Tag archives for Review - Page 2
SS-GB [review] BBC Adaptation of Len Deighton’s SS-GB
I watched the BBC Adaptation of Len Deighton's SS-GB last night. I read the book a long time ago, it was probably one of the first alternative histories that I ever read. I've also enjoyed Young Lions by Andrew Mackay which is also set post-German Invasion of Britain. SS-GB Review The bombed-out ruins of Buckingham Palace as depicted in SS-GB. Image © Sid Gentle Films Ltd. SS-GB has a lot of elements that I enjoy. It's an alternative history, it's a police procedural, it has espionage/intelligence aspects and it's set during WW2. It also has another element that fascinates me. When do you remain loyal and when should you change sides? I was always going to watch this programme. The story is set in 1941, fourteen months after a successful German Invasion of Britain. In the opening shots we are…
Ghostbusters new movie review
Logo used by the "Ghostbusters" in the film (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Alexander and I went to see the new Ghostbusters movie the other week. It was a very civilised experience in the Reigate Everyman cinema. It even featured bespoke sundaes made in glass jars. The best bit was definitely the movie though. New Ghostbusters or Original? The new movie is most definitely not a remake of the original. It takes the same basic premise and brings it firmly into the 21st century. The movie itself is pretty straightforward, we get what we expect, in that there's a bit of action and some spectacular effects. However the case is an all female group, which I think makes it a better movie, for social reasons as much as how it gives a new angle to make fun. The team are all slightly social outcasts,…
The Force Awakens [Film Review] – #NoSpoilers
The Force Awakens (AKA Star Wars Episode VII) is probably the only movie I've been to see twice in the cinema. I saw it the first time on the Sunday after The Force Awakens was released. I'm not an obsessive Star Wars fan, at least not compared to some of the people I know (like my 10-year-old son), but I have seen all the movies multiple times (on DVD) and in my twenties I ran a Star Wars roleplaying campaign. So I know the material pretty well, and I enjoy it. Star Wars is Fantasy Han Solo (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Star Wars is not science fiction, it's fantasy with a space opera theme. This is an important distinction, because it directs how we should suspend disbelief when watching it. You can test this easily, fantasy confuses space and time to suit…
My Airbnb Experience in Paris
I had my first airbnb experience this weekend in Paris. It was a fairly good one. Paris itself was expensive but enjoyable and exactly what I had expected. My Airbnb Experience Part of my AirBNB experience, view from the window If you've had your own airbnb experience then I expect this won't be news to you. Initially I was uncertain about it. Staying in someone else's place can be fraught with difficulties. However my host was a nice guy and was very friendly in the messaging beforehand and when we met in person. The first thing that I found a little odd with my airbnb experience was the booking process. What was odd was the need to introduce myself. Hotels don't really care about me as a person, they just want my money. Their volume assumptions mitigate the risks they…
Edinburgh’s Camera Obscura
I was in Edinburgh visiting family at the weekend and amongst other things we visited the Camera Obscura up at the top of the Royal Mile. Despite many visits to Edinburgh I'd never been there before. My expectations were of a panoramic view in a classic Camera Obscura. The attraction is so much more than this. The whole place is packed full of optical illusions, most of which you are invited to directly interact with. Two of my favourites, which unfortunately I don't have pictures of because I was too busy enjoying them, were the mirror maze and the vortex tunnel. The mirror maze was a series of mirrors mounted at 60 degree intervals as you looked at them. ( from above they'd be at 60 degrees from each other). Although quite a small space from outside it was very…