Film Review: Uncharted

 "Nuns. Why did it have to be Nuns?" 

I've been looking forward to seeing this film for such a long time. I'm not a gamer but I've watched some of the Uncharted stories from the games plus the fan-made short with Nathan Fillion as Nathan Drake - so I know a little but not enough to enrage me if there are deviations from the game plots. 

I watched this with someone who knew nothing about Uncharted at all. For example, he asked what sort of film it is and I said that it was a little bit like Indiana Jones. 

The main characters are Nate (Tom Holland) and Sully (Mark Wahlberg) whose connection is Nate's brother, Sam (missing, presumed dead). The film begins with the brothers as naughty boys, Sam leaves younger brother Nate to be raised in an orphanage by nuns. Eventually Nate comes of age, leaves the orphanage and gets a job as a barman, supplementing his income by stealing stuff. 

Sully finds Nate and, after some cat-and-mouse games, they team up to search for Magellan's gold. Of course, they are not the only ones on the trail so they encounter some rough enemies, including the woman who shot Sam. 

At the end, as with Indy's adventures, there is a wistful but not unhappy ending to the film, followed by a teaser for a sequel which, at the end of 2023, we are still waiting to hear if/when it's to be given the green light. I hope so.

I enjoyed this film and the person with whom I watched it also enjoyed it (possibly not as much as me though). If I had to name one thing that niggled me, it was the destruction of two perfectly preserved, centuries-old sailing ships. But then, I have to remember that it's not real, just a story.

 

It's CHRISTMAAAAS!

For so many generations,  it's great to see Noddy Holder return to the limelight every December. Slade's Number One hit from 1973, Merry Christmas Everbody, is still played relentlessly at joyous festivities throughout the UK, 50 years on. Who would have predicted that? Maybe Bing Crosby? Written by Irving Berlin, White Christmas was recorded by Bing Crosby in 1942, during WWII, and is still in the Christmas charts every year.

The leading contender for the 2023 Christmas Number One in the music charts is  Last Christmas by Wham, from 1984, presumably referring to Christmas 1983 which was 40 years ago and the same year that Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth reached No. 3 in the charts, a collaboration by David Bowie with Bing Crosby, six years after it was recorded, just a month before Crosby's unexpected death.

In the 2023 race, the leader is is closely followed by The Pogues with Kirsty McColl's A Fairytale of New York, released 1987. 

These are all great songs which we are happy to sing along to year after year yet, with the exception of Noddy Holder, the people who sang the main lyrics are no longer around. We're so lucky that they left us their voices to listen to every year.

If your favourite isn't listed, put it in thecomments!  

Merry Christmas, Everybody. 

Beebopalula

History (well, School Days in the 1960s)

Intro: I was a bit of a 'goody two shoes'. In junior school, I once had to write 200 lines "I must not talk in class" - I didn't mind the lines as I enjoyed writing. However, I hadn't been talking and I made a point of telling the teacher when, as an adult, I saw him at a bus stop in the rain and offered him a lift. I now laugh about how ridiculous that was! In senior school, I had one detention when the whole class was kept behind for something (not sure what as, once again, I wasn't part of it). It consisted of staying half an hour late in school, which was great because I managed to complete half my homework!

Part-1

In the summer of 1965, the pupils in class 4A (now Year 6) parted ways at the end of term. Although many would be attending the local comprehensive, Peter was accepted at the boys' grammar school in a nearby town and I would be starting at the girls' grammar school in another nearby town. I only mentioned Peter because, years later, I discovered that he and a friend's brother were in the same class at grammar school.

During the summer break, I was kitted out (at enormous expense) with the appropriate uniform of tweed skirt, tie, blazer, mac, white shirts, ash green cardigan and/or jumper, green beret, scarf, white science coat and PE kit: green culottes, big black gym knickers, white polo shirt, hockey boots and a hockey stick. There was also a summer dress in a specific fabric but this was deferred until summer term, a few months away.

In the first year (now referred to as Year 7), we were placed into classes by age and there were two other girls, Christine and Elizabeth, with whom I shared a birthday.

We were also assigned to 'houses' but, as nobody paid any attention to these, it was soon phased out. I was placed in St Winifred's, which warranted a yellow button badge and determined which musical I could see in London for a Christmas treat - it was Paint your Wagon. I think Oliver and The Sound of Music were on offer to the girls in other 'houses'.

The 'first-years' were housed in an old building with the science labs. There was a Christmas outing to the local church and we all had to wear our berets - the one and only time I ever did. It was very icy that winter and I slipped over and broke a tooth as I walked across the courtyard.

Once a week during autumn/winter, we played hockey and I was so useless that my hardly-worn, expensive hockey boots were as-new when I finally gave them away. I must also have had plimsoles to play tennis (also useless) and athletics (even worse) during the spring/summer; I wasn't too bad at gym. It's a shame there was no squash or badminton because I was OK at those when I grew up.

In the summer term, the girls wore a collared dress with optional cardigan. In June, our end-of-year exam reults determined our destinies for the following year. 

During that first year, I met Mo who, apparently, I was friends with as a baby when her parents and mine were neighbours, before both familes moved out of North London and lost touch (we're still friends). Anita was another classmate who was to feature in my life after we left school... more about that if I write a post about the 1970s. 

September 1966: arriving at school on the first day of term, my long hair in braids as per the rules, one of the prefects mistook me for a newcomer. Obviously, that hair was instantly set free! I soon realised that most of the rules applied to first year girls only and then, afterwards, nobody bothered!

Thankfully, I was placed in the arts stream rather than the science stream. The main difference being that we were not taught taught Physics and Chemistry but we did study English literature and all the usual lessons: English Grammar, Maths, French, History, Geography, plus Biology, Art and a choice of Needlework or Cookery. There were the compulsory PE and RE lessons too.

I was an average student, so we'll leave academia behind and concentrate on the fun side of being a young teen in the late 1960s. 

Update: Just remembered how fashionable my 11-year old self was! Christmas, 1965, my parents bought me a blue anorak and blue stretch trousers with a strap that looped under the foot to stop them riding up. A year later, my Christmas present was a sleeveless, polo-necked skinny-rib top in white with a mustard colour mini-skirt in crimplene ... CRIMPLENE!!!

Part 2.

1966-1970 were the best years to be a carefree teenager! As far as homework interfering with the social side of life, it didn't. Most of the time, I did whatever homework we were assigned during the morning during lunchtime and whatever was assigned in the afternoons was started on the bus journey and completed the following morning by getting in forty minutes before school started. Those were the good old days when pupils were trusted to be in their classrooms without supervision.

My school mac was originally designed to cover the knees but we turned up the hems by about 8" to be mini-length coats. Similarly, skirts were turned over and over at the waist to become mini-skirts. Outside of school, it was mostly mini-skirts, which got higher as stockings were replaced by tights, but I also had a lime green trouser suit which I wore endlessly!

As with many teens in the '60s, music filled my head. Having been introduced to Buddy Holly's songs by my older brother when I was about five years old, Beatlemania arrived soon afterwards. In fact, I was lucky enough to be taken to a Beatles concert in 1964 - how many people can claim that?! Some of the other artistes my parents took me to see were: The Moody Blues ("Go Now" with Denny Laine), The Tornados ("Telstar"), Susan Maughan ("Bobby's Girl") - I'll add any others as I remember them. 

My brother gave me my first ever record. It was a 78 RPM of Buddy Holly and The Crickets, "Think It Over" / "Fools Paradise" (he had started collecting the new 45 RPM 'singles'). In fact, he also gave me my second record - a single - "Can't Buy Me Love" / "You Can't Do That" by The Beatles, as he had bought their LP (33 RPM) and both songs were on it. For any young people who are unsure what RPM means, it signified the speed of the turntable - revolutions per minute.

Some of my other favourite bands in the 1960s were: Manfred Mann and The Animals, The Monkees, The Kinks, The Troggs, Small Faces, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch. Late 1960s: Amen Corner, The Herd, The Equals, Beach Boys; then a host of Tamla Motown artistes: Jimmy Ruffin, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, etc. I'm sure I've missed loads. At age 13ish, a schoolfirend, Marina, and I saw The Small Faces (Stevenage Locarno) and The Monkees (Wembley Arena) and I went with another couple of schoolfriends to see The Amen Corner and The Bonzo Dog Do-Dah Band, both at Tottenham Royal, when I was around 14 or 15.

My introduction to politics was via The Marine and Broadcasting Offences Bill, which was put together by Harold Wilson's Labour Government in 1967/68. It's sole purpose (in my opinion) was to close down Radio Caroline and Radio London so that the music we listened to could be controlled by the government. I have loathed politics and politicians ever since. No wonder there are so many rebellions by teenagers.

As I have now mentioned Tottenham, another of my weekly past-times was watching football, mostly at White Hart Lane. I usually went with Gill, my best friend from school, and took my younger brother. This started in 1967 and continued for several years - my younger brother is a season ticket holder and hasn't missed many games since. Jimmy Greaves was my hero. I still follow the club but mostly from my cosy armchair.

In the summer of '68, I had a 'phone call from another schoolfriend, Pat, who was on a Caravan holiday with her parents near the Essex coast and was bored silly - am I free to spend the next week with her family? Oh, yes. My dad drove me there and I had a great time - it was the only the second holiday I had ever had (the other being Butlins in 1966 in wet Wales). I remember that my favourite song at the time was "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival - it's still one of my favourites. 

Gill and I used to go roller skating every week at 'Ally Pally' and often went to discos at the weekends. I lived miles from anywhere and always had to find the best bus route to wherever I was going; sometimes I would arrange to stay over at one of my friends' houses instead.

When I was 15, I stayed with some 'cousins' in Essex, not far from Southend. They were actually family friends but I had always called their mum 'Aunty Vi'. They had a flat roofed house and the boys and I used to jump off the roof onto the lawn. Why? No idea! They also had a motorbike (a 350 AJS) which they were too young to drive but they walked it to some local wasteland and rode around. I tried but accelerated too hard and I fell off the back as the bike reared - no harm done but they wouldn't let me near it again. I remember that my favourite songs during that time were "Band of Gold", "The First Cut Is The Deepest" and "Don't Play That Song For Me" by Freda Payne, P.P.Arnold and Aretha Franklin, respectively. 

At some point during those football years, I had all my long hair cut off to within 1" in my scalp and started wearing jeans, which is still my staple to this day. I have a photograph of me looking 'hard' with my new haircut, jeans and a blue and white scarf. Hilarious!

As 1969 handed over to the next decade, I passed most of my O-levels and spent the summer waitressing in a café, which I loved! My favourite song at that time was David Bowie's "A Space Oddity". I started a real job in September and life was still fun but that's for another post, another time. Thanks for reading.

Bernie

Review: Last Night in Soho

I wanted to watch the film, Last Night in Soho, ages ago because I like the song (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Titch, 1960s) and I like the Director (Edgar Wright) plus the cast had some good names (Matt Smith, Diana Rigg and a host of other names) but my favourite character, John, was played by Michael Ajao.

Billed as a psychological horror, the film is about Eloise (another 1960s hit song, featured in the film), a teenage girl who is accepted at a fashion design college in London. A quiet personality, she had little in common with girls she shared halls with so decided to find her own lodgings. Around this time, she began hallucinating about events that happened in the past (taking us back to the 1960s again) which were so real that she became part of that life, skilfully taking the movie into a thriller/horror genre. 

It's too difficult to go into details - you can watch the film if you need to know them - but the nightmare eventually ends and you realise that Ellie isn't going insane but is sensitive to the strong psychic vibes of the 'ghosts' in the room (oh yes, There's a Ghost in my House by R Dean Taylor, 1970s, was also on the playlist, as were: A World Without Love by Peter & Gordon, Don't Throw Your Love Away by the Searchers and Wishin' & Hopin' by Dusty Springfield, to name a few). 

'Nuff said. I think I liked the movie. If it's your cup of tea, give it a go. Here's the trailer:

Review: One Night in Miami

Another one that I'm not sure whether to recommend. It's an account of a fictional evening following Cassius Clay's victory over Sonny Liston in 1964, shared with other icons of the day: Sam Cooke, Jim Brown and Malcolm X. 

In the film, they spent most of the evening in a motel room. The boxing champ, the American footballer, the singer and the activist. Guess which one was the least fun, interrupting the celebrations with his ranting? Malcolm X seemed almost schizophrenic, jumping from rants to normality throughout the film. 

Being British, I'd never heard of Jim Brown who retired from (American) football to become a reasonably successful actor (the character was played by Aldis Hodge who is known for such roles as Hardison in Leverage) but he seemed like a nice, level-headed guy, the best of the bunch. Sadly, Jim Brown died earlier this year. 

And who hasn't heard of Sam Cooke? A great voice, he released many songs during his short time on earth (shot and killed a few months after the film was set), including: You Send Me, Wonderful World, I Can See Clearly Now, Cupid, Twistin' the Night Away, Another Saturday Night, Change Gonna Come... and more. 

Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali shortly after his rise to fame, encouraged to change religion by Malcolm X.  Most(?) people alive today will know who he is, a much loved character who sufferered from Parkinson's Disease in later life. I don't know much about Malcolm X so I don't feel that I have the right to comment here.

The film is an Amazon original. Here's the trailer:

Summary: a well-acted and well made film with light moments and humour. Personally, I am always  uncomfortable with stories from the 1960s/70s that comprise some elements of ugly truth, such as racism, sexism and other prejudices.

Review: The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

I'm not sure whether to recommend this or not... 

Benedict Cumberbatch is a very good actor and his make-up artist was excellent, taking him from a young man to an old man waiting to die, then an old man who decided to continue living. 

Based on a true story, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is a quaint story of life from late 1800s to early 1900s - the ups and downs of life in an upper middle-class family with very little money. It highlights the absence of free will for many people of the time: the poor and the powerless, women who need to 'marry well' and even the proviledged classes who do not conform to society's rules. In this respect, it perpetuates how a collection of weathly men determined the value of others and it illustrates how harridan leadership spills into everyday two-faced gossip when people don't conform to the ideas of the rich and powerful. This can be accepted as history or, for some, an example of how little things have moved on 100 years later.

That aside, the story is that Louis had to take on the role of head of the household when his father died. With no discernable income, he has to provide for his many sisters and unwell mother and pay for a governess - an educated woman who is appointed by the eldest sister to teach the younger ones.

But this is also a also a love story. Louis Wain is a lovely, if awkward, person who, these days, may be considered to be 'on the spectrum'. He falls in love with the governess, which is frowned upon by people who know the family, as she is someone from 'the servile class'. The couple moves away and Louis takes various artistic commissions to support her, his sisters and his mother. 

There's a lot more to the story and, inevitably, there are sad moments. Go ahead and watch it - especially if you like cats - but be sure to line up some happier viewing to follow. 

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain with Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy and Toby Jones.

Louis Wain wiki

Music from Blues to Pop

Many British groups in the 1960s started off as blues bands then moved over to pop music under pressure from record labels wanting to make more money (for the band, too, to be fair).

In the mid-60s, Amen Corner had minor hits with Gin House Blues and World of Broken Hearts but their big break came with their third single - Bend Me, Shape Me - a pop song.

Earlier than that, though, Manfred Mann was a blues band. Original lead singer, Paul Jones left on good terms with his former band mates and his friend Mike d'Abo stepped in as front man. This marked the change from blues to pop.

Remember hits like My Name is Jack, Semi-Detached Suburban Mr James, The Mighty Quinn, Fox on the Run and Ragamuffin Man? All great songs; here's one: 

Paul still has a blues band and also toured with The Manfreds, including Mike but, amusingly, the line-up didn't include Manfred Mann whose Earthband was famous for covering Bruce Springsteen's Blinded by the Light. Tom McGuinness also formed a band - McGuiness-Flint - biggest hit When I'm Dead and Gone.

The band ccovered many Bob Dylan compositions but many of them also wrote songs, e.g. Mike d'Abo wrote Handbags and Gladrags for Chris Farlowe and covered by Rod Stewart. 

Beebopalula