was an experience of itself, but remaining in London instead of passing through is a whole different experience altogether.

Last week was full of busy days, but I made time to write the post on Thursday evening, ready for Friday. Unfortunately, as you can see, there was no post because I found myself standing on the side of the road, next to my car.

It wasn’t a late night, but I was exhausted. Mentally and physically.

Earlier that week, whilst travelling from home to work – I got lucky with the traffic and went from Colchester to Chelmsford in fifth gear. Sure, I wasn’t able to stay at 70 the whole way, I did have to slow down, but usually I don’t have to change down gear until reaching 35. The slowest I went was 45.

When turning off at junction 19, it finally had to change down to gear 4 and lower to stop at a set of traffic lights. That’s when the gearstick got stuck. I put the clutch down, but when attempting to pull it into neutral, I refused until I put a bit of force behind it. I had to copy the same pressure when sliding it into fourth gear.

Once I had it in first gear and pulling away from the traffic lights, it easily slid into all the upper gears. It could have been a fluke, so I wasn’t worried about it too much, but considering my only way of getting home is via car, and if the unknown problem with the clutch escalates further, that could be highly troublesome for me. I went about my normal work day as usual.

By 6:20 in the evening, climbing into my car and pulling off, the gears were thankfully easy to use.  The A12 is utterly unpredictable. There’s no telling which lane to stay in. I can stay in the outer lane all the way, or the inner lane. There’s plenty of times when the outer lane is completely stationary for a couple of minutes, whereas the inner lane is moving – slowly, but steadily. The next day, it can be the opposite. There are times where I simply cannot reach fifth gear because the traffic is so extensive, other times I wonder if I would ever see another car before pulling off at my desired exit. In the mornings, the A12 is always busy, but in the evenings, rush hour means rush hour. Between five and six, you must expect to be stationary for at least fifteen minutes in total from Chelmsford and Colchester. However, after six, the traffic hasn’t entirely died down, but you can expect a few slow patches here and there. On average, in the mornings and evenings, it can take on average of 45 minutes.

It’s rare, but I was able to travel from Chelmsford to Colchester in fifth gear. I was hoping what happened that morning was a fluke, but a part of me knew that it would happen again. And it did. I was at the roundabout at Horsley Cross when it happened again, but I was able to coach it into the lower gears, carrying on with my journey.

I had to will my car to and fro from work until Saturday when I would then have it

checked out. Come Thursday, 13^th December, at Horsley Cross, when changing it down from fifth to fourth, the gear stick broke. Not the gear stick itself, but the linkage between the stick and the chord which changes the gears. I felt it snap, and then something rattling underneath the leather cover.

I had to pull over on the side of the road, phone my dad, call the AA and wait, expecting this to be a very late night, and dreading having to phone my boss the next morning saying I’m unable to make it into work, especially considering I’ve only just started my job and currently in the three-month probation period. Whilst having car problems cannot be classed as my fault, I very much would have liked not to have any hiccups during a very important period at work.

Also, that Friday, the parts department had planned a Christmas do at the Hare, and I had promised to take someone home that evening after the party.

All of that seemed to have gone up in smoke. Even though I had a thick long coat on, I was still shivering.

My dad and I have both had unsatisfactory experiences with the AA. Not with the mechanics themselves, but the process of getting a mechanic out to attend to our broken cars. We’ve waited above five hours one time. However, this particular evening, the AA turned up within twenty minutes. The clutch may be faulty also, but if we could find a way to reconnect the gearstick with the chord, then maybe I could continue my journey home, and go to work in the morning, go the Hare, take my colleague home, and then go home myself. Seems like a lot of gear changing, but I was confident it could be done.

The AA mechanic, my dad and I, together, bodged the gearstick and chord together with chicken wire and tape. That was literally all that was helping me change gears, and with the clutch having difficulties itself, the next morning’s journey to work was certainly an experience.

Somehow, I managed to do everything I had planned. I didn’t miss a day’s work, nor did I miss the Christmas party, and I kept my promise to my colleague, who actually didn’t believe me about the car, and when he did get in the car, he was too drunk to actually process the fact it was a bodged job, and continued to disbelieve me, even when staring at it.

On the way to the garage to get it fixed, the chicken wire and tape finally gave way, but even then the car made it to the garage.

There are countless times when you see people on the side of the road, standing next door to their broken down vehicle, whether it’s a car, lorry, van, or motorcycle, and you don’t really think much about it. It’s almost as if you take your working vehicle for granted until it actually breaks down. Only then did I really feel what those other people were going through and how much of an inconvenience a broken down vehicle is to them. I could have missed out on a day’s work, the Christmas party.

My Ford Focus, Zetec, 1.6, is practically indestructible. It has done over 131,000 miles. It’s bound to have a few problems here and there, but now it’s fixed, there’s strong hope it’ll last for many more miles to come.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Film of the Week: Mission: Impossible – Fallout

It’s common that of most franchises, the third or fourth film starts declining in quality. The writers are stretching out their ideas to breaking point, they’re attempting to build upon something we already know of, and the end product doesn’t quite live up to the previous films. Some franchises do stand tall after the third film, fourth film, or even longer. Harry Potter had 8 films, The Fast and Furious has 8 films as of writing this, Insidious has 4 films. I would have added the Marvel Cinematic Universe within the list, with 21 films and counting, but technically it’s a bunch of franchises within one, telling a story a certain key points, and not necessarily in every single film such as all the aforementioned franchises.

The Mission: Impossible franchise is one of the few which has continued strong for 6 films. A fair amount of franchises ends their story at 3, or throw in a prequel masquerading as the third film – but Mission: Impossible has continued the story of Ethan Hunt for 6 blockbuster films, and not one has disappointed its fans. Each and every one has gone above and beyond in an attempt to beat the previous, especially in relation to the absolutely insane stunts Tom Cruise does. He’s in his 50s, and he always wants to do one better than that of the previous film. The stunt performed took an entire year to prepare. They had to make sure everything was precise before doing anything, and even then the directors and producers were constantly nervous when Tom was doing his stunt, because he’s one of the top actors in Hollywood; if anything happened to him, that’d be an absolute disaster for everyone, including the studio making the film. But, Tom pulls of his stunts with top professionalism, each and every time. Sure, production had to stop whilst he recovered in hospital due to a broken ankle after landing badly during a jump, but considering Tom’s track record, a broken ankle is good luck in comparison to the bad.

The sixth instalment is still giving the high intensity battles, action packed car chases, quick thinking and wit, and laugh out loud comedy from the team. It’s practically a direct sequel from the fifth, with the Syndicate in its battered form after losing its leader, still trying to continue forward, but with Ethan’s unbeatable way of thinking, outsmarts everyone before they even know it, to pull off the impossible, and as always, comes right down to the very second before absolute disaster. Even after sixth films, I’m still relieved when the day is saved so I can return to the centre of my chair for the remainder of the film.

It was a joy to watch this, and if they decide to make another, I’m confident they’ll not leave me disappointed. But, really, what stunt can Tom do to top that of the skydive jump. The bigger the stunts become, it’ll be an impossible mission to actually make the film, but whatever Tom decides to tackle next, I’ll be excitedly waiting for it.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyhadNouns)

Mum's Monday: The Death Instinct by Jed Rubenfeld

Part one

This book is based around real events and real people. Yet the dates and the explosion tally up with September 11^th 2001, but this is set in September 1920 and the explosion is on the 16^th of September on wall street.

Collette has now gone missing with Dr. Stratham younger’s wallet. This book has been very well researched, this helps to strengthen the story line and give it depth.

The fight between Dr. Younger and Captain James Littlemore in the hotel room seems un necessary, and in such a long book anyway it is not needed to make up the word count. Maybe this is for future character development, but anyone reading this book would need a good memory to remember all the little things that are going on during the investigation.

It is clever how Dr. Younger was able to follow the radioactive trail.

It is interesting to read in a flash back part, all about medical procedures including x-rays on the front line in a field hospital and the use of maggots.

When it comes to some conditions not everyone agrees with anything other than what they can see, examples a bullet wound or a broken leg. In this case anything to do with the mind Dr. Younger is sceptical and it is sad to see he disregards Dr. Sigmund Freud’s work. Slowly in modern times people are becoming more accepting.

It is brilliant how this book describes Freud and his works. It is also clever to see him being asked to work with a boy who doesn’t talk. This reinforces the fact that he helped by and worked through communication. How the author is going to get over this fact remains to be seen.

There is a good part which points out that you don’t have to be part of something in this case be Jewish to object to something, in this case an unfavourable plaque about the Jews.

Part two

At the beginning of this part in chapter eight, there is a small twist which made me want to read at a fast pace to discover who the victim was. This part is very well described to keep you guessing.

We know from history that Madam Curie died from radiation poisoning, so why when Dr. Younger is x-raying the red headed woman does the story mention using a lead screen. Surely this is an error in the writing of the era. If using radiation in an x-ray is written as dangerous enough to warrant a lead screen then Madam curie could have protected herself more with more awareness of the danger at the time in the 1920s, or she could see the benefits and wasn’t going to listen to anyone about the dangers. Either way we know more now in modern times.

There is a brilliant way to get rid of Littlemore when he wanted to ask Mr. James Speyer a question. Speyer motioned Littlemore into a car pretending it to be his, but the driver didn’t know Speyer and Speyer disappears, it is simple but a well worked out diversion.

With all the talk about firing the captain or Enright it is amusing to read about getting McAdoo’s wife’s opinion, that Wilson the president of the United States of America, wouldn’t be happy about firing the captain. What is so funny is when you read that McAdoo’s wife is the president’s daughter. This made me stop and think ‘Valid opinion’ from a wife.

A really funny part to me is about Dr. Younger’s exploits with women. When Mrs Denby asks him to dance with her daughter, which he doesn’t, only to wake up next morning with said, as I first thought Miss Denby, only it to be confirmed at the end of this part her mother Mrs Denby. As seen in some films people waking up with unexpected bed mates, I could picture the scene which adds to the amusement of it.

Part three

Captain Littlemore has a new job in Washington DC. It seems the case may well be solved and I can see why they want to keep it quiet. It is annoying that it is pushed to be blamed on another nation and its people. It is sad to see that if it wasn’t for principals and correctness all Littlemore’s family financial worries could be over.

At one point I didn’t think we would ever meet Hans Gruber, but once we do he and Collette take over the story. I do feel sorry for Dr. Younger witnessing the reunion, but if he went looking for Hans then to find him would be inevitable. The part where Dr. Younger makes the journey with Luc, Collette’s brother, and when he finds Hans is described in depth and really well.

It is surprising how quickly the story turns violent, this makes me want to read on quickly to see what happens. It seems Collette has found justice and now she no longer needs her locket. This is a very clever but a sad twist.

At the beginning of chapter fifteen we learn about American history, it is really interesting to read about the capitol Washington and how it was and came to be how it is now in modern day.

An officer named Riggs keeps being mentioned in the story, whether he has something to do with the robbery despite being killed in the bomb blast remains to be seen. I want to read on to see where, if at all he fits into it.

I am glad they are going to check out the ship’s cargo, it is clever if they find what they are looking for, but even if they don’t it is still clever to have thought out where the gold could have gone.

I like how when someone says that the ‘Popes’ are out to get him, or that is how it comes across, it turns out it is all in a name.

The investigation is well written from Washington to New York, with all the people mentioned it is twisting and turning in many ways. It is a brilliant book and I wonder how the case will get solved or who done it and why.

In chapter sixteen we learn a lot from what Freud says, of how cancer grows in the body and about the ‘Death instinct’. This is interesting to read and surprising that the title of the book is first associated with the person I least expected, considering the bombing case throughout this book.

It seems Dr younger is aware of the dangers of radium, but trying to convince Collette is realistically difficult. Even in modern times people have been known to turn a blind eye to some dangers, even when all the research points to perilous situations.

I like how Littlemore is going about trying to solve the case, the information is cleverly obtained and I want to read on to find out if Littlemore is right. It is also clever how he was quick to realise Elias Torres wasn’t on Mexican soil.

Part four

The story is cleverly written that I believe the gold has been found, but I am still not one hundred percent sure, in the way it is written ninety-nine percent sure will have to do until I read on for now. I hope I do find out for sure, this book gives an air of mystery.

It is sad to read that Collette has been put in such an awkward position and it is equally sad to see the women put themselves at risk whilst carrying out such unsafe working methods.  

It is good that there will be no war against the Mexicans. How they got to that outcome required a very clever thought process of a ‘Whispering Gallery’ like in St. Pauls cathedral in the city of London in the UK, type scenario amongst other things. This book makes you think.

It is strange to put these two in the same sentence but if in this chapter they are both mentioned and I like what I read then I will put, it is good to see maggots and Freud work wonders. It is also good to see that if someone is promoting something and he is willing and not afraid to use it on himself.

It is good to see everything work out financially as well, with two million dollars, yes Merry Christmas indeed.

Jerry's Journal: Is It Mine?

My car broke down on Thursday. It needs a new gear stick, which my dad manage to find on Friday. On Saturday, before we headed out to have it fitted, Jerry got curious and started sniffing it, hoping to figure it out. The most he determined was it had a label - something he could chew. When we took it away from him, he wasn't best pleased. We took away something he had considered his.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Film of the Week: Venom

It would be unnecessary for me to tell you the rollercoaster ride of a story that’s the production of Venom, and the infamous performance in Spider-Man 3, which as a film in its entirety does have some redeeming qualities and will defend to this day and have done so in a previous post on this blog, but that’s a different topic. I will even agree that Venom’s portrayal could have been better, and considering the bumpy ride that throughout this film’s development, I was hesitant to say I was looking forward to this film, even less so when it unintentionally felt to me as if they were only making this film as a way for Sony to keep the rights of Venom to themselves, since the deal they made with Marvel to allow Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There was a brief spout of news labelling this film as a cash grab for Sony, a desperate move to keep its property because superhero films are exploding all over the box office, year in, year out.

I am pleased to note my hesitancy and expectations of this film to be a rushed project were in vain. It’s a genuinely good film. Sony did a good job improving upon their mistakes in Spider-Man 3. Tom Hardy’s spectacular performance was vastly different to the Eddie we saw way back when. Tom Hardy does an amazing job at character acting, and so was the perfect job to play a character whose mind is constantly being overtaken by an alien.

We also get to see a visual improvement with Venom’s appearance as well. Of course, that can be due to technology’s improvements over the years between films, but Venom’s overall look is certainly powerful, and does do justification for the comic book character.

The filmmakers played it safe and basically gave us what we wanted, which was not wasting any of our time. It did take nearly an hour before we finally got to see Venom’s true form, but that past hour was full of necessary scenes, including introducing the main characters, setting up our villain, establishing how the symbiote arrived on Earth, and Eddie’s will of taking down a maniac who is conducting immoral experiments by using humans to be infected with the other symbiotes to find the perfect host. And of course, the main villain, Carlton Drake, is one of those perfect hosts, and becomes one for Riot. Although it should be noted that those two villains do feature on their own instead of becoming one, so that was one change they decided to make, but it does work.

The climactic battle between the two symbiotes, Venom and Riot is a visual masterpiece, and shows their true powers and their hosts’ struggles as they fight for the world. I am glad they decided to include other symbiotes in the film, even if it does feature that scene where essentially two of the same are battling it out, as previously seen in multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe films. But, I am pleased to note, despite the easiness to criticise this film and compare it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it would be for unjustifiable reasons, because it is a standalone film. Sony is attempting to launch their own cinematic universe, following pretty much every other film studio since Marvel showed them how it should be done. I have absolutely no problems with Sony starting their own universe, if they do it correctly.

I had no problem with Universal starting their Dark Universe, featuring many mythical beasts from famous stories, but The Mummy was a terrible way to start, purely because they rushed it so much, tried to introduce too many elements and characters in one film instead of focusing on one character at a time with only a few references here and there to the latter. Venom did exactly what Marvel proved does work, and for that I sincerely wish them luck for the future – if they can remain patient and don’t ruin it by rushing.

Let’s hope whatever film Sony decides to release in the future is as good or better than Venom, and Venom was an amazing film.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Mum's Monday: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad world (1963)

#When this film starts someone is in a hurry but he, Jimmy the Crook (Buster Keaton) doesn’t get very far. The cars he has passed all stop, one-character J. Russell Finch (Milton Berle) in particular reacts in a realistic way, when he keeps repeating the fact that the car ‘Went sailing right out there’. All these strangers have been drawn into a situation they are all intrigued to carry out, except one, Emeline Marcus-Finch (Dorothy Provine).

There is a nice cliché to end these scenes and then the police arrive, they ask if Jimmy was still alive when the assembled group found him and if he said anything, the answer given shows good quick thinking in the script.

Who’d have thought one woman, Mrs. Marcus (Ethel Merman) would have so much to talk about, as the film jumps between characters, it is realistic to see them all discuss what they have heard. They are all suspicious of each other, so they stop and try to form an agreement, which if played out would make this film a very short and boring film. After much talk, disagreement and well timed humour, it is now every man/woman for him/herself. So let the crazy fun begin.

Someone doesn’t want to move to California, don’t you just hate it when due to an event a smug someone rubs your nose in it.

All throughout this film the script includes such well-timed humour, the film has now moved on it is the start of vehicles being abandoned and other people being drawn in to help or not as some cases may be.

So much for a new business, I just hope they are sufficiently insured. It is sad to watch but as stories get made up in this film consequences happen.

Just when we think the money will be found by Mrs. Marcus’s son Sylvester (Dick Shawn) the script and the music is worded and created otherwise and no one is to criticise Sylvester. Things take a dark turn, J. Algernon Hawthorne (Terry-Thomas) just wants his car keys back. The charges are mounting up in more ways than one.

Melville Crump (Sid Caesar) and his wife Monica (Edie Adams) maybe the first ones to reach the destination, but they find themselves trapped. First ones there doesn’t mean they are first to find the money.

This film shows you ‘You shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds you’, criticising the English to an English man who is helping you out by giving you a lift is not the wisest of things to do.

I agree with not giving an advantage to one set of people over another, but this is a strange situation and maybe the rules shouldn’t apply on this occasion.

This film shows you shouldn’t drink and fly, although this makes for some fun scenes and again well timed humour in the script.

How much dancing can one couple do? Luckily this time Sylvester’s girlfriend (Barrie Chase) hears the phone ring. The script is so well done that the result is, Sylvester is going the other way.

When you are trapped your instinct can be just to get out, there is a question ‘Who is going to pay for the damage? Well the shop keepers did lock them in.

Not just anyone can fly a plane or know the correct call to air traffic control, although ‘Mayday’ and ‘Help’ is a good start though.

This is a fast paced film quickly changing scenes between the character’s situations they find themselves in and this film is getting crazier and crazier, including we now see the annoying predicament of Otto Meyer (Phil Silvers) just wanting to find the road again and all he finds is a river, happy sailing/sinking.

After the intermission there will be only a little hole made in the wall, but the fuse comes across the discharge from the fire extinguisher, but it is what’s in the boxes that are now alight that causes a real problem. It is good how interweaved and connected the things that happen in the script are done.

The comedic silliness continues in this film, including, by picking the unlikeliest person to talk Benjy Benjamin (Buddy Hackett) and Ding Bell (Mickey Rooney) down to land the plane. After an amusing fly-by of the control tower it all seems the odds are against them.

The car scenes on the road between J. Russell Finch and Sylvester are really strange and silly. It needn’t have been included, you could clearly see it had been staged.

The police have been watching over the events in the film and they are about to make their way to come together. So after keeping calm, falling down in an aeroplane, two holes in a wall and a glass window and some paint, they all eventually arrive at the park.

As often can happen the person who is not looking for the ‘Big W’ finds it, it just goes to show if you are in haste you are least likely to see or in this case find anything. Sadly, the dream doesn’t last long though.

The police in the form of Capt. T. G. Culpepper (Spenser Tracy) has the upper hand at first, but the film is not over yet and after a failed escape and a rescue mission by the fire department, that doesn’t end well. This leads to some amusing scenes at the end where we find out the knowledge that the judge will enjoy having Culpepper in the dock and it is also amusing to see the result of a poorly discarded banana peel.

This film goes to show; greed can work in mysterious ways.