OH! THAT'S JUST A DINOSAUR TOY DOWN THE STREET, THAT'S NOTHING

We watched the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy this week...

CE

INVERNESS

We recently spent a couple of nights in Inverness. It's a standard, Croydon-like town built into a spectacular glen. We spent a lot of time wandering around Loch Ness and the Craigmonie Woods. Sadly we didn't spot any prehistoric water monsters. Instead we probably had too much fun playing with the Nessies in the gift shop, sampling the highland whisky miniatures and reading the local headlines.

CE

BY A THREAD

Thanks to Oriental Tiger for blogging a few of my photos. My Flickr is a busier place because of it!

CE

DAYS AT HOME

Once a month Stacey and I have a tourist's day out in London. This month was the Tower of London. On our way there we found one of the play me I'm yours pianos at Old Billingsgate and Stacey couldn't resist flapping away!

CE

THIS IS A ROBIN HOOD REVIEW

I’d been looking forward to the release of the current Robin Hood film. I have disliked all other Ridley Scott / Russell Crowe collaborations and I had already concluded that the film was going to be terrible. But it’s Robin Hood and there are so many depictions of this “heroic outlaw” that no matter the outcome, for me it’s a must see.

Now I admit to going into the cinema blindly, not knowing what the purpose of this film was. All the way through, I was waiting for King John to say the one line that the trailer reiterated: “I declare him to be an OUTLAAAAAW”. Not for any other reason than I believed from this point the film would start to get interesting. I waited an hour… nothing. Two hours? Nope. It only comes at the end. Why? Well, there's been rumours of a sequel, this being part one: how Robin became an outlaw, which is not as interesting as would seem. If I’d had known this to be the case, I would not have attempted to bind myself to the series.

From the start, it’s arrows-a-flying! Unlike the graceful sound that they usually adopt in films, the arrows were forceful and quick sounding, and made me a little frightened. In this version, Russell Crowe plays a selfish Robin Hood, one who seems to be a reluctant leader. The whole story lies on coincidence and luck. He accidentally interrupts a hijacking, sees to an injured Knight and feels obligated to deliver the final request of the dying man. From this stems the plot. He enters the house of Maid Marian (who is not actually a maid at all) and tells her father-in-law, a very elderly blind man, the last words of his son. This man, on hearing Robin’s name and birthplace suddenly becomes shocked and although he doesn’t initially tell Robin, he knows who Robin is and decides to take him in. I am not entirely convinced with the plot and I just can't warm to Russell Crowe’s character, I feel no attachment to Robin, he comes across as continuously selfish and it's difficult to ignore the changing accents, at one point he sounds like David Dickinson.

I did however like the representation of the Sheriff. Of course it’ll never beat Alan Rickman, but he did deliver the best line in the whole film (see below). I also felt more attachment to John and more sympathy towards his situation. Even Mark Strong’s turncoat character is a more impressive and definite character.

Best Line: “Robin of Longstride, also known as Robin of the hood”. Ok, I know it’s not actually that hilarious a line, but being from South London, hearing this in general from anyone over 14 is pretty hilarious, let alone in the middle of a medieval tale.

SE

IN THE WEEK THAT MY COLLEAGUES ARGUED FOR TURNING BOOKS INTO APPS I WANT TO CHAMPION THE TRADITIONAL

BOARD GAMES

My copy of The Great Penguin Bookchase has now been pulled out on Streatham Common and in various London pubs. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve failed to find my way back to the centre of the board first, but would still recommend this game to anyone who has ever read Frankenstein and Burglar Bill. You don’t have to be a literary know it all to enjoy it, the sometimes badly edited questions are on topics as varied as classic literature, science and nursery rhymes.

The design detail behind the player’s counters were what really won me over - the miniature bookshelves, which you have to fill with tiny books to win the game are inspired. Essentially a bookish alternative to Trivial Pursuit, The Great Penguin Bookchase is the perfect accompaniment to a summer picnic or drinking session, unlike those anti-social apps.

AH

BOOKS WITH COVERS
The Junior Officers’ Reading Club by Patrick Hennessey has received a massive media campaign, I think seeing the poster for it at Colliers Wood tube every morning finally made me give in and read the much hyped title. For anyone who has ever read Michael Herr’s Dispatches this book will be a disappointment. Clearly also an admirer of Herr, Hennessey at times, tries to emulate his style but fails to be as searing or well constructed. The book is mediocre at best, sometimes well written, and sometimes revelatory, but lacking in the sharp shocks of Jarhead, Chickenhawk, or Generation Kill. The Junior Officers’ Reading Club is a bit too stylised, filled with pop culture references that detract from the importance of the subject matter, your time would be much better spent reading any of the other titles mentioned.

AH