Exodus: Gods and Kings

Directed by Ridley Scott, set to the dramatic music of Alberto Iglesias, filmed in Pinewood Studios and the Canary Islands, this epic film was visually stunning right down to the minutest details. Christian Bale played Moses, Joel Edgerton played Ramses with Aaron Paul as Joshua. With superb effects portraying thousands of Hebrew slaves, buildings and large statues of Ancient Egypt, the story it'self has no narration and not much of a script to go by just sheer cinematography at it's best. 

Janty Yates created all of the splendid costumes based on rich Egyptian art laiden with colour and jewels.  Arthur Max is largely responsible for the layout and scenery involved.

 Before going to see this film, it may be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the story. Exodus Kings and Gods is a recreation from the Bible much like the "Ten Commandments"  from 1956 about the life of Moses a spiritual leader. This version entails a very in depth depiction of the Hebrew deliverer more as a warrior, who leads his people out of Egypt after more than four hundred years of slavery.

Moses is born a Hebrew but raised as an Egyptian by the daughter of a Pharaoh. His nemesis in the Film is Ramses (the current Pharaoh's natural son). Although there is  kinship between them, we can gather Ramses is a little threatened by Moses's favor from his father.  When the Pharaoh dies Ramses becomes the ruler and that's when it all changes for Moses when they both discover his true heritage.

Moses leaves Egypt and finds refuge in some mountains where he settles for a while, marries and bares a son.

Maria Valverdie plays Zipporah (Moses's wife)

 He then encounters  the famous  burning bush and God appears to him in the form of his inner child seeking revenge. Moses is urged to go back to Egypt to free his people. His wife and son are not too happy about this.

Moses returns and begins to train the slaves with military skills whilst Egyptians hunt him down. This doesn't win immediate approval from his own people and he still has much to prove whilst the Egyptians continue to administer more cruelty to the slaves. 

The mark of the beginning of ten plagues begins with the curse of the Nile turning to blood. The plagues appear to be natural occurrences rather than the wrath of Moses's God. Ramses's adviser comes up with a valid scientific explanation for each hideous tragedy. 

The final curse came which caused death all over Egypt and finally Ramses lets the people go. So in their thousands, the refugees set out in search of their promised land but find themselves faced with the Red Sea.

I was expecting a huge miraculous parting of the sea with ocean walls either side of the travelers. It didn't happen that way in fact there was no actual magic in this film even though the effects were fantastic, all of it was explainable. The Easterly wind blew the currents side ways making the water shallow enough to cross. Many Egyptian chariots were destroyed before they even got to the sea although some got swept up in what appeared as a huge tidal wave.

I thoroughly enjoyed the visuals of the  film but I am not sure if I'd have been able to follow it with out prior knowledge of Moses story.

watch the trailer below

Christmas

I enjoyed Christmas day 2014 in this traditional English pub "The Cricketers in Sarratt, Hertfordshire."

We were offered a glass of Champagne on entry as well as another at the table. It was a hassle free Christmas with all the festive atmosphere including the traditional corny jokes inside crackers and silly hats. 

All cosy and warm inside.

Superb Wine

This delicious full bodied wine was a superb accompaniment to the meal.

There was a wide variety to choose from on the menu. I opted for Salmon and smoked salmon ballontine with brown crab mayonnaise and pickled baby vegetables. It was a difficult choice with Celeriac soup, Pigeon, Scallops, Parfait and Salad to choose from. My love for Salmon always wins either with a starter or a main course.

Salmon for starters.

Since I had already indulged in the traditional roast turkey dinner at a previous convention, I chose an interesting main coarse of Pan fried venison rump with rabbit and prune suet pudding, celeriac Dauphinoise and port jus.  It was very rich with only a small decoration of greenery.  I enjoyed it very much, the meat was lean and solid. It was enough food for the rest of the year or so it seemed at the time.

my main

Again there was also an wide range of choice such as Cod loin, Sea Bass, Beef, Stuffed Aubergine and of course traditional Turkey.

Traditional main

Cheese selection

Some think I am boringly savory in my tastes and I chose a selection of British and French cheeses to finish the meal along with spiced apple chutney and oatcakes. I had hardly any room left. Other choices included Mouse, Christmas pudding, Tart, Meringue and Pannacotta.

Traditional Christmas pudding

 ChocolateMouse

Great Company

What a great way to spend Christmas. We ate this food over a two hour period which gave us time enjoy the social aspect of the meal as well as being gentle on the digestive system. There was no washing up to be done, no leftovers to refrigerate and no rubbish to store over the holiday period. The only thing that would have made this meal even better would have been the added company of my four daughters who were celebrating Christmas with their father this year.

www.cricketers-sarratt.co.uk

The Rat Pack at Christmas.

There are many different versions of the Rat Pack Tribute bands and it gets a bit confusing when you see the same Sammy Davis Junior alongside different Franks and Deans. Or  Sammy Singing as Nat King Cole. Sometimes theatre company websites don't give you the names of their talented performers because they change them around.

Jim Whitley

I finally tracked down the identity of this superb artist. Ex Footballer Jim Whitley and I have seen him on numerous occasions. Last year he was with The Rat Pack Live playing Sammy at the Portsmouth Guildhall as well as the Kings Theatre Portsmouth where he was Nat King Cole in Christmas Crooners. This year at the Guildhall again, he appeared with Rat Pack Vegas Spectacular Christmas show with Wayne Kennedy as Dean Martin and Roman Marek as Frank Sinatra. Jim has an exquisite singing voice which I could listen to all day.  

This was a very entertaining show from a classic era, however I felt that Sammy had a much bigger part to play than in other reproductions I have seen. Wayne's Dean Martin literally spent most of the time at the bar allowing Sammy and Frank most of the spotlight. He appeared at random intervals.

The band were fabulous and the show was packed with familiar songs, dancing and laughter.
Click on the you tube clip below.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy, inspired by the writings of Tolkien. hasn't remained true to the original from the beginning, so as long as we are not expecting it to, then all will be well.

The third epic adventure “The five Armies” was visually stunning and well worth the wait. Small details from make up, costumes, set design, superbly cast heroes and amazing effects gave rise to this masterpiece.

Bard, played by the handsome Luke Evans leads the humans after defeating Smaug with an arrow. Unfortunately Smaug crash lands destroying everything leaving the people of Laketown homeless.

Orlando Bloom appears as Legolas the elf along side Tauriel played by beautiful actress Evangeline Lilly who had fallen in love with  handsome dwarf Kili (Aiden Turner).

 Now Dwarves are not usually known for their good looks and are usually rather quirky in appearance  Thorin Oakensheild played by Richard Armitage had smoldering blue eyes and a deep powerful voice in keeping with a legendary leader.

If you dislike violence, may-be this film isn't for you However there isn't too much blood and gore it's an edge of the seat battle. Heroes skilfully smash up Orks avoiding their own ill fate at the same time. There are moments of laughter and moments of welling up. Not everyone gets out alive but I won't say too much on that. Some may argue that Legolas running up falling rocks is a little absurd but we have to then remind ourselves that he isn't a mere mortal.

Thorin's cousin Dain (Billy Conolly) appears just on time with an Army of dwarves, a bad attitude and a very distinct Scottish accent.

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) the actual main character and only Hobbit in all of this is extremely brave as he is watched over by the wise Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen),

It ends in such a way that it leads you into the next generation made previously some years ago. I recall Star Wars doing much the same thing but it worked well for the fans who just couldn't get enough of it.

There are films you like to see once, films you think you could sit through again and there are the ones you want to own. This is definitely one for my collection although with swift advancing technology I have no idea in what format but I will have the whole collection on my shelf in years to come from the Hobbit through to The Lord of The Rings.

Another Beautifully shot epic fantasy.

Watch the trailer below

Interstellar Movie -

Christopher Nolan's gripping apocalyptic scenario presented with a credible hero on dangerous paradoxical adventure.

Although this film is set a long way into the future, it gives the appearance of taking place in the 1960's or 70s. We see the decline of science and technology and human beings have gone back to the simplicity of farming life. It is apparent that disaster and famine struck at some point. Atmospheric changes occurred causing dust storms and there is nothing left to eat but corn which is also decreasing slowly. Youngsters are discouraged to learn about science, since history has revealed it to be the road to disaster. Text books have been altered, denying the Apollo moon landings ever really happened, putting them down to propaganda and conspiracy of the Cold War. Planet Earth will only sustain one more generation as it rapidly ceases to be habitable.

Cooper, (Matthew McConaughey) an ex science engineer and pilot now survives on his farm with Donald (John Lithgo) the father of his deceased wife and his son Tom and daughter Murph. Paranormal activity leads him to Professor Brand (Michael Caine) of NASA who operate in hiding as the people of America strongly disapprove of funds being wasted on space science. (nothing new there) He ends up agreeing to risk everything much to the dismay of Murph, to lead the crew of the spaceship Endurance including the professors daughter ( Anne Hathaway) on mankind's next big step. They intend to rescue a previous crew, Lazarus who have landed and survived on another galaxy and to go in search of a habitable planet.

In order to reach their destination, they have to go through a worm hole that appears to have been deliberately placed in space by beings who are guiding us. The possible inhabitable planets are close to Saturn but also dangerously close to a black hole.

Time becomes as precious a resource  as fuel.  It is passing much quicker for the people left on earth than it is for Cooper and Brand. It is paramount to complete the mission and return home before there is no one left to return home to.

The film is full twists and leaps keeping you on edge. It is a long one at over three hours with a lot of sciency space jargon. It's not what I'd describe as light entertainment so be prepared to concentrate .

Tom and Murph have grown up

Watch the trailer below

Thirty million minutes of Dawn French Live at the Kings Theatre Portsmouth.

Dawn stepped on stage in a black tasselled dress with leggings and boots looking young and vigorous. She is 30 million minutes which is something like 57 I think she mentioned. She looked amazing.

 Rather than a stand up comedy act, this was an interesting account of the comedienne’s life from the childhood to menopause, now approaching dementia.  Dawn takes you on a journey through time in which she is the main character. Behind her was a giant screen in which she shared images of herself as a child as well as friends and family. It was easy to relate aspects of her past especially women of a certain age who have similar memories.

Admitting that her desire to be in entertainment, was to do with her need for attention as a child. She dared to dream of becoming a primer ballerina and a bridesmaid. The recount of her being rejected from bridesmaidism was hilarious. As for the ballerina thing, I think it must've become apparent in adulthood that it wasn't meant to be.

(left)Dawn's wedding outfit designed to upstage the bridesmaid.

She tells the story about when the queen mother came to her house when she was very young. How everything had to be clean and tidy. Having to  wear new clothing and how she and her brother should bow or curtsy.  When the queen mother arrived Dawn couldn't understand why she didn't wear a crown and her teeth weren't perfect. That memory scarred her as she thought some imposter was entering her home and no one was stopping it from happening.

It’s hilarious in places but also deep and thought provoking as she shares parts of her life that are quite personal.

For instance, when she lost lots of weight and the tabloids were speculating about calories and gastric bands, I learned that she had cancer of the uterus and had to sleep in a bathtub one night in a hotel because she was bleeding so heavily. She shed seven or eight stone prior to the hysterectomy.

She also spoke of her beloved Father who died tragically when she was only nineteen,  her little girl Billie who was stalked by a  journalist and her marriage to Lenny Henry that had come to an end.

 

Dawn's dad

with Lenny Henry

She touched on her relationships within her family too and she had quite interesting grandparents with some funny stories.

 Her relationship with her body, as you can imagine was comedic yet at the same time very self accepting.  I got the impression Dawn is really ok with herself, comfortable in her own skin. She has arrived at a place in time where she can stick two fingers up at the press.

Funnily enough there was not much reference to her career in all of this. Dawn has given us the real person this time. The daughter, the wife, the mother and her brush with single life.  She is now happily married again with new in laws and children to boot.

This show will appeal to real fans who appreciate that she is a real person as well as a famous comedienne.

Wicked - The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz - Tour

I saw this award winning production a few years ago at the Apollo Theatre London though it originated from Broadway. Now it is touring and I had the pleasure of seeing it at the Mayflower Southampton and it is as spell binding as ever.

A fantastical story spun from “The wizard of Oz”. It tells of events prior to the cyclone that lifted the farm girl Dorothy, from Kansas and knits it seamlessly together. The main characters, Elphaba, played by Ashleigh Gray and Glinda, by Emily Teirney, represent the famous witches from the story.

 Glinda by Emily Teirney

Elphaba by Ashleigh Gray 

As the curtain opens, you are immediately transported to a magical land of colour. This continues throughout with spectacular set changes on par with computer graphics in film.

Detailed costumes are the design of a true artist’s eye namely Susan Hilferty. Lighting designer Kenneth Postner are the finishing touches of the artists brush.  Dynamic visual effects and dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbot are constantly moving like clockwork, creating the look of animation in this magical masterpiece.

Costumes bySusan Hilferty 

Although this is make believe, the credibility of the characters and their emotional situations, could be people you know which makes for a great piece of storytelling. There's the relationship between the two girls and the handsome guy that comes between them, Fiyero played by Samuel Edwards. 

All this and I haven’t even mentioned the music yet. The orchestra sets the mood and the songs are untouchable. The voice of Ashleigh Gray defies reality as it upwardly soars towards octaves beyond belief without strain. Chemistry is created when the powerful vocals of  Emily Teirney join forces with her. 

Fiyero by Samuel Edwards

The show was highly polished and it seems like the all the greatest genius’s in the world came together to create it's magnificence.One for all the family with humour and great acting too.

For more details of the show follow the link below and watch the trailer.

http://www.wickedtour.co.uk

Copacabana

Last week at the Kings Theatre Southsea, Jon Lee ( S club Seven, Jersey boys, Les Miserables)  played Tony Starr in this famous musical written by Barry Manilow and collaborators Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman. It  hasn't played in the UK for a number of years until this tour. Introducing  the fabulous Jennifer Harding whose voice was almost too powerful for our little Theatre.She's definitely going places. 

The story was of course based on the title song “Copacabana” which we all know a few lines from. “Her name was Lola, She was a show girl, with yellow feathers in her hair” you get the picture. Set in 1948, Lola arrives in Manhattan following her dream of becoming a star. She strolls into the Copacabana night club in the hope of becoming a Copa girl where she meets Tony, the songwriter. That’s where it all begins.

My only criticism would be that the show was too short. The story was a little compressed. Lola and Tony's first kiss happened too soon and  the ending was rather abrupt.  It was a happy ending I'm pleased to say.

The scenery was simple but really effective. They used two staircases to change the locations. Costumes were dazzling and the choreography showed off talented dancers.

The songs included “Dancin Fool” “Who needs to Dream” “welcome to Havana” and of course the signature tune itself. I actually thought that they weren’t going to sing it. We came to the finale and everyone was taking their bows. What a tease!. When they finally sang, most of the audience stood up. Talk about foot tapping we could hardly keep it in.

A really great show.

 copacabanathemusical.co.uk

  

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The original story derived from a comic book.  This teenage foursome became a cartoon phenomenon in the late 80s. Now more than twenty years on they've returned to the screen and they've still got it.  Computer graphics the film industry can produce these days, mean the Turtles are more enhanced yet they haven’t aged one bit. They have more definition and detail in their whole look and their character fits effortlessly into  the modern world. A new generation of youngsters can enjoy them. 

Produced by Michael Bay and Directed by Jonathan Leibesman, this movie sets the scene for several sequels depending on the money it makes.  TMNT toys, t-shirts and lunch box sales will undoubtedly be through the roof as we approach Christmas. 

 The four turtles, Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo were named after Renaissance artists and were a part of a laboratory experiment along with a rat named Splinter. They were rescued and set free to live in the sewer by a little girl. The mutagen compound was already inside them and so they grew to more than six foot and were intelligent. Splinter became a father to them and taught them Japanese martial arts.

 They became vigil antis and their nemesis above ground,  Shredder and the Foot Clan, oddly enough, planned to dominate the world.

Meanwhile the little girl rescuer, April O’Neil played by Megan Fox, grew up. She became a journalist desperate to find a great story and so becomes the first person to discover the Turtles. Her late father had been involved with Eric Sacks, played by William Fichtner during the lab experiments. She seeks him out, ending  up unintentionally leading the enemy to the sewer,  the action begins.

There was plenty of action, humour and pizza in the movie. The characters developed right before our eyes learning about themselves, their own power and unity.
A great movie for adults and kids alike. I suspect  some of us were into the Turtles the first time round.

Michaelangelo

The Turtles were  Raphael (Alan Ritchson),  Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), Leonardo (Peter Ploszek) and the voice of (Johny Knoxville) and Donetello (Jeremy Howard). Splinter was (Danny Woodburn) with the voice of (Tony Shalhoub.)  Also there were many other big names like Woopie Goldberg and Will Arnet.

Leonardo

Enjoy the trailer below