Gremlin’s Fireside Chat

Another birthday surprise by my lovely Wife “The Red Head” she got a couple of tickets to see the new James Bond Movie “The Quantum of Solace” – both of us being James Bond fans. The movie has not had on the whole good reviews from the press, and I can understand why. The gadgets and Q branch are missing, on the story line alone the leading lady is not needed at all – there is usually some important function the leading lady does that allows James to hammer the bad-guys. That said there are loads of fight scenes, car chases and all the things you normally associate with James Bond.

Overall the film is not as good as the last film “Casino Royale” for a number of reason – dialog and plot are two; the main thing I can find with the Quantum of Solace is that its a meld between “James Bond” and “Jason Bourne” which is probably down to the fact that the 2nd Unit Director Dan Bradley worked on that movie too.  Jason Bourne, like James Bond is a fantastic character and film series but they have two totally different styles. In the Quantum of Solace James Bond fights like Jason Bourne, Drives like Jason Bourne, Does roof-top chases like Jason Bourne etc. In short I see more Jason Bourne than James Bond in this movie, and that is what’s wrong with it.

It was a nice couple of hours spent, and we enjoyed the movie – lets hope that the next James Bond movie is better.

Just went to see Iron Man the movie at the local cinema with my wife and baby Maeve – and we really enjoyed it. Iron man has always been my favourite super-hero. Unlike spiderman, the fantastic four, or the Hulk, Tony Stark has no “super powers” granted by genetics or some experimental accident; Tony Stark only becomes a Super-Hero when he don’s the armoured suit an becomes Iron-Man; An Armoured suit I may hasten to add that is the product of his genius and whose design evolves over time.

One thing I like about Iron Man is the thought (however improbable) that “I could be Iron Man” – if I was a genius and a multi-billionaire that is. Tony Stark in comic history was revolutionary in its time in showing the “downside” or human nature of hero’s – for example Tony Stark is an Alcoholic, an affliction shared by many millions of people on earth.

I won’t spoil your enjoyment of the movie except we thoroughly enjoyed it, and I will be going to see it again next monday. One thing to mention though, if you go to the movie please stay to after the credits since there is another scene.

Is it two months since my last short post!!!! Must get my act together. Anyway what has prompted me to post this entry is the new series of the British Channel Series called Grand Designs – and boy what a corker and inspiration.

This episode tells the story of Francis Shaw and his wife who bought a Ruined Castle (one of the walls fell down during filming) and converting it into a fantastic I-want-to-live there house in two years and 750 thousand pounds sterling. It took battles with English heritage, Archaeologists, bad weather, a small budget and a life long dream.

Thanks Francis; you had shown me what will, determination and a dream can achieve. Best of luck, I hope you can keep the house.

I went to see Gavin Friday’s “Tomorrow belongs to me” show in Liberty Hall with my wife – and happen to bump into a work colleague whilst there. The short summary is the show is crap, awful, dross – I have been trawling the dictionary for words to describe how bad this show was and nothing becomes close. A total waste of 80 euro and an evening of my life.

The show purports to be a “tribute” to German Culture, Literature and Music in the 20th century; It’s anything but. The show started off with a nice rendition of “Ave Maria” and then went rapidly downhill after that. Gavin’s rendition of that classic “Lili Marleen” was nothing short of butchery – He killed the song, gutted and filleted it before incinerating it beyond recognition. I had to get up and leave half way through when it got to “spin the bottle” it was that bad.

On the flip side I had to await around the bar whilst my wife endured the rest of the performance – which she said was “patchy”; so means she like some of it; and my work colleague had a similar opinion; and some of the audience cheered loudly at anything Gavin did – but that section of the audience was the “family”, “fiends” and “sycophant’s” section in front of stage centre who would have raptures of ecstacy if he had farted onstage.

My final comment on this travesty of a show is this. Whilst in the bar I saw a steady stream of people who got up and left and the bar throughout the “performance” (ha ha ha) seemed to have had more than a spinkling of the shows sponsors “Becks” propping up the bar – Cheers Gavin’s for wasting a nice summers evening.

Needless to say the opinion here in this review are my own.