Trailers from before Man From UNCLE

That weren't shown before Fantastic Four, because there was a lot of overlap.

The new Steve Jobs one - which I saw without sound in the foyer so with sound the impression might well be different. Fassbender looks nothing like Steve Jobs (he looks more like Operations from La Femme Nikita) but the body language is uncanny. Since Danny Boyle is not stupid, I presume the Apple conference/presentation thingy at the end is deliberately shot a la Nuremberg.

Paper Towns - looks godawful. The most recent entry in the 'teenage boy is introduced to love, sex, emotional intelligence by manic pixie girl' genre. 'Me, Earl and the Dying Girl' looks v. similar but at least appears to have a sense of humour.

Point Break - where they've replaced plausible but extreme (or possible xtreme) stunts with too much CGI, Keanu Reeve's brand of understatement with a guy I want to punch in the face and Patrick Swayze's Bodhi with Edgar Ramirez in 'doesn't blink enough cult leader' mode. You'll notice that none of these are improvements.

Point Break is not a good film, but something about Swayze's Bodhi works better than it should and drags the film along with it. The new one does not appear to have that, at least from the trailer.

Man From UNCLE

Since I think it deserved more of a write up than a quick post that was mostly me squeaking about the central three characters.

Summarised thoughts first:

It's a fine bit of nonsense fluff.

Despite that I am more than a little bit conflicted, and annoyed at myself, because I really should be able to separate it from the show and I can't, and I can't help but go, 'it's good, but it's not UNCLE,' which is silly.

I'd like to give praise to whoever was responsible for their mock-up of East Berlin because I was able to identify where most of these places were supposed to be, not just Checkpoint Charlie. Also the soundtrack was excellent.

( Further spoilery thoughts )

As you can see, it's a film I am overwhelmingly positive about, but it's not UNCLE.

Links

Architecture:

Palladio: The architect who inspired our love of columns - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34143566

History:

Twins reunited after 70 years apart - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34209018

Augusta Chiwy: Nurse who tended to the wounded amid the carnage of the Battle of the Bulge and was tracked down 60 years later - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/augusta-chiwy-nurse-who-tended-to-the-wounded-amid-the-carnage-of-the-battle-of-the-bulge-and-was-tracked-down-60-years-later-10495940.html

Miscellaneous:

Pregnant at 10 and abortion's not an option - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34195973

Dear Dad, Send Money – Letters from Students in the Middle Ages - http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/05/dear-dad-send-money-letters-from-students-in-the-middle-ages/ Or, as my Mum said, 'nothing changes'. I at least didn't bother with the attempted flattery.

Speer's daughter and the Syrian refugees - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34198967

My time in Africa: Lessons, experiences and concessions - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-34138616 Last blog-post from the BBC's Africa correspondent.

What can a submariner teach you about living in cramped spaces? - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34209357

The best (and worst) ways to spot a liar - http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150906-the-best-and-worst-ways-to-spot-a-liar

Sweden's bizarre tradition of watching Donald Duck cartoons on Christmas Eve -http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2009/12/nordic_quack.single.html

Music:

A time when gigs were violent - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34184563

Politics:

Is Donald Trump the Heir to Teddy Roosevelt’s Legacy? - https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/09/09/is-donald-trump-the-heir-to-teddy-roosevelts-legacy/?utm_content=buffercb87c The article is a bit American-exceptionalism a-go-go, but some of the ideas are interesting.

Sport:

Baseball:

The World Series and mortality - http://interactive.wbez.org/worldseriesmortality/ for the amusement of evilgmbethy

Football:

Liverpool fan in £4,000 payout over Old Trafford toilet row - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-34213950 The take home message being, if interacting with the police, make sure to video it.

FA Cup tie moved for cheese show & the club rising from the ashes - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34151983

Rugby Union:

Rugby World Cup 2015: Why the cards are stacked against Samoa - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/34254653 Or why you should always support the underdog in rugby union.

TNA

I've got to give them this, they're at least trying to explain away the main thing that annoyed me last week (why most of the TNA locker-room weren't coming out to defend TNA vs GFW), with Eli Drake, Jessie Godderz and Kenny King (despite last week's vow of good behaviour) pointing out that there's no point antagonising their potential future boss.

The bit with Bobby Roode and Jeff Jarrett and the King of the Mountain belt and Karen Jarrett being the cleverest person in the room was really good.

Although the usual problem of having evil Jeff Jarrett (tm) in the ring and then featurettes with charming RL Jeff Jarrett on the same show did occur. Because RL Jeff Jarrett is unspeakably charming.

Jeff Hardy as EC3's personal assistant turns out to be a stroke of genius because ... oh it's wonderful. EC3 is being impossible, and Jeff is putting up with it, just, because his honour is at stake. There's a wonderful bit, that TNA haven't put online, where Jeff Hardy and Drew Galloway are talking about Drew's stand vs GFW, EC3 turns up, tells Jeff he can't be a lumberjack in the lumberjack match, and to go do something menial (belt shining I think), and Jeff Hardy turns round to Galloway and goes 'that's our TNA World Champion, it just ain't right' and his tone is perfect.

So yeah, this week was surprisingly good.