Rev Stan's other stuff

Lost for words and Who's next?

AKA Vasquez has said it all about this Ross/Brand debacle here. So I'll turn my attention to who is going to be the new Dr Who now that David Tennant has finally admitted he will be leaving the Tardis behind after a filming a clutch of specials.

First am not surprised he's decided to go as any sensible and talented actor would have done the same. But who will be the next Who? I can't be bothered with the serious debate so here are my fantasy Dr Who's:

Graham Norton (suggested by Wapping Psycho on my Twitter thing and a bloomin' good suggestion)
Justin Lee Collins (we need more hair in the Tardis)
Jennifer Saunders (I loved to see her 'pretending' to work the controls in the Tardis)
Grace Jones (because she's mental and she could lend some of her clothes for alien costumes thus saving the BBC money)
George Clooney (no really I believe he'd bring a lot to the role, ahem)
Russel Brand (no really because he wouldn't even have to visit wardrobe or make up department but about as likely as me winning the lottery jackpot)

Any other suggestions?

Bonfire night approaches

And I don't need a calender to work it out either. The gangs of teenagers chasing each other around the street with fireworks rather give it a away. Who needs to pay to see a professional display, all I need is one of them to catch on fire and I've got a guy thrown in. 

Sunday cinema (in the fabulous Apollo West End)

Writing about films that are so-so is difficult. Writing about films that are great is easy. Writing about bad films is equally easy but fortunately I haven't had to do that for a while... until today.

Incendiary_poster

I'd got vibes that Incendiary wasn't a great film but it has such a great cast, Ewan McGregor, Michelle Williams and sexy spy no1 Matthew MacFadyen that in lieu of anything else to see on a wet Sunday I thought I'd give it a go.
It's about a woman (Williams) who's life is torn apart when her 4-year old son and husband are killed by a series of suicide bombs targeting Arsenal's football stadium. It's a Chelsea game which may or may not be relevant to football fans.
When the bombs go off she is having it away in with Ewan McGregor, who is a journalist.
There are probably two and a half decent films trying to get out of this one but it has too many blind alleys and abandoned ideas to make a coherent and believable film. All the more frustrating because there are some wonderful scenes and glimpses of the better film it could have been.
It is also full of so much that is implausible even the dust from the silver screen can't work it's magic. For example, Williams, despite doing a credible English accent, is completely unbelievable as an East End, tower-block dwelling Mum with an alcoholic parent and McGregor seems to be playing the only journalist in this country that can afford to live in a Georgian town house and drive around in an Aston.
The biggest surprise was that such a clutch of great actors signed up to do it. Just goes to show you can't polish a turd.
There was only one saving grace about the whole experience, and that was the Apollo. I've never been there before. It's one of these new luxury cinema's and I'd always thought it would be expensive but in fact it was less than a ticket at one of the Leicester Square's multiplexes (£8.50). It had lovely big comfy seats, huge screens to watch but not massive amount of seating so it feels almost like you are at a private screening and the communal areas are tasteful and smart too. Can't recommend it enough as cinema in central London and will definitely be keeping an eye on their schedule.

Gratuitous post

Step aside sexy spy no2 because on Monday, baddy...

Gorgeous as a baddy Mr R Armitage as Guy of Gisborne

...becomes goody. Sexy spy no. 3

Spooks cast series 7

Sorry R P-J but notice has been served.
Excited? Moi?

Brideshead Revisited (at last)

Went to see this a couple of weeks back and haven't actually quite around to writing about it... until now.
Much anticipated by moi owing to the presence of a certain Mr Whishaw and a general liking for the book on which is it based.
The film came out in July in the US and as I hate seeing reviews before watching I'd been desperately trying to avoid reading anything about it. Unfortunately with the internet and all that, it's a little bit tricky especially when there are several months of waiting for the UK opening and I heard that it had received mixed reviews.
But lets go back to the beginning. The novel by Evelyn Waugh tells the story of Charles Ryder who goes to Oxford University where he meets Lord Sebastian Flyte and his friends. Falling in with the aristocratic crowd Ryder is seduced by Flyte’s lifestyle and family and falls for Sebastian’s devoutly Catholic sister Julia.
The book was made into a much-loved TV series back in the 80’s, which was notable for very closely following the book. Personally I thought it was a bit long a bit indulgent and that sort of detail is better left on the page.
Naturally for the film chunks of the story are jettisoned with the focus on the relationship between Sebastian, Charles and Julia the part Catholicism plays in shaping and ultimately destroying it.

Brideshead trio: Charles, Julia and Sebasitian

The film has caused controversy for turning Sebastian’s friendship with Charles into a homosexual love for him. When I read the book for the first time last year, I admit that that was my interpretation of Sebastian’s feelings, but put it down to my reading it with 21st century eyes. I didn’t find it shocking,  nor did it detract from the story. Indeed it mades a lot of sense.
I thought the first three quarters of the film were spot on but after that it lost its way a little with some strange choices of plot change. For example, Charles later marries and has children but isn’t committed to his family or the relationship. In the film his children are written out of the plot entirely which is a shame because his treatment of them and the angst they inevitably cause Julia who can’t have children are quite important in shaping their characters and the ultimate breakdown in their affair.
It also glossed over Sebastian’s death abroad. You see him ill and weakened with alcohol abuse and then his character seems to be abandoned.
That aside, there are some great performances in it. Michael Gambon plays old, posh and eccentric in only the way he can as Sebastian’s father Lord Marchmain and Emma Thompson manages to pass off playing a much older woman (Lady Marchmain). And Ben Whishaw puts in a sterling performance as the emotionally vulnerable and purposeless Sebastian.
The settings and costumes are sumptuous and like the book almost an homage to a period and lifestyle that is no more. I’ll definitely be watching it again when it comes on the telly.

X-Factor week 2

Michael Jackson themed week and some performances that were a definite head and shoulders above the rest, mainly those that weren't karaoke cover versions.
The girls stood out again. Particularly liked Diana who has a smokey voice, clip of her performance is here
Louis' group is the weakest as I've said before and thank cripes he lost another - Girl Band. Surprisingly, although he had the casting vote, Simon decided to throw it to public vote. For once public sense prevailed.
Comment of the night has to go to, and I'm loathed to say it, Cheryl Cole for pulling up Simon on being a hypocrite. He'd previously berated a fellow judge for picking a very obvious song for their contestant only to choose the song Ben for the young, babyish blond haired boy in his category. Go Cheryl. Still I rate his opinion above all the others as he's the only one who doesn't seem to let emotions get in the way.
Now we need to whittle down Dannii's group and the one I want out next is Daniel. He's in purely on the sympathy vote and not even the other judges really like him.
Oh and one final thing, what the hell were Girls Aloud doing 'singing' in the result show. Not that they shouldn't have been there but they sounded awful. Should have mimed.

Not tagging this time...

Not tagging this time..., originally uploaded by Rev Stan.

The real McCoy

Sunrise in Stockwell

Sunrise in Stockwell, originally uploaded by Rev Stan.

Taken last week at 7am.

On the same stage as Ralph Fiennes but not Ben Whishaw

Yep I was today. The Olivier at the National Theatre no less. OK so it was part of a backstage tour and Mr Voldemort wasn't on the stage at the time but he has been and (hopefully) will be again when I see him in a couple of a weeks in Oedipus.

National Theatre on the South Bank

The tour was fabulous. One of those things I've been meaning to do for sometime. We spent an hour and a half looking around all three theatres in the complex, going back stage to see how it works and then around the rehearsal rooms and workshops where they make 90% of the props and sets.
Didn't realise that the Olivier is modeled on the ancient Greek theatre in Epidauros which coincidentally, Mosh and I visited in May

Learnt all sorts of interesting stuff like the fly above the Olivier stage is big enough to fit a double decker bus (the box on the top of the main building in the top picture is the Olivier fly which gives you some idea how much of a set they can whip out of sight).
Am ashamed to admit I never knew what repertory theatre was until today (means short running plays run in alternation or rotation - the NT can have up to nine plays running in rep).  Was lucky enough to get up close to the horse puppets which are being used in the current production of War Horse which were quite amazing even without movement. Might try and get a ticket when they release a load more for the final leg of the show next week. In fact the whole tour just made me want to see everything they've got on and coming up.
Had a sneak preview of some of the Oedipus set which is sharing the Olivier with War Horse.
Unfortunately didn't get a chance to go on the actual stage at the Cottesloe where ...some trace of her is on as it was being mopped ready for the matinee. Shame but it was good to nose around back stage ahead of seeing it again on Monday.
Will definitely go on the tour again when they have another production I'm going to see or have seen.

QotD: A Wrinkle in Time

If you could turn back time, at what point in your life would you go back to? What would you do differently?

Don't believe in regrets and am quite happy where I am thanks. The older I get the more I enjoy life.

Vox Hunt: Home Pride

Show us why you love where you live.

"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."
— Samuel Johnson

St Stephen's Tower and the London Eye

QotD: Groundhog Day

If you could celebrate one holiday everyday, which one would you pick?

A Bank Holiday Monday because there isn't a commercial aspect to it ie having to buy stuff, decorate stuff, dress up in stuff, eat certain things and follow traditions. There aren't any expectations other than most people getting an extra day off work. You just get to do whatever you want and that would be pretty cool every day.

Finally a TV advert that made me sit up and take notice

(And giggle like a teenager) And it is such a simple idea. Women love chocolate. Woman love hunky men. Taddah! Winning formula. As loathed as I am to praise Nestle, well done Nestle on your new Aero ad.
Go enjoy ladies.

X-Factor

Last year I was going to post regularly about the X-Factor but events conspired against me and it felt a bit frivolous.
But it's back and so am I.

Images

So Saturday was the first live show and chance to see all the acts perform back to back. Initial thoughts I that I hate all the groups. What a rag tag bunch they are, Louis doesn't stand a chance. Fortunately he's already lost one of the two girl bands. Can't remember which one - they were both so rubbish. And the boy band made me wince they were so out of tune.
The oldies is the second worse category. Daniel is in there because people feel sorry for him and I can't remember any of the others.
The winner is definitely going to come from either Simon or Cheryl's categories and my money would be on one of the girls as they are by far the strongest singers. Alexander and the smoke-voice Lauren who actually made me look up from my laptop were the best.

My Day (second attempt)

Have done this once already but Vox crashed before I could save it. I know I have Kirk's sympathy for this. Anyhow will try again. Soup basically sent out an invite to do it...

Got up at 8.15 and watched last nights X-Factor while eating breakfast. Then decided to make the most of the beautiful weather and caught the bus to Westminster to take a stroll along the South Bank.

Vauxhall bus station from the No 77

Westminster Bridge is shut

Queues for the London Eye

Stop for a comfort break at County Hall

Street entertainers on a fag break

Kids spraying their tags

Show off

NBA comes to the South Bank

The first building I worked in when I came to London

Then it was off to the Clapham Picture House to see Gomorrah

The fabulous Clapham Picture House

Then to Sainsbury's to buy some food and it was a horrid as ever

Back home to do some cooking: boiling up beans and chickpeas, making lamb stock and veggie soup all for the freezer

Stanley stove in full flow

Break for tea

Tea time

Then back to the kitchen to bag up everything for cooling

And now I'm watching Stephen Fry in America. Then there is the rest of the washing up and bed.
A good and productive day all round.
Loads more pictures which I'll upload to Flickr

Sunday cinema part 1

Went to see Gomorrah today. Billed as the Italian City of God I had high hopes as I'd really enjoyed that film and been quite shocked by it.
The similarities with the Brazilian film are many: Set around a grim housing estate, drugs and drugs gangs the central theme.
But where in the Brazilian film the story was told through one character's eyes this is seen through several and as a result you never really get a chance to get to know any one in any depth and it dragged.
And was I shocked? There is a scene in City of God which will live with me for the rest of my life but in Gomorra I can't say the same. Maybe there is too much gun violence in films these days that I'm immune to it now.

 

Autumn sunshine

Decided to make the most of the beautiful Autumn sunshine and explore Suffolk a bit the day after the wedding. The coast was just 10 minutes away...

The beach near Aldeburgh

Scallop sculpture on Aldeburgh beach

These things are called groynes, well you learn something new ...

More pics at Flickr

Nadia's wedding

Nadia and Jeremy got married yesterday in just the manner they wished for. It was a small, intimate affair with 19 guests (including children) at the beautiful Butley Priory.

Relaxed after all the official duties are over

The tone for the day was set when Nadia chose to enter the room where the wedding was to this song:

Good riddance

Green Day

And the moment was made quite perfect when the heel of one her killer stilettos got stuck in the wooden floor just outside the doorway. Only a select few of the guests, myself included could see her quietly laughing as she tried to free the shoe. She said afterwards that she thought she might have to leave it there and enter barefoot.
Then when the time came for anyone 'to give reason why they shouldn't marry', two and a half year old Poppy, the daughter of one of Nadia's best friends and her partner, shouted out 'Daddy!'
Nadia and her Mum had worked for months on the very smallest of details. Place names were written in Latin script and Arabic (Nadia is half Egyptian), each guest's chosen menu had amusing quotes about marriage on the back, the napkin rings were made to double up as either necklaces or bracelets and the wedding cakes were decorated with bead flowers and dragonflies...

  The day was fun, relaxed and with little formality and a wonderful time was had by all.

QotW: Page Turner

What book are you reading right now?

The Human Stain

Philip Roth

I'm taking ages to read it. I don't ever feel like picking it up to read but when I do, I really enjoy it. Which probably doesn't make sense. My only slight quibble is the structure is a little frustrating. I'm two thirds of the way through and having given up two of the last three books I've read, I'm determined to finish this one.

Ivanov, Wyndams Theatre

Remember back in January when I bought tickets for all four plays in the Donmar's season at the West End? Well I saw the first play this week, Ivanov with Kenneth Branagh in the lead.

Ivanov

And wow, what a way to start. Not just Branagh but the entire cast may with the slight exception of Andrea Riseborough who played Sasha were startlingly good, in fact I haven't seen acting of that calibre in a long time.
The play, by Russian Anton Chekhov, tells of the decline and fall of Ivanov (pronounced I-van-ov, not Iv-an-ov as I had being doing for the last six months). He is a man that had joie de vivre, charm, goodness, a beautiful wife and land. But the start of the play finds him heavily in debt and out of love with his dying wife.
He has fallen instead for the daughter of his creditor, who reciprocates his love and is determined to restore his former lustre.
It would be easy to play Ivanov with melodrama and lose the audience's sympathy. But while you feel at turns frustrated by his decaying personality you can't help being moved.
In an interview Branagh one of his loves of the play is the fact that there are so many good characters and he isn't wrong. Tom Stoppard who did the adaptation has brought out each and laced the play with humour which if you read Chekhov's musing's at the time of writing was as he wished. He didn't want anyone to be a hero or villain and in this production that is certainly achieved.
The reflection is very much of real life and there are thoughts and emotions displayed in the character of Ivanov that are inherantly human - if we dare to admit it.
My only reservation about Riseborough - a rising star of stage and screen - was born out of her tendancy to be a little to over animated.
For complete quality, sheer entertainment and the level of spit Shakespeare would be proud to see, I'd hurry along and get a ticket.

Calls may be recorded for training purposes

I worry about how much 10 years of dealing with shit PR's is affecting me.
Take today. Now the front door on the block of flats where I live has been broken since May and despite various emails and phone calls from myself and my neighbours to the housing association which is the freeholder nothing has been done about it.
The defect has become more serious in recent days because the lock has taken to occasionally sticking so you can't get (it's the only fire escape route out of the block unless you jump out a window).
Armed with the fact that they could possible be responsible for people being burned to death (little melodrama always helps I find) I've managed to get them to promise to send someone out on Monday morning.
This afternoon at work, bearing in mind I'm having a very stressful day, I get a call:

Caller: "Is that 20 C. Grove"
Me: No its the resident of 20 C. Grove
Caller: You have a repair booked for Monday morning but we have a repairman in your area and wondered if he could pop around to fix the door lock?
Me: Does he need someone to let him in because I am at work
Caller: Yes he does, could you let him in?
Me: No I'm at work.
Caller: Do you know if anyone else is in
Me: I'm sat at my desk, in my office, in central London, how am I supposed to know if any of my neighbours are at home to let the repairman in

A little unnecessary and a little harsh, she was just trying to help and speed up the repair after all but I spend so much of my working life being asked stupid questions, bombarded by shit information and generally hassled by PR's, my  irritability threshold is getting so low it spills over into everyday life.
I don't like being rude to people, apart from PR's on occasions, but I fear I'm well on the road to becoming a grumpy old woman.

Food choices

So I'm four days into my nutritionist prescribed eating plan. I have to do this until I see her again in November. I won't list everything I've got to cut or minimise from my diet, needless to say it includes sugar, alcohol and fried food. Considering I can't do wheat or dairy it quite neatly cuts out any of the remaining treats I allowed my self.
When I saw the program she'd devised after the first consultation I nearly cried thinking I'd have to go six weeks without chocolate, a glass of wine or pop corn at the cinema, my triumvirate of treats.
An email was hastily dispatched to clarify the term 'exclude' and to my complete relief I discovered that as long as I follow the program 65%-75% of the time I should still feel the benefits. The rules are that I choose my 'treats' wisely, savour them and most importantly don't feel guilty about eating them.
My nutritionist believes that it is not only what we eat but our state of mind when we eat which affects our digestion and body function. I know that stress certainly screws up my stomach so I'm with her on that.
The cost of all this and the vast array of tablets (9) I have to take with each meal, is coming out of my own pocket so I'm determined to take it seriously and follow the program as much as my sanity and practicality will allow. My treats* are now rationed to two a week so I have to decide which one to ditch.
Friday is chocolate day and wouldn't be the same without it so I already have my good quality bar of dark chocolate in my bag so that means either the wine or pop corn is jettisoned. It's a tough one because the week I'm having is making a nice glass of wine really appealing but then I plan to go to the cinema at the weekend (Brideshead at last, yippee) and the thought of sitting through a film without even a small popcorn to slowly munch through just doesn't compute.
(The Renoir at the Brunswick Centre is one of the snooty cinema's that doesn't sell popcorn and the shock of discovering this when I'd already bought my ticket will stay with me for a long time)
So I don't know what to do. I don't have to choose but I want to otherwise I'll never get my rubbish guts sorted.
* A potential new treat is steak, as she says red meat is fine as long as it is good quality and lean. Mosh and I are planning to put the money we would have spent on our Friday night takeaways into a pot and then go to one of the restaurants at Smithfield meat market for a really good steak.

Food choices

So I'm four days into my nutritionist prescribed eating plan. I have to do this until I see her again in November. I won't list everything I've got to cut or minimise from my diet, needless to say it includes sugar, alcohol and fried food. Considering I can't do wheat or dairy it quite neatly cuts out any of the remaining treats I allowed my self.
When I saw the program she'd devised after the first consultation I nearly cried thinking I'd have to go six weeks without chocolate, a glass of wine or pop corn at the cinema, my triumvirate of treats.
An email was hastily dispatched to clarify the term 'exclude' and to my complete relief I discovered that as long as I follow the program 65%-75% of the time I should still feel the benefits. The rules are that I choose my 'treats' wisely, savour them and most importantly don't feel guilty about eating them.
My nutritionist believes that it is not only what we eat but our state of mind when we eat which affects our digestion and body function. I know that stress certainly screws up my stomach so I'm with her on that.
The cost of all this and the vast array of tablets (9) I have to take with each meal, is coming out of my own pocket so I'm determined to take it seriously and follow the program as much as my sanity and practicality will allow. My treats* are now rationed to two a week so I have to decide which one to ditch.
Friday is chocolate day and wouldn't be the same without it so I already have my good quality bar of dark chocolate in my bag so that means either the wine or pop corn is jettisoned. It's a tough one because the week I'm having is making a nice glass of wine really appealing but then I plan to go to the cinema at the weekend (Brideshead at last, yippee) and the thought of sitting through a film without even a small popcorn to slowly munch through just doesn't compute.
(The Renoir at the Brunswick Centre is one of the snooty cinema's that doesn't sell popcorn and the shock of discovering this when I'd already bought my ticket will stay with me for a long time)
So I don't know what to do. I don't have to choose but I want to otherwise I'll never get my rubbish guts sorted.
* A potential new treat is steak, as she says red meat is fine as long as it is good quality and lean. Mosh and I are planning to put the money we would have spent on our Friday night takeaways into a pot and then go to one of the restaurants at Smithfield meat market for a really good steak.