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[CRAZY-HORSE]

finished Star Trek original series, season II today.

Sir David Attenborough's "planet earth" series episode V - Grasslands.
Sir David Attenborough's "planet earth" series episode VI - Cities.

the guy is a living legend IMO and will be a sad, sad day for humanity and nature when he dies as I cannot see anyone in the shadows who is capable of taking the mantle of what I call 'natural world crusader'

[CRAZY-HORSE]

I watched The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. It's about a young Malawian boy, William Kamkwamba, who had an interest in engineering and was always tinkering around with bits and pieces he found at the local dump. This, his persistence, and his ability to see the bigger picture result in him being able to find a solution to getting water to beleaguered crops. Malawi is largely undeveloped and he and his family live in a small, more or less subsistence farming community, subject to the whimsies and extremes of the weather which severely impede crop production - it's nothing but an almighty and thankless struggle, an endless cycle of poverty not helped along by the usual corrupt government officials, nor by the short sightedness of the population themselves who are not able to see past immediate needs - who can blame them? Hunger is a dreadful scourge. 

This movie will definitely open eyes to the desperate conditions and food insecurity that afflicts so much of the continent. Plenty of Malawians end up in South Africa - they can only school their children if they pay the fees, which is why most come here - to be able to give their kids a better opportunity. Often, they themselves have not been schooled and don't speak English yet the chances of them making any money at all are so much greater here despite all the hoops they have to jump through, the menial labour, low wages and the sometimes terrible xenophobia with which they must contend. And it's a generalisation, i know, but those with whom I am acquainted are damned hard workers. 

Anyway - this is based on a true story and contrary to all the misery mentioned above, ends up being one of hope and survival albeit against fairly heavily loaded odds. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_Wh...d_the_Wind

^^
I watched it after dinner tonight Ruby.
superb story of determination and hope when the odds are stacked against you.
evokes the same emotions and feelings in me that Shawshank Redemption does.

so im watching it and the scenes where theres no food in the village and everyone is becoming desperate im thinking, and these idiots out here fight over toilet paper in a supermarket, they really have no idea what desperation is.

Rating: deserves the full 5/5 from me, superb in every sense of the word, thanks for the recommendation Ruby.

[Ruby]

^Glad that was something worthwhile for you.

I watched a series on photographers which was quite interesting - 'Tales By Light' and 'The English Game' - shortish series about the beginnings of the FA cup and football tradition set in the late 1800's - the scramble between the Old Etonians and their well bred cohorts vs the working class teams. Some factual stuff as well as a fair dollop of poetic licence. I am watching things I never thought I would, not a football fan at all, but there is such a lot of rubbish to wade through and I'm not in the mood!

I've also watched Roger Dean who is holding live sessions while going through the process of creating the new album cover for Yes, Live on Tour - or some of it anyway! Half hourly snippets. Haven't watched them all, just the one - a lot of work and preparation behind the scenes - those ain't no daubs! Everyone is finding new ways of connecting and carrying on their business - would have been unthinkable as little as 25 years ago.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

     

wanted a laugh over the last day and a half so what better than this comedy trilogy. Love the first two movies, the third one is good but im glad they stopped there as it would have become embarrassing.

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and for something a little more serious with some action:



basically, a Professor wakes from a from day coma after a car accident to find no one, including his wife, recognises him,
and he needs to prove his identity not only to himself but everyone who seems to have forgotten him.
a good twist at the end which i didnt see coming and Liam is superb as always.

the Wiki:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unknown_(2011_film)

Rating: 4/5

[CRAZY-HORSE]

and now for something a little different:



set in Texas,
overweight teen girl enters a beauty pageant to spite her mum who was the winner when she was young
and now in charge of the event, and who calls her diughter 'dumplin' as her nickname because of her excess weight.
music supplied by Dolly Parton.

the Wiki:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumplin%27_(film)

movie dragged in places with the occasional laugh

Rating 2.5/5

[Ruby]

Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese



How could it be anything but intriguing? Quite the ringmaster Sir Bob - he had everyone eating out of his hand. It's about his 1975 / 1976 tour, along with pretty much whoever wanted to tag along provided they were sanctioned, of course. Scorsese, in his wisdom, created a fictional filmmaker and interviews with the same, as well as a fabricated scenario with Sharon Stone which was a bit puzzling. I liked that Dylan drove the tour bus (or did he? Never quite sure what's real and what's not) - he certainly looked as though he was in complete control, whether or not he actually was. Also cool to see the 'cast' - Roger McGuinn, Patti Smith (who is one strange lady!), Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Allen Ginsberg, I spotted Eric Andersen, David Blue was there and a whole lot more, including Scarlet Rivera, of course - another unusual person - a goth before her time. Those songs of his - nothing like them - he earned that prize - 100%. They also rolled the list of his tours after the credits at the end - the man hasn't stopped (up to 2018 at any rate). He must be almost perpetually on the road, and has been for decades. Which reminds me of a reference to Jack Kerouac in the movie as well - and a homage at his gravesite. A messy, muddly, almost organic affair this movie, that leaves you unable to separate fact from fiction but not too perturbed about that either. 

(As an aside Scarlet Rivera is releasing an EP soon - I listened to a sample track and was underwhelmed. Violin is her thing - not singing.) 

[CRAZY-HORSE]

LOL

I woke up this morning and watched the Dylan doco before I went for my morning constitutional...

agree wholeheartedly with these comments Ruby:

A messy, muddly, almost organic affair this movie, that leaves you unable to separate fact from fiction but not too perturbed about that either. 
in answer: Dylan is a messy muddle himself and yes, no one ever has separated fact from fiction with the dude, he is an enigma, the privacy that surrounds his life,thoughts and emotions has been kept from the world by him himself for over fifty years, the result of which is just so typical of someone with Asperger's Syndrome (which yes, he does suffer and is on the Autistic spectrum)


Those songs of his - nothing like them - he earned that prize - 100%
I agree, no one has ever come close to writing lyrics like he does with the way he sees things, again, the Asperger's at play.
even the  lyrics on his two most recent tracks, Murder Most Foul and I Contain Multitudes are superb.

He must be almost perpetually on the road, and has been for decades
his self called Never Ending Tour has been on the road since 1988, some 80 odd shows last year, was due back on the road in March this year in Japan but C-19 put an end to that...makes sense that something of Biblical proportions is the only thing capable of slowing the dude down LOL
=========================================

the live clips were pretty good also, at least he tried to stay in-tune, well as much as he could.
seen him play live three times, first was in the mid-80s when Tom Petty was his support act and Heartbreakers were his backing band, he was pretty bad then, Petty was superb. he has got progressively worse each time ive seen him, haven't been to any gigs since.

[Ruby]

^I don't know enough about Aspergers to comment - seems to me every person lately who is lacking in social skills is 'on the spectrum'. Not that that's a criticism - just an observation. He certainly had/has the ability to orchestrate his world and walk his own path. 

Keith Richards: Under the Influence



Richards can’t sing to save his life – fortunately it seems unlikely he’ll ever have to use his voice for that purpose! Maybe he could, at some point, but years of ingesting every substance known to man put paid to those vocal chords. I swear there wasn’t a single frame in the movie where he didn’t have a ciggie in his hand or mouth. He’s quite the most cheerful reprobate I think I’ve ever seen – maybe that’s what it is; he laughs a lot and obviously doesn’t give a single damn what anyone thinks of him, no inferiority complexes whatsoever – an unashamedly hedonistic lover of life which continues to amuse him, greatly.

Despite what anyone might presume given the number of times he’s fried the remnants of his brain – he’s not unintelligent and he lives and breathes (well – shares breaths with) music. Looks as though he’s riddled with arthritis but that doesn’t seem to bother him unduly and he certainly knows his way around a few instruments – not just the guitar. In this film he reckons he’s a better bassist than anything else. It was interesting to learn, again, how he and Jagger were so heavily influenced by the blues – as were any number of the British bands of the era. Clips here of Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Chuck Berry, Howlin’ Wolf and Tom Waits among others. Mr Richards has certainly left no stone unturned or made no turn unstoned, or something along those 'lines', pardon the pun! Lol! Had to laugh at a Waits comment that one thing you must never aim to do is keep up with him when indulging in a few drinks – not a good idea.

What can I say – it was an entertaining watch – interesting to see his musical influences (the title has a double meaning I’d say) and to see how upbeat he remains – I don’t think he ever stopped being mischievous – he’s naughty by nature. And open too – totally unapologetic about any of his peccadillos. No idea how that body is supporting his life force, but it seems to be holding up surprising well! Incidentally, he also loves reggae and is a country music fan – mentions that some of those guys, Johnny Cash et al, left the rockers in the shade when it came to debauchery which is quite a scary thought!! Never been a huge Rolling Stones fan but it was still worth seeing IMHO. I think I tried to listen to his recentish solo album Crosseyed Heart but just couldn’t get through it, if I recall correctly.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

^^
I think I needed some of Keith's drugs during and after watching "Jaws-3" LOL

had never seen it and thought i'll give it a whirl.
dear oh dear oh dear, that was pretty bad.
loved the first movie, still gives me the chills after all these years,
can almost tolerate the sequel.

PLOT (or lack thereof)

a juvenile Great White enters a water park enclosure, it dies.
mummy shark comes looking for baby and wreaks havoc.

its so bad
and to think this was originally shot for 3-D in the cinema
so things keep finding their way to the front of the screen and hovering there
for the 3-D effect that doesn't happen...LOL

is it possible to give a minus score???

[CRAZY-HORSE]

was trying to think of a movie I enjoy but hadn't seen in a while and this one came to mind.
cliched rock and roll dialogue from Mr.Black.
cool movie.

the Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_of_Rock

Rating: 4/5