Hellooo!!

Hope you had a good Xmas break and avoided the lurgy!  It was quiet here and I think I’m finally over the cold.  Currently the focus is on rest and recharging.  The days are getting longer, and New Year’s Day brings for me lots of possibilities.  Just deciding upon end of the year books and what the future for 2019 will hold.  What did you get up to?

Other Media

Television –

Voltron Legendary Defender – Ahem now up to season 7.  The main galaxy saving plot is ok, but I prefer weirder stories in it like D&D episode and one where the crew dress up as the giant robot in cardboard boxes. These slice of life episodes are for me the more interesting!

Digging for Britain – (not sure if on iPlayer but worth a look) this is an archaeology show where Dr Alice Roberts looks at some of this year best digs from WW2 planes to prehistoric homes.  Fascinating results and lots of variety.  A highlight was an ancient roman slave village where the tradition was to behead the dead in the burial!

Films –

Mary Poppins Returns – An actual cinema trip was achieved!  This was a lovely surprise and its respectful of the original but for me did some smarter things.  Emily Blunt’s Poppins is a little more human and clearly enjoys the magical bits as much as the kids (just doesn’t let on).  Meryl Streep has a great little number and there are two older stars with rather good cameos who should try to watch for the surprises.

A Monster Calls – Based on Patrick Ness’s haunting novel this is the story of Conor O’Malley a 12-year-old boy who finds his mother fighting a very hard battle with cancer.  When things look bleakest, he is visited by a giant monster with the voice of Liam Neeson who offers three stories in exchange for his own.  This is about death, grief and love.  It’s not an easy watch (I was in tears several times) but it’s a film you will remember long afterwards and for good reasons.  Great performance from Sigourney Weaver and Felicity Jones too.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension – Oh MY WORD!! This was a trip into a weird 80’s alternative universe where rock star/brain surgeon scientist Buckaroo Banzai (played by Peter Weller) with his own troupe (including Jeff Goldblum dressed as a cowboy) break a dimensional barrier and stumble into an interplanetary war). This is amazingly weird with very little explanation of the world it sits in (everybody knows who Buckaroo is).  I can see why it gained a cult audience and more films would benefit from a power walk from al the characters at the end of the film (off you go Avengers). The downside not that many women and Ellen Barkin I feel was sadly wasted in a standard damsel in distress role after starting promising.  It would make a great Netflix TV show with the 21st century though…..hint hint….

Podcasts – Mainly Start the Week catch up!

What I read

The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley – Reviewed – very much a spur of the moment choice on Xmas day and could not put this modern look at Beowulf. 

The Dark Vault by VE Schwab – To be reviewed – Her two early Archived Novels in one form (looking forward to this as I find her a fascinating author)

What I want to read next

-          The Winter Road by Adrian Selby - a new series looking at mercenaries in the wilderness

-          Darksoul by Anna Stephens – the sequel to another one of my favourite debuts Godblind

-          Cabin at the end of the World by Paul Tremblay – perfect end of year horror

-          Europe at Dawn – how will this end?