film: Hugo

We watched Martin Scorsese‘s Hugo this weekend with a couple of young friends and in retrospect it might have been a little scary for the 5 year old, but is older brother chose it, it is a U certificate and we used the excellent BBFC web site as an additional check where it noted that the film “Contains mild scenes of danger”.  We don’t often have to choose which films to watch with children so thought it was worth making sure.

I wanted to see Hugo at the cinema last year, and I really wish I had made the effort to see this on the big screen as it is one of those films that you can truly call a ‘cinematic experience’.  This is bore out by the fact that among the many Oscar’s the movie picked up this year was the academy awards for Cinematography,  Art Direction and Visual Effects.

The film is simply packed with unique and innovative camera moves or tricks, action sequences that make you wonder how they filmed it and ‘single shot’ moves which must be partly CG to make it possible.  There are numerous vignettes that are told almost entirely visually, with no speech but using closeups, low angle or shot from above making a spectacular and spellbinding movie.

Spellbinding is a good term for this movie – which partly includes the story of early cinema during which times these visual techniques were brought into being:

- we see the boy looking straight to camera but don’t know what at
- cut to a shot of a tray of cakes, we assume without being told that this is what the boy was looking at
- we see a hand reaching across screen from left to right, we assume that this is the boy reaching for the cakes
- a boys feet running away from camera, we assume that the boy has stolen a cake and is running away.

The simple structure of showing these four images in the correct order – boy – cakes – hand – running – and we fill in the story in between.  The grammar of film making.

Even if all these visual niceties pass you by, the story and characters are engaging with a truly remarkable outcome which I will not go into here.  The predominantly British cast are outstanding with Ben Kingsley taking the major role but many smaller parts played by the like of Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Richard Griffiths, Jude Law and surprisingly Sacha Baron Cohen who I have no time for at all does and excellent job in the role of ‘Station Inspector’.

I would say this is a must see film, let me know if you agree?

food: Browns

We went to Browns Bar and Restaurants in George Square, Glasgow, a couple of weeks ago, just getting around to writing about it.  To start with Browns is a really nice place to be with great surroundings and atmosphere.  There was live piano music and a general friendly but high service feel to the place.  The staff were attentive without being intrusive and were certainly able to answer any questions we had.

The food and wine we all had was good, starting with a ‘Meat Platter’ that we all shared.  Then D had a Wild Boar Burger while I chose the “surf and turf” half Lobster tail and steak. 

This was the first time I’ve ever eaten Lobster and I really don’t see what the fuss is about.  I didn’t find the lobster had very much meat on it and what it did have didn’t really have any distinctive flavour or texture that made it special in any way.  However, the steak was excellent as were all the other accompaniments.  D’s burger was fantastic and we all had a good meal – excellent puddings and good wine (the choice of Rums wasn’t up to much so I stuck to soft drinks).

So I think I will have to say that the food was great, but I don’t really get the fuss about lobster.

Regarding value for money however, I think it was a little over priced.  We were treated to this (Thank you very much!)  by some friends and it was also subsidised by tesco clubcard points.  The quality of the surroundings and the food was such that you wouldn’t expect it to be cheap, but I still don’t really think it merited the prices they were asking.

That said, we had a fantastic evening of good food and great company and who could put a price on that!

book: Suzanne Collins “The Hunger Games”

I don’t really get how this is a ‘young adult’ novel as it is full of what I would think of as adult themes, but I found it a really good read.  The main protagonist is a sixteen year old girl and the novel is ‘set in a  post-apocalyptic North America’, two things that could put people off, but I would urge you to give this book a go.

However, you really can’t get away from the fact that at its core the story revolves around twenty-four girls and boys aged between 12 to 17 thrown into a game where they have to kill or be killed with only one survivor able to ‘win’.  So, our story follows the 16 year old Katniss into these Hunger Games and how she might survive.  

Now, the cynical among you will assume that because it is written from Katniss point of view obviously she must survive, so where’s the element of surprise there?  Well. there are a great deal of twists and turns in whether she indeed will survive and even if she does what kind of person will it make her?

I found it a captivating read (after the initial few chapters that were a bit laboured), and can’t wait to read the other two in the trilogy. 

Book: Rachel Abbott “Only the Innocent”

“only the innocent” is a detailed and intriguing murder mystery where it turns out the victim is the ‘baddy’. Set in the uk the story opens with a murder and we quickly meet the main players of detectives and suspects. However it takes some time to really get going with too many asides and confusing flash backs.

But it was worth sticking with because once the plot starts to come together the motivation and interaction of the various characters is what it is all about. By the end of the book I had almost forgotten about the original murder as we had been discovering about the victim rather than pursuing the killer. A good read, not one I would overly recommend, but not bad at all.

Food: Ivy Bar Glasgow

playing catchup here since we went to the Ivy last Saturday, but better late than never:  the Ivy Bar (as it seems to be called, rather than ‘the Ivy’)  is on the corner of Argyle Street and Kelvingrove Street … in Finnieston – which seems to be the up and coming area of Glasgow for trendy bars and restaurants. It has been recommended to me various times now as the best selection of Rums in Glasgow. It turns out they claim to have the largest selection of Rum outside of London with around 90 different varieties on offer.  However, lets start with the meal.

We really didn’t know what to expect of the place as it looks like a very modern bar with a restaurant section towards the back and I’m not sure what their focus is on – food or drink.  The menu content was basically chicken, steak, burgers & fish and chips, but obviously described in a nice, fashionable way…”Beer battered coley fillet and chips with mushy peas, lemon and tartare” for example.  However when the food did arrived we were very pleased with the standard of everything on offer.  D had a steak while I had the fish(above), both dishes were superb and not too extortionate and we shared a gorgeous sticky-toffee-pudding to finish.

We both had cocktails with our meal a Mai Tai:
Angostura Bitters, Myers Jamaican rum, Appleton’s V/X Jamaican rum, Santa Teresa Orange Venezuelan rhum, raisins, fresh pineapple, salted caramel, house orgeat and fresh lime juice
and an El Presidente:
Diplimatico Exclusiva Venezuelan rum, Carpano Antica vermouth, Merlet triple sec, house grenadine

Towards the end of the meal I finally made my way to the bar to ask for a recommended Rum.  This process started by me telling them of a few that I liked and then I had a sniff of a few bottles.  The nicest smelling turned out to be £12/shot, so I had to miss that out this time around but instead had its 12 year old cousin “XM Millennium” Rum from Guyana.  Which I discovered when I got home was the same rum I selected as my favourite at the rum tasting last year!

Suffice to say I can highly recommend the Ivy’s food, selection of Rums, friendly service and knowledgeable bar staff who will help you find just the right Rum for you!

book: Simon Kernick “The Murder Exchange”

This is the first book I’ve read by Simon Kernick (yet another recommendation from Lou at your friendly second had book / coffee shop: Biblocafe).  It took me a while to get into this plot, probably more than half the book, and I think this was due to the story jumping around a bit to start with.  Each chapter is more or less split into two, written from two different protagonists point of view, however the two plots didn’t overlap directly enough to make much sense for a long time.

Eventually they come together and at that point it gets really interesting and starts to get moving.  The two characters in question are a DS Gallan who is investigating a murder and Max Iversson is a former soldier who gets involved in a murder … well several murders I think.  But none of these are anything to do with the murder that Gallan is investigating.  Eventually it is apparent that they are speaking to the same people but, as I mentioned, it does take a while for these to actually tie together.

Suffice to say that this book was interesting enough for me to have a look at some other books by Simon Kernick.

theater: All New People

Friday 17th Feb, R&L took us to the Theater :-)

“All New People” was written, directed and currently starring Zach Braff (the bloke from Scrubs) and has become the highest-grossing drama of all time at the King’s Theatre, Glasgow.

It’s the dead of winter and the summer vacation getaway of Long Beach, New Jersey is desolate and blanketed in snow. Charlie is 35, heartbroken and just wants some time away from the rest of the world. The island ghost town seems to be the perfect escape until his solitude is interrupted by a motley parade of misfits who show up and change his plans. A hired beauty, the townie fireman and an eccentric British real estate agent desperately trying to stay in the country suddenly find themselves tangled together in a beach house where the mood is anything but sunny.

This angst-fuelled comedy opens with Charlie (Zach) about to kill himself.  This leaves him with the first of many dilemmas, how to put out your last cigaret when you are standing on a chair with a noose around your neck.

“Unfortunately” he is interrupted when Emma (Eve Myles from Torchwood) an absent minded real estate agent comes in expecting the place to be empty and ready for a viewing she has.  While Charlie tries to get rid of the talkative Emma she is joined by her firefighter buddy Myron (Paul Hilton) to come assess the situation. Later on, the high-priced escort Kim (Susannah Fielding) arrives, courtesy of one of Charlie’s friends.

While they try to talk Charlie out of killing himself we gradually find out more about each of them both through the action on stage and four video flash-backs which fill in some back story about them.

I thought this use of video was really clever, not only the way it was done technically but also because it gave us close ups of the actors on stage giving another dimension to what was going on as well as asking more questions and answering some.  It was a very clever way to intersperse the live action with plot details which otherwise would be very cumbersome to interject.

The play was extremely funny in parts and didn’t lag or slow down at any point.  The performances were excellent and the technical production flawless (apart from one light that fell down back stage at one point).  A great night out.

All New People following its showings in Manchester and Glasgow is now on at the Duke of York Theater until April.

movie: Casablanca

Casablanca, probably one of the greatest films ever made.  Certainly one of the most recognisable, most frequently quoted and often miss-quoted movies ever made.  Yes “Here’s looking at you kid“, “Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine” and “We‘ll always have Paris.”  all appear as do several “play it” but never can the words “play it again Sam” be heard in this film.

D and I went to see this in one of our favorite cinemas, The Grosvenor in Ashton Lane and even splashed out for one of the comfy sofas at the back.  I’ve seen the move several times, but never at a cinema and first of all I’ll mention in passing a couple of problems.  Firstly, the sound volume was a bit low and in particular the DJ in the Loft bar above the cinema could be heard through out the performance.  Secondly it was extremely hot.  Eventually it was so uncomfortable that I popped out to the foyer and mentioned these two things to the staff and was told that they would pass this on the the projectionist.  Also, they said that as the movie is in mono the sound is only coming out of the front speakers so the sound is not at the normal standard.  However, given that very shortly after returning to my seat it was noticeably cooler and louder.  Thank you Grosvenor!

This old movie is showing at the Grosvenor this week because of valentines day, which I didn’t really get at first as I’ve always thought of it as a war-movie, but of course it is one of the great love stories of classic Hollywood.  Released in 1942, like much of the output of Hollywood at the time, the movie also serves as war propaganda showing the Germans as evil, strutting, bullies even in this more or less neutral country.

I think it is useful when watching Casablanca now to have a little knowledge about how Morocco, being a French colony came under the control of the pro-Axis Vichy regime when France was invaded by Germany.  Therefore it was nominally on the side of Germany, although an active resistance movement operated and (key to the plot) it formed part of a route out of Europe.

What is perhaps most surprising about Casablanca is just how funny it is.  Yes it is a story of resistance during WW2, and yes it is a story of love, a broken heart, love re-found and sacrificial love.  However, there are so many throw away lines that might raise a smile when watching this movie at home cause a cinema audience to laugh at the shared experience.  Here are just a few:

Captain Renault: What in heaven’s name brought you to Casablanca?
Rick: My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters.
Captain Renault: The waters? What waters? We’re in the desert.
Rick: I was misinformed.

Ilsa: How nice, you remembered. But of course, that was the day the Germans marched into Paris.
Rick: Not an easy day to forget.
Ilsa: No.
Rick: I remember every detail. The Germans wore gray, you wore blue.

Captain Renault: Carl, see that Major Strasser gets a good table, one close to the ladies.
Carl: I have already given him the best, knowing he is German and would take it anyway.

Yvonne: Where were you last night?
Rick: That’s so long ago, I don’t remember.
Yvonne: Will I see you tonight?
Rick: I never make plans that far ahead.

 

book: Jack Higgins “The Valhalla Exchange”

“The Valhalla Exchange” is an intriguing story set in the dying days of World War Two.  Berlin is gradually being captured by the Russians in his concrete bunker Hitler is loosing his mind and communications are crumbling.  But one man, Reichsleiter Martin Bormann, Adolf Hitler’s secretary has a plan to use some important prisoners in his own daring plan to escape.

At least that’s what I think this was about.  The problem was that I read this book off and on between various other ones and have more or less lost track of the main reason why Bormann was trying to get to the prisoners and not just flee when he could.  I’m also not sure about a certain twist of whether this is Bormann or a double which makes it even harder to make sense.  However, I do think this is more my fault for the fractured reading pattern of this book rather than any fault of the author.  I’ve read a number of Jack Higgins books both set in WWII and post war action books and they have never failed to engage and entertain, till this one which I am just glad I finished and have no idea of what it was about.

book: Mark Kermode “The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex”

Mark Kermode is a a film critic with a weekly film show with Simon Mayo on radio Five Live.  He also wrote “It’s Only a Movie: Reel Life Adventures of a Film Obsessive”. I find Kermode’s film reviews not only informative but above all entertaining.  I don’t always agree with his opinion on films, but I do think he is spot on about cinema.

In this book “The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex” Mark expounds his views on topics such as:

• going to the Pictures
• why blockbusters should be better
• the inevitable decline of 3-D
• what are film critics for?
• …and so on

I totally and completely agree with what Mark says about the decline of the experience of going to the cinema, which has turned into an over priced adventure in queuing for massive amounts of crap food, where few poor staff will not look after your needs while there happens to be a film more or less visible and audible rather than a ‘performance’ where the entertainment of the paying public was important rather than squeezing as much money out of them as fast as possible.  Sorry, it seems that reading Kermode increases your likelihood to rant.

I enjoyed this book very much, but I do think it is the sort of book that you will enjoy if you already like Mark Kermode, if you don’t or don’t agree with his viewpoints it might just be a very frustrating read.  I did find the excerpt below which seems to be the first chapter from the audio book, which might help decide if you want to read it….  Even just listening to this first chapter is fun:

by the way, I don’t know how legitimate this video is so it might disappear.

Oh, and Hello to Jason Isaacs!