Saturday 13 August 2016

The Dolmen @ The Artemis Gathering

It was just a short drive today (with no car problems) down to Horley for a day out at The Artemis Gathering. As we parked up we spotted Bob's van so we popped over for a chat and a nice cup of tea. We were then joined by Sam, Caitlyn, Arthur and Steve for a chinwag. Next stop was Mel (via Sarah and Charlie) who we haven't seen for 18 months. So lovely to see her again and catch up on so much stuff.

The day finished off with another cracking gig from The Dolmen. The plan had been for me to join them at the end for Go Laddie Go but I should have known better than to trust Dolmen planning as I ended up drumming for half the set LOL.
 

Here's a brief clip of Chris, Charlie and I drumming like these is no tomorrow:


It was a brilliant night out with great friends, much needed. We then made our way back to mum's and once again had no problem with the car.

Friday 12 August 2016

Off to Stratford upon Avon to see mum

We drove to Stratford upon Avon late this afternoon to go and see mum. It was a bit of a stressful journey. The new car managed to cut out on us three times en route. We weren't impressed! It lost all power while we were on the motorway which was a bit hairy! It's now booked in to be seen first thing on Monday morning. This was the final stop on a hard shoulder:

It was very stressful for Toni, not what she needed on a journey that was supposed to be simple! We did make it safe and sound though and promptly chilled out with drinks and nibbles.

We were then treated to a lovely meal of fish, new potatoes and ratatouille (I had salad instead). It was a lovely way to relax after a somewhat stressful bout of travelling.

Thursday 11 August 2016

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story new trailer

This doesn't really need a lot of words but all I can say is that the film is looking better and better with every new trailer and TV spot that they release! Make sure you hang in there right to the end!

Wednesday 10 August 2016

New car

Today Toni went and picked up our new car. It's another Chrysler but this time it's the Voyager rather than super-sized Grand Voyager. Sadly the Polo was traded in as part of the deal and it will be missed but we have a new car instead :). The Voyager s a lovely drive though and will be perfect for some of our trips when we aren't taking the Campervan.

Tuesday 9 August 2016

Batman: The Killing Joke

Batman: The Killing Joke is one of my all time favourite stories and Batman graphic novels. I still remember the excitement of when I first bought it when I was 18. Now here we are many years later and now we have an animated movie of Batman: The Killing Joke.

The plot is a simple one: As Batman hunts for the escaped Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime attacks the Gordon family to prove a diabolical point mirroring his own fall into madness.

Batman: The Killing Joke was always seen as the best story featuring The Joker of all time. There was a slight deviation from the plot which drew a lot of criticism from people which I understand although the story does still work. I'm not 100% convinced that it made the transition well from printed media to animation but maybe that's just because the graphic novel has been with me for so long. It is good though.

Mark Hamill once again reprises his role as the voice of The Joker and does it VERY well.

Monday 8 August 2016

Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice

Another DC film that seems to have been like Marmite was Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice with very mixed reviews.

It's been nearly two years since Superman's colossal battle with Zod devastated the city of Metropolis. The loss of life and collateral damage left many feeling angry and helpless, including crime-fighting billionaire Bruce Wayne. Convinced that Superman is now a threat to humanity, Batman embarks on a personal vendetta to end his reign on Earth, while the conniving Lex Luthor launches his own crusade against the Man of Steel.

Ben Affleck turns in one of the best Batman performances to date and Jesse Elsenberg portrays a brilliant Lex Luthor. Gil Gadot gets an honourable mention for putting the new Wonder Woman on the map as we eagerly await the Justice League and Wonder Woman films.

The plot was simple and the film was pretty good (albeit with the odd plot hole). I'm not sure why people have such a downer on Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice and it was definitely so much more than just a setup for the Justice League film

Here's the trailer if you want a little taster

Sunday 7 August 2016

Suicide Squad

Family outing today with Toni, Sam, Aaron, Zoe and I making a trip to the Cineworld in Bexleyheath to go and see Suicide Squad.

Critics and reviewers hadn't been particularly kind about Suicide Squad but lots of friends enjoyed so we went in with balanced expectations. Sometimes I wonder what film critics have actually been to see as I thought Suicide Squad was pretty good.

Will Smith made an excellent Deadshot and Margot Robbie was superb as Harley Quinn. Anyone worried about Jared Lato's portrayal of Joker need not worry either as he rose to the task well (and let's face it topping Heath Ledger's version would always take some doing). As usual I won't get into spoilers in this post so here's a quick synopsis of the plot:  Figuring they're all expendable, a U.S. intelligence officer decides to assemble a team of dangerous, incarcerated supervillains for a top-secret mission. Now armed with government weapons, Deadshot , Harley Quinn , Captain Boomerang, Killer Croc and other despicable inmates must learn to work together. Dubbed Task Force X, the criminals unite to battle a mysterious and powerful entity, while the diabolical Joker launches an evil agenda of his own.

Suicide Squad is well worth a watch if you like the DC Universe or have a passing interest in comic book/superhero movies. This is one where the critics have definitely got it wrong.