Three early summer films at the cinema.

In the early summer I saw three of the season's biggest films....

Iron Man 3

Marvel continue the adventures of Tony Stark (played by the always watchable Robert Downey, Jnr.) and his superhero alter-ego, in the first film post the mega event that was The Avengers and it's multi million box office take last year. Director Shane Black, a newcomer to the Marvel universe, gets Tony out of his technological comfort zone (and of course into Christmas - a time of the year he loves to film!) and therefore the famous suit for a lot of the running time. This allows the character to plan beyond his usual way of getting out of scrapes, and gives the film an edge. The visual effects are up to the usual high standard, and there are some nice one-liners. The character of the Mandarin was wonderfully realized by Ben Kingsley. Good twist there! Also great to see Gwyenth Paltrow as the lovely Pepper Potts, who gets into a suit this time. I found the film very enjoyable, far better than the rather average Iron Man 2, and am not surprised its the highest grossing film of the year (so far!)

Iron Man 3 poster art.

Official Site
IMDB


Oblivion

Tom Cruise on the Oblivion poster.

In this science fiction film set in the near future, after a nuclear war against invading aliens named the Scavs has been 'won', Tom Cruise plays Jack, an engineer, tasked with patrolling and protecting an area of the blitzed planet where vast power plants have been set up to create enough energy from the sea to fuel a space trip that has been designed to save what remains of humanity. His masters (based off-world with the remaining human race) check in with him and his colleague and lover (played by the lovely Andrea Riseborough) everyday to set missions and check if they are still "an effective team". All is going well with their quiet sky-based life, but odd things start happening when Jack investigates a crashed patrol drone...and finds out that not is all what it seems on Earth, especially when he finds an old crashed ship containing Julia - a woman that haunts his dreams (played by the stunning Olga Kurylenko.)

    Tom is his usual dependable self in these type of roles: playing the concerned everyman who becomes the action hero. What I do like about him is that he seems to have passion for all of his film projects, particularly SF-based stories, and this enthusiasm flows into his performance. The film's real strength is the look and feel that the director Joseph Kosinski brings to his films (similar to his previous hit, Tron: Legacy.) His style fits somewhere in-between Stanley Kubrick and James Cameron. The special effects are beautiful; with flawless CGI and camerawork, the visuals have a cold quality, echoing those in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The empty Icelandic landscape that is used portray a future USA (with amazing CGI enhancements of ruined cities) does look fantastic. Kudos to the design of the ships and robots. Also, worth noting is the astounding sound design; it was amazing in the cinema, especially when the flying drones are on screen.

Andrea Riseborough as Victoria.

    The film plays (for the most part) like a 1970's bleak sci-fi film, which I appreciated being a fan of many of those productions (such as Westworld and A Boy and His Dog etc.) Maybe the film could have been tightened up in the mid section, and some reviews have said this film is a case of style over substance, but for me the films worked nicely and features some fine action set pieces. Some elements of the plot are rather silly and didn't face up to much scrutiny, but overall this a solid sci-fi tale with a satisfying conclusion. It does look amazing, having been filmed using the new Sony CineAlta F65 4K cameras. Certainly worth catching on the big screen.

Official Site
IMDB


Man of Steel

Superman returns! After a few years away from the silver screen, Zack Synder (300, Watchmen etc) brings us a rework of the world's best known comic book character. This reboot is an origin tale, showing how Kal-El gets to Earth and becomes a superhero and saves Metropolis from his nemesis, General Dru-Zod (played with threat by Michael Shannon here.) The style of the film is nearer to the recent Dark Knight films from Christopher Nolan (a producer) - it has a darker, more sombre feel and look compared to the upbeat Superman: The Movie (1978), with a soundtrack by Hans Zimmer to match. Henry Cavill slips into the cape very well, I was impressed with his performance, as he really looks the part and does the standard American accent well. A good cast, and for the most part a pretty exciting film, although I felt the use of over-blurred CGI shots was a let down in some of the action scenes. Of course, once again we get a city totalled at the end!

Henry Cavill as Superman.

Official Site
IMDB

....next up is Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim (a film I've been excited about since it was announced as I *love* giant robots and monsters) ...and a bit of Alan Partridge! A-haa! :)

Recent Trips

We've been lucky enough to go on a few little trips over the last two months....

Devil's Bridge, mid-Wales
 
After a few years, we finally made a return trip to this charming area; the village of Devil's Bridge (or 'Pontarfynach' in Welsh) and the Vale of Rheidol, and the stunning countryside around. We stopped off for a little break in the drive, and walked around a very pleasant Welshpool "Where Wales begins", apparently. (Bonus! Found an old cinema building, which is always good!) Not that far up the road we got to Devil's Bridge and found our accommodation easily enough - a splendid old converted coach house next to the pub/hotel, just a short walk from the famous waterfalls and bridges.) As it was still light and nice weather, we went for a quick walk through the village before dinner. 

The next day we went to Aberystwyth to have a look around and get some bits and pieces, and after a lovely little walk through the town and by the coast and castle, drove over to the famous ruins of Strata Florida abbey, located in the middle of a lovely rural valley - we only had a barking farm dog for company. After getting home we had a walk down into the  Rheidol valley right next to the village, and made our way thorough a variety of landscapes: open fields, woodland, and then down into the river valley in the gorgeous evening light. On this trek we also got to cross the private railway, which was fun!

The ruins of Strata Florida Abbey.

You want me to cross a railway line!?

At the bottom of the valley, next to the river Rheidol.

Sunset over the Vale of Rheidol.

The next day, off we went on the long drive on the A487 up to the coastal town of Harlech to see Edward Ist's famous medieval castle. As we drove North, the countryside became more extreme, revealing some deep valleys and high hills at the southern tip of Snowdonia, around Dolgellau. Carla got a bit spooked on those hillside roads at one point! Anyway, the castle is impressive and is located on a commanding position above the flat coastal lands below - great views of the wide bay. Spotted a castle cat, just like at Raglan! On the way back, and quite by chance, we discovered the very beautiful Rhaeadr Nant Col waterfalls. We had so much fun exploring the river and moorland there; it is a beautiful spot, and was quiet out of season. Further along the road we visited the coastal resort town of Barmouth (very nice welsh cakes and lots of seagulls!) and then a brief stop in the ancient capital of Wales, Machynlleth. Lovely weather all day.

A view of the main gate house of Harlech Castle.

Rhaeadr Nant Col Waterfalls

Carla in the moorland above the falls.

Me at the harbour at Barmouth.

The next day it was a sunny walk through the wonderful Hafod Estate, which was just as brilliant as it was on our last visit seven years ago. The estate occupies a large area of a very pretty valley floor and sides, and has lots of paths to explore, waterfalls to find, and beautiful woodland to walk through.After that, we went for a local walk and explored the striking nature reserve next to the three bridges and waterfalls of Devil's Bridge.

Beautiful little rivers are to be found all over the Haford Estate valley.

Amazing sunset behind the Vale of Rheidol, from a viewing platform near the three bridges.

The last full day turned very cold and windy, but we still managed to get a good few hours walking in around the Bwlch Nant yr Arian Forest Visitor Centre. There is a great visitor centre there, some impressive lakes and windswept open and woodland scenery to explore. We spotted lots of redkites flying around there, they looked great swooping over the nearby wooded valley. We got back to car just as it started to rain, which then turned into snow later! So the drive back the next day revealed snowy hills. No trouble with the roads, and the scenery looked beautiful as we drove along.

One of the lakes in barren landscape north of the visitor centre. Very Windy!

Bibury and the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire

For our 9th wedding anniversary, we had a long weekend in the famous Cotswolds area of central England. On the way to Bibury, we stopped off in Broadway (in Worcestershire) a small but very pretty and posh town near to Evesham, that features an interesting wide main street. Up in the hills nearby there is an impressive tower - a 'folly', named the Broadway Tower. A really interesting building that has some absolutely fantastic views of the countryside, as it is so high up. Shame the weather was mixed, sun followed by rain followed by sun! We also saw some deer in the parkland next door. After some fun and games at the tower, we carried onto our accommodation (via a quick stop off in Moreton-in-Marsh to get some artisan bread -alas, none left in the bakers) at the very picturesque village of Bibury. Having arrived in the light, we walked around village and saw locations such as the waterways of the famous trout farm right in the centre of the village - looked lovely.

Two views of the Broadway Tower. Great parkland to walk around as well.

The very pretty fish farm in the centre of Bibury.

The next day we started off early and a did a six-mile circular walk around the village in the morning, the highlight was walking along the downs that contained two cows walking ahead of us, who kept looking back every now and again to make sure we weren't getting too close! Once back in the village we wandered over to the see the famous Arlington Row cottages, and The Bibury Court hotel (next to a pretty stretch of the River Coln) - a building that would have been terrific as a recreation for Hammer Horror style cosplay photos! After a little lunch, we went over to the Chedworth Roman Villa, not too far away. This is an amazing ruined location (with excellent visitor centre and facilities) and well worth a visit for those who like British Roman history. We liked the interactive site descriptions from the head sets; the actors portraying the Romans and Britons living here did a very good job. Shame it was a drippy day, as the setting is stunning. After that, we went into Cirencester to have a quick look around and get some provisions. Nice town. The following day, on the way back, we stopped at some pretty small towns and villages along the Fosse Way: Northleach, Bourton-on-the-Water (Japanese tourist heaven!) and Upper and Lower Slaughter. Oh, it was great to watch Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (part 1 of the film series) on DVD that weekend. I enjoyed the film a bit more than at the cinema, funnily enough. I suppose because we could watch over two nights! A wonderful little break in a lovely place! 

Gloucestershire cows!

The exquisite mosaic work at inside the covered area at Chedworth Roman Villa.

Bideford, North Devon

For my 41st birthday, we visited the countryside near to the North Devon coast. Having been there two summers ago and loved it, we just had to go back and explore more. On the way down, our stop off points were Weston-Super-Mare and Bridgwater, both fun to walk around and explore. It was lovely to find the old cinemas (thankfully still operating in both these locations). Windy on the coast  though! It was lovely to see Weston's pier again (I was last there in summer of 1991!) The next day we went to the town of Bideford, which was close by to our accommodation  - an interesting little local centre, neatly positioned on either side the River Torridge. After that we went to the coast to see the beach at Westward Ho! and then onto Bucks Mills, a lovely little community of several houses positioned along a steep valley that leads to a rocky beach. Gorgeous in the sun.

The River Torridge seem from the Long Bridge at Bideford.

The coast at Bucks Mills.

The one road through Bucks Mills.

The following day was very wet, so we we went into Cornwall for the first time by driving down the Atlantic Highway to Bude. The damp weather spoilt the visit, so after a quick walk around and visit to Sainsbury's (a supermarket that sells wetsuits!) we drove home and watched DVDs all day ("Sherlock" and "Falling Skies", both excellent TV series.) 


The next day, my birthday, was a lovely clear day (but very windy from the sea) so we did our main walk of the holiday. This was from Hartland Quay along the rugged coast to the Hartland Point Lighthouse, and then back again using a slightly different set of paths and via the small village of Stoke (very pretty church with a really tall tower!) This was a fantastic walk as we got to see lots of breathtaking scenery and some attractive little river valleys. Still can't work out how a little mobile home got to that isolated spot! 

Hartland Point Lighthouse in its stunning setting.

Various views from a beautiful coastal walk.

Afterwards, we then went back up the coast to Clovelly - a rather picture postcard village primarily built along one steep road from the clifftop down to the small harbour. Its a bit of a tourist trap (only village I know of that you have to pay to get into!) but worth a look for its quirkiness. It was also nice to be able to look inside one of the old fisherman's houses. After that it was off the the shopping village on the edge of Bideford to get a birthday cake!

The harbour at Clovelly.

The steep main street through Clovelly.

For our last full day, we went into Barnstable to have a look around and do a bit of shopping. Shame it was so wet that day, but once again I found an old cinema to photograph - hurrah! It rained so hard all day and night that there was some limited flooding of our little cottage! Thankfully, we got out okay but left a house with a wet bedroom carpet.

For our last day of the holiday (after getting back home) we just popped up the A5 to have a mooch about Lichfield. Love the cathedral area there, its so pretty! Very pleasant place with lots of shops to explore and fantastic, apply eccles cakes to buy in a fab bakers we found! 
  

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Some films I've seen over the winter...

I've not been to the cinema much (but I've seen a lot of stuff at home on disc instead, including the amazing Dredd, and the rather average One Day) but here is what I've seen on the big screen over the last few months...


Skyfall

I saw this feature, the 23rd (official) "007" film, released on the series' 50th Anniversary, a week after it opened. I was lucky enough to go with my friends Mark and Mandy at the Coventry Odeon. That date tied in with when we were all available, and with the ice hockey game that Mandy and I were going to that evening at the ice-rink next door. Anyway, it was lovely to get together with them again and have a good catch-up!

I thought the film was tremendous, I absolutely loved it and really got into the story and action at that screening. Daniel Craig has certainly made Bond his own, playing it as a thug in a Saville Row suit but now with, I feel, more confidence. This allows him to be a little playful within the role. There is an improved script this time around, compared the muddled and supposedly rushed Quantum of Solace. Good performances from all. I especially like Ben Wishaw as the new "Q". My favourite parts of the film were the attack on the hit man in the Shanghai skyscraper, the look of the film there was spectacular with the advertising lights dancing over the skyscraper (see picture), and the Scotland scenes compromising of the end half hour, where the typical "Bond film vibe" seemed to morph into harder action drama. Stunning. Its huge worldwide success (over $1billion taken at the box office so far) has surely guaranteed 007 films to come for many years. If they are this good, bring 'em on Sony/MGM!

"Empire" magazine review.

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Japanese poster.

At long last! Part 1 of Peter Jackson's new Middle Earth epic opened just before Christmas. I'd been waiting for these films for *years*, after being blown away by his Lord of the Rings trilogy ten years earlier. This first episode, covering roughly the first third of the book, did not disappoint. Most of the film presented here was excellent and very exciting, even though Jackson could be blamed for padding the film unnecessarily (some scenes have been added that were not in the book, but appear in the LOTR appendices, or were created for this version). The second half of the film was probably more effective than the first (picking from Rivendell and beyond) as it seemed to flow better and was more thrilling. The Gollum (Andy Serkis) v Bilbo (Martin Freeman) riddle battle was the key sequence in the film, and top notch film making it was from all concerned. Brilliant. Hats off to Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) and the Dwarves (Richard Armitage etc.) as well. Generally, the visual effects from WETA Digital and their prop making group were stunning, particularly the work on animating Gollum over Andy's movements in his gimp suit. Anyway, this all points to some great stuff coming in the next two films (Smaug! Giant Spiders! The Battle of the Five Armies! ...and, er..Stephen Fry!?), to be released over the next two Decembers.

I saw this film in 2D - didn't bother with the 3D or the new 3D-48 Frames Per Second version this time. I'll definitely try the 'new' format next time around to see Smaug the Dragon swooping over my head, though!

*The film just went over the $1billion mark, in terms of worldwide box office take. MGM and Warner Bros. must be happy. :)

"Empire" magazine review.

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Les Miserables

I was intrigued by this musical (the latest of a few non-musical film versions made over the years) especially as the stage version has been such a worldwide success. I didn't think it was that bad, but wasn't amazed by it. I had some doubts over the running time (I got a bit bored, to be honest), the pop-style vocal talents of Russell Crowe (pictured), but generally this film is done pretty well and everyone is trying their best, what with singing live in front of the camera. I had some quibbles with some of the way the sets looked: a bit "stagey", but maybe that was the point, or they had run out of budget! Anyway, an average...3/5 from me.

"Empire" magazine review.

Next up will be Oblivion at some point in April, followed by Iron Man 3.

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The Olympics and some Autumn trips.

The London Olympics.

Just a quick word on the Olympics (and Paralympics), held here in the UK last summer. Well, I had my doubts about them - would they be a success? Would anyone care? etc etc...right up until about ten minutes into watching the extravagant opening ceremony on BBC1. Then I was hooked and got into the whole thing! Danny Boyle's cinematic opening show was simply *magnificent*; one of the best pieces of television I've ever seen was the 'Industry Changing Britain' section. Wow, the look and sounds of those towers raising and the flying and exploding Olympic rings over the stadium were stupendous. Plus we also got to see James Bond aka 007 and The Queen parachute into the stadium, Mr. Bean's musical talents, the sci-fi esque lighting of the torch, and Kenneth Branagh in a tall Victorian hat. Class.

Of course, it was great to watch some of the sport as well, especially the women's beach volleyball which was a blast. Seemed like it was daily party down there in horse guards parade! Also, I loved the stadium and park, put together very efficiently and well, I thought. The future of that part of east London looks positive. Closer to home, it was fun to see the Ricoh Arena stadium at Coventry used for some of the football games. The bunting on the stadium front looked very impressive!

The olympic rings come together and float over the Olympic Stadium during the impressive opening ceremony.

A day out in Evesham and Alcester.

Together with out pal Toria, we had a drive around these two pretty towns last Autumn one day, and it was especially pleasant as the weather was cool but very clear and sunny. Evesham features some very nice old buildings in the main town centre and towards the river around the old abbey. The park by the river is lovely to walk around. Also, it was fantastic (for me at least as I'm a cinema fan) to pay a brief visit to the old Regal Cinema (now renovated and running successfully.) I will definitely be back to see a film there and have the tour one day soon! Alcester was also great to go visit on the way back home, as it contains more lovely streets of old buildings and has a nice feel.
 

Abbey bell tower, Evesham.

River Avon, Evesham.

High Street, Alcester.

A trip to the North-East: Durham, Stockton-on-Tees, and Newcastle.

We'd been meaning to go up to this area for some time, and so decided to have a look at a new (well, new to us) part of England. We were lucky enough to find some accomodation at Durham Castle for one evening, and then stay with our friend Trudi in nearby Stockton-on-Tess for two more. We had an enjoyable time in the area, and saw some great stuff. Durham is a very interesting and pretty 'university' town, with some fabulous sites to visit such as Durham Castle, the Cathedral, the green, and the gorgeous river walk. Oh, those lovely trees by the river! Also, we found a fantastic noodle bar there so it was definitely a case of "om nom, nom"! :)

Durham Cathedral, Castle, and River Wear.

Newcastle was fun place to visit on a busy Saturday, and its an easy city to navigate around and drive into. Spotted The Angel of the North statue on the way in and back, as it is just off to the East of the A1. In the city, the castle keep is a must to visit, as is the waterfront where you can see the famous bridges, including the new Millenium Bridge. We also discovered some of the old town walls on our walk abouts. There is a popular market in the city as well, selling some very tasty food items!
  

The Tyne Bridge, over the River Tyne, Newcastle.

Carla and I on the Millenium Bridge, Newcastle.

Me at the top of Newcastle castle keep. Fine views over the whole city! St. James' Park stadium is in the far background.

Trudi and Carla at Newcastle castle keep.

Looking towards the Gatehouse at Newcastle castle keep.

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