Review of the film 2012

The film was exactly what I was expecting in terms of special effects and storyline. The director ‘Roland Emerich’ had made the films ‘Independence Day’ and ‘The Day After Tomorrow’, and his structure is always the same: present the characters with all their various dysfunctional stories; gradually build up into a special effects laden destruction of the planet; this in turn is supposedly what it takes for them to reassess the way they are and change. I guess, in a blatantly obvious way, the intention of these films is to show that we can only come together as a species when the world is in great peril. I heard a couple of sniggers (me included) in the audience when we saw that it was a black president in this film played by Danny Glover; not a racist thing, just obviously a reference to Obama. Then one of the two main protagonists was black, a scientist played by British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor. With each new film of Roland’s we are introduced to more characters, each smarter than the next, who are not white. In ‘Independence Day’ we have Will Smith as the top ace fighter pilot, then in ‘Day After Tomorrow’ there is the Arjay Smith, who points out ‘Sir, I am president of the electronics club, the math club, and the chess club. Now, if there is a bigger nerd in here, please point him out’. Finally in this film we have the black president, the top black scientist, the top Indian scientist (who saves the remaining Americans just before he dies), and finally the Chinese family who save John Cusack. One of the American’s also points out something along the lines of ‘I didn’t think we could get the ships built so fast, well that’s the Chinese for you’. Besides John Cusack’s character, the only other white person of note is Oliver Platt’s selfish politician; a role regularly filled now by white men. I will say that even though Hollywood may be casting much better roles for black and Asian male actors, they seem to have trouble picking roles in which there is a black woman in an important role. Yes we have the likes of Halle Berry, and in this film Thandie Newton, but they are lighter skinned from a mixed race background. Anyway, all I will say is that this film is a decent enough watch, but just be prepared to suspend your disbelief, in fact, just through it out of the window before you go.

My review of the film Harry Brown with Michael Caine

Watched ‘Harry Brown’ at the cinema, and was very impressed; I think my sister would be happy that I couldn’t really find any flaws with it. It was gritty, the cinematography great, and it certainly didn’t hold back when it came to showing disturbing scenes. The cinema experience itself also went hand in hand with the film, that is, when walking into the foyer and finding it empty, I was surprised to find the actual screen room 80% full with pensioners. I was also to discover that there were also some much younger people in the audience, and just like in the movie, they were disrespectful to the older generation among them. Just before the film actually started, I heard a voice followed shortly by a much louder one – ‘what, I can’t eat popcorn in the f***ing cinema?’. There was another little exchange that I couldn’t quite make out, but it soon ended with a couple getting up and moving to another seat; I was actually really embarrassed, but what could I do? Then just before the film started I heard the lady sitting next to me say ‘could they have made the text any smaller?’, referring to the beginning credits being actually very small, even I had to strain a little – didn’t they think about their target audience?! I wondered if the “senior” members of the audience were watching this film as it was a fantasy of theirs, that someone would come along to help them. If I was watching this film at home it would have been more comfortable to watch, but as this was a packed cinema, I had to sit through old people dying and the C word being used over and over again (along with all the other lovely words). I suppose in a way that this was really how it should be watched, with people from both age groups to hear how they both reacted to it. Many people have been pointing out that this film glorifies ‘the vigilante approach’, but it doesn’t, even Michael Caine himself said the film was about what could happen. My sister said I might wonder ‘how the hell could a pensioner could do those things’, but his skills and reactions were exactly as you would expect from someone about his age; thus the reason why he ended up in hospital after a shoot out.

Knowledge Boy's story of Sat Nav

This was emailed to me today-

I’m on the K just waiting for my second ever 56th .......I saw your sat nav v knowledge videos on the Anderson shelter and just wanted to say I thought they are brilliant. I also wanted to let you know of a absolutely true story that happened to a mate at my work. Keep in mind this is not a myth, folklore, hearsay or anything else. This is cast iron and stonewall sure straight from the horse’s mouth.

My work colleague calls a minicab to our call centre at Pratt walk, SE1 and ask to be taken to London Zoo. The driver barely speaks at all, let alone English but insist on the full post code. My friend has neither postcode or address of this rather main tourist attraction and explains “you got to know where the zoo is, inside the park with lots of animals”.



The driver mumbles under his breath but appears to have got a response from the sat nav and takes off. Strangely he drives Juxon street and then turns right on Vauxhall walk. From there he works his way down to Black Prince Road and even weirder turns left onto Albert Embankment. He then goes around the gyratory by Vauxhall, over Vauxhall bridge, past Victoria station, Hyde park corner, Park Lane and proudly stops on the right next to the central reservation on Park Lane and points to the “Animals at war”-monument and asks for, brace yourself, £ 22.

Needless to say my friend gets out and refuses to pay and, surprise, flag down and London taxi to find regents park!



Keep up the good work